FAQ’s for Authors/ Presenters and Exhibitors
REVISED 10/8/24
*Please stay updated. This list will grow or change as we near the festival.*
General
We cannot state this enough- every festival is different. Please do not go to any festival with an idea of how it should be based on the last one you attended. We have tried to cover everything here so you know what to expect. We have a team of only two people. It is impossible to plan the festival and reply to every email we receive.
We expect you to read all of this, make notes, highlight things that are important to you, print it out, and bring it with you. We are unable to reply to all of the emails and questions we are receiving so we provide the answers to your most common questions here. Thank you for your time and attention to this document.
*Please note this major change to the festival’s structure this year:
Many self-published authors, and in some cases, authors with a small press, will pay a table fee of $100.00 and will be responsible for selling their own books. Your book sales belong to you. This includes authors who sell through IngramSpark. You can also reserve an entire table for $175.00, but these spots are limited so you will want to secure these spots quickly (as of 10/8 all spots are full). After your acceptance, we will send you a Paypal invoice in the weeks following for this fee. Please be on the lookout for the invoice as it will come sometime after you are accepted, but may take a couple of weeks depending on where we are in the application process. Many of the authors will fare much better with this arrangement so we are trying out this structure for 2024 to see how it works for everyone. Even though you pay a fee to have a spot at the festival, we still do not approve entire backlists for sale and any other items sold must be strictly book-related. Please see more on that below in Question #13. Thank you.
If you would like a solo table, just note on your application that you’d like to reserve an entire table, and you will be sent a confirmation for this request when you are admitted as an author to the festival. These requests will be granted in the order of application date.
A note about the application process:
The application process closes on July 31. Even if your book will not be ready to submit by July 31 you should apply. We will need copies of your book to review in hand no later than September 1. We can not reply to all messages received about whether we received your application or books. In general, we have no issue receiving applications as they come straight to our email. If we have an application and no books or books and no application then we will contact you. We do not send notices that you were not accepted to the festival. If you are accepted to the festival you will receive an acceptance letter no later than August 14, although in most cases we begin sending welcome letters well before that date.
1. What are the days/times of the festival?
Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19th, 2024. Both days the festival will be open to the public from 10 am to 5 pm.
As an author, presenter, or exhibitor you will need to enter the KICC through the loading dock at the time provided to you by Melissa. Do not arrive earlier than this as we will not be able to assist you. Please be mindful that this will not be the best time to ask LBF staff or volunteers questions unless they are located at the check-in table which is located at the Welcome table. We are attempting to answer all questions here to keep everyone updated. There will also be two virtual Q and A sessions in October to go over the festival layout and provide opportunities to ask questions of festival staff. (These have both been held as of 10/8). Please watch or check your email for these meeting times and how to access the meetings.
2. What is the Louisville Book Festival?
The Louisville Book Festival is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization founded in 2018 to celebrate and promote the love and the benefits of reading, writing, and literacy. We believe that literacy is a fundamental human right and that there is power and purpose in bringing books to life every day of the year. We celebrate books and use them to highlight and grow the resilient culture of our vibrant city, as well as to encourage and elevate our creative thinking as a community. The Louisville Book Festival is a D|B|A for It Pays To Read. You may sometimes hear us referred to by that name also. The festival is a very small, very new nonprofit which is comprised of a team of just two people. Please keep this in mind.
3. Where is the festival?
The festival will be held at the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky at:
221 S 4th Street, Louisville, KY 40202
The best entrance for the Festival is at the corner of 4th and Market Street. The KICC is very large and lives on more than one block.
Parking: The Kentucky International Convention Center is in downtown Louisville. We have no special arrangements or deal for parking. There is a parking garage right across from the center (after 4th St. on Market). We recommend you park here early and stay all day. There is also lots of street parking. Find parking tips for downtown Louisville at this link.
If you are staying at a nearby hotel, we recommend leaving your car there (if you have one) and walk to the center if this is an option.
4. I need lodging. Any recommendations?
We have listed hotels on our website which can be found here:
We cannot recommend a hotel. Please try to stay near the KICC if you can, and please read the hotel reviews. There are also many places to stay listed on sites like VRBO and Air B & B.
5. Does it cost money to get into the festival?
No, the festival is free like the library. There may be some sessions you will need to register to access if we anticipate high attendance. We will announce those when we become aware of the need to encourage registration. (As of 10/8 we have no sessions for 2024 that require registration.)
6. How long has the Louisville Book Festival been around?
The LBF was founded in 2018. We planned to hold the first festival in 2020. For obvious reasons we had to hold the festival virtually and we did so again in 2021. In 2022 we held the first ever in-person Louisville Book Festival, but it was actually the third festival. We worked hard to spread the word about the festival, but we need your help. As with anything new, it takes time to get the word out to all of the book lovers about this annual event. *We require that you post about the event with a link to our website on your website as a way to generate buzz for the festival.* We also strongly encourage you to talk up your involvement in this event on social media. Let your fans know where you will be!
