Trade events and shows can be found for virtually all sectors in business. The publishing industry is certainly no exception. The London Book Fair is an example of a tradeshow for authors and writers. You might be wondering just exactly what the impact would be, if you were to attend such an event. Read on to find out the benefits of attending trade shows for writers:
Big Learning Opportunity
Trade shows and book fairs for writers and authors will usually have a number of presentations and workshops during the actual events. There will be speakers from all parts of the world sharing latest information and knowledge in all areas of both traditional publishing and self-publishing. Whatever you learn, you can then apply to your own writing and publishing business.
Opportunities for Speaking
Not only are trade shows for writers a good opportunity to learn from others, they also provide you with an opportunity to speak. During the organisation stages of such events, you can put yourself forward to speak during a particular slot on a certain topic, which is line with the programme of the particular trade show. Not only can others benefit from your expertise, you can also indirectly sell your specialisms, your books and eBooks to the audience present during your session, and in this way, win new business.
Participating in Competitions
Book fairs and conventions can often have writing contests during their duration, across different types of genres. You can get involved in these and stand a chance of winning cash prizes and books. As an author, both of these types of prizes can come in handy! If you do win a prize, then this is a wonderful way to gain further exposure and market yourself.
Celebrity Watching and Interacting
World famous authors are usually in attendance at trade shows and book fairs to give talks and interviews. Your favourite author might be attending such an event and you will get an opportunity to meet him or her.
Networking and Business Opportunities
One of the key benefits of attending a trade show is networking with others. You can meet numerous experts from the field, including other authors, publishers, publicists and literally agents. If you’ve always dreamt of having your book traditionally published, then a visit to a trade show, and a chat with the right person might just be what you need to get you started on the path.
Gets You Out and About
Attending a trade show means you’re giving yourself a break from writing (which you probably do during large periods of solitude) and gets you out and about, and around people. Writers and authors are still social beings, so doing something different around new people will be good for your mind and soul.
In Conclusion
As you can see from this article, there are a number of benefits of attending trade shows for writers. What can really help your visit to one of these is some prior planning beforehand. Take a look at which exhibitors are going to present, which experts will be attending and make a list of those people who want to talk to. Armed with this initial research, you can then attend the show and maximise your time by approaching those people who you would really like to meet.
Image credit: Alexander von Halem on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hv1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of eBooks India. He is also a prolific eBook writer with over 25 titles to his name.[/author_info] [/author]