Byron Writers Festival: Ten Years On

Ten years ago this August, I made my first festival appearance as an author, at Byron Writers Festival, Australia’s largest regional storytelling event held in the popular seaside town of Byron Bay.

I didn’t sleep a wink the night before my festival appearance. When I got out of bed at 6.30am, it was pure adrenaline that kick-started me into the day. I left my friend Tonia’s house at Lennox Head and drove the short distance north to Byron Bay. I stomached half a toasted sandwich and a skinny chai latte before heading up the road to the festival site behind the Elements of Byron resort. I arrived at nine o’clock, half an hour before my allotted time at the Self Published Marquee.

The Self Published Marquee was a venue run by a local self-publishing company. Authors were allotted a two-hour session over the weekend to promote and sell their books. Our books were also available for sale in the festival bookshop. This marquee was a fantastic initiative to include independent authors in a writing festival.

There had been a significant amount of rain in Byron Bay over the weekend, so the ground in the car park was uneven and muddy. The trolley I had bought to carry my boxes of books proved essential for transporting my stock safely to the Marquee. Once inside the festival site, I located the Marquee and began to set up my book display on my allocated table. I propped my newest release, Paid To Dance, up on shoeboxes, and laid out my handouts and mailing list sign-up sheet.

I had been allocated two hours between 9.30 and 11.30am to sell and promote my books to the public. A handful of festival goers stopped by my table, and I was able to talk to them about my books and myself as an author, and my experience self-publishing. I was sure to keep my cash float close at all times.

The coordinators present at the Marquee had decided to conduct some spontaneous author talks during our two-hour session, and this was perhaps the highlight of the experience. It was also a wonderful surprise to have my Aunty Karen surprise me at my table, having driven all the way from Redcliffe in Queensland to support me at my first festival appearance!

After my session at the Marquee concluded at 11.30, I packed up my table display and took my stock back to my car. I met up with my Aunty Karen at Main Beach in Byron for a lunch of fish and chips, before heading back to Lennox Head, where I spent the night at the home of Tonia’s friend in a cool beach shack-style house. This was also my first experience using AirBnB!

Out of the thirty-eight book copies I had with me, I sold three: two copies of Paid To Dance and one of a short story collection titled The New Neighbors. Of the hundred-odd handouts I had printed, I had handed out only a handful. I was also slightly devastated to discover that I had not sold a single copy from the bookshop over the entire three days of the festival. But, all the more for my readers at home!

Taking part in the Byron Writers Festival was a valuable learning experience for me as an author. Being able to talk to the public about my books was fantastic, even better, being able to get up on stage for a proper author talk! I have promotional material in the form of photos and videos, and I can now add this appearance to my resume.

Being selected to appear at the Self Published Marquee at the Byron Writers Festival 2016 was a milestone in my career. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have been able to take part in Australia’s largest regional writers festival.