7. What kind of community involvement do you have?
We are very honored and excited to partner with several organizations throughout Louisville. Through a partnership with Jefferson County Public Schools, we will have students, teachers, and parents in attendance during the festival. We are also partnered with Carmichael’s (Louisville’s oldest independent bookstore), Multicultural Children’s Book Day and the Children’s Book Council (which are both national entities). The Louisville Free Public Library has been an incredible collaborator. They have personally coordinated craft and story time events throughout the duration of the festival. We have many other sponsors, such as local businesses and banks, local influencers, the Metro United Way, Louisville Metro Firefighters, KET, and the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood. All who believe in the power of books and literacy and will be helping us get the word out about this event.
8. Who will be in attendance at the event?
The event is free and open to the public, so anyone is welcome to attend. Last year more than 3,000 people attended the festival in only the second year of in-person gatherings. We expect this number to double in 2024. The vast amount of variety we have in authors, presentations, and exhibitors will ensure a large diverse crowd of book lovers (of all ages and backgrounds) in attendance on both days. We are most excited that so many members of our community will be able to see themselves reflected in some way during this festival. On Fridays, we do have a high volume of children on field trips. This has led people to state that Friday is a “kids’ day” which is not accurate. We are a comprehensive book festival with something for everyone! Please be aware that there will be field trips on Friday and monitor your table if you have items that you would not like for children to grab.
*** There is no “kids’ day” at the festival. Both days of the festival are for everyone. ***
9. Will there be prizes and giveaways to entice people to attend?
Yes, we have many programs and giveaways lined up throughout both days to engage a wider audience and encourage participation. We welcome items if you would like to donate anything to our giveaways, please let us know. You may see one of the books you sent to us for review donated to our giveaway. We have giveaways because people love giveaways, and many will come to the festival just because they love freebies. We do not believe giveaways discourage people from buying books. Booklovers will always buy books even when they get a free book or two.
10. Will someone sell my books if I cannot be at my table?
No. Like a bookstore, your books can live on your table so the public can see them, but no one will actively sell your books in your absence. You may also want to put some things or even all of your books under your table. It is up to you. You may only sell books and items approved by the Louisville Book Festival and all book sales will be handled through the Louisville Book Festival store, unless you are self-published or with a small press. (As of 10/8 everyone has been made aware of the category they fall in). This includes authors with IngramSpark. . *PLEASE SEE QUESTION #13 for more on this issue.*
11. Can you tell me how rich I will get?
No. Sometimes we are asked “is it worth it to attend” and the answer is always a resounding yes! Most of you will sell books, but some may not sell the number of books they hope. You may not sell any books at all- there is just no way we can predict this. Last year we did have several authors who sold out of books. We expect the same this year, but remember there are many reasons to attend a festival as an author. Book sales is only one of many. Keep a very positive attitude. Don’t get discouraged if you are not selling.
*Do not let your disappointment radiate or others (i.e. potential fans) will pick up on it and it may have a negative effect on who stops by to talk with you. We have actually seen this happen. No one wants to talk to a grumpy author and they will pass you by quickly!*
Attending festivals is exactly like planting seeds. You may not see the sales you want that day, but you will meet someone who will talk about you to someone else, or Tweet a picture, or buy the next week from your website. You may not be able to see the impact of your appearance right away, but your appearance will definitely have an impact. The results of attending a book festival are exponential.
Also keep in mind that over 300 authors applied to be in the 2023 festival and 150 were accepted. (Close to 400 applied in 2024.) We anticipate even higher numbers for 2024, as the festival continues to grow. That alone is something to brag about! Make sure EVERYONE knows you are here. Encourage your current fans to come see you- even if they are in other states. Many people travel to book festivals because they are truly inspiring events.
Engage with the audience. Look them in the eye and smile. Put away your phone unless you are taking pictures to share on social media. (Don’t forget to tag the LBF and also use #LouisvilleBookFestival!)
Take LOTS of images. You will be able to share tales of this journey for weeks if not months. Turn it into a blog and be sure to include a link in the blog to the LBF.
*An exciting note for 2024: Many authors completely sold out of their books in 2022 and in 2023.*
Schedule
12. As an author, what will my day look like? Do I need to prepare anything special?
We can’t wait to see all of the LBF authors this year. It has been a long five years (including planning years) to get to this point. We strongly encourage you to do as much networking as possible. Many people make lifelong friends at festivals. Many people also find out about other festivals and opportunities through the connections made at a festival.
Traditionally published authors’ books (and a few other authors who have been notified prior to 10/8) will be sold through Carmichael’s. You will not receive a payment from these sales. It will be the same as if your book was sold in their bookstore. You will be assigned a signing time so that the public can meet you and knows when to expect you. The signing time will be close to the time you present and may be before or after your presentation.
For self-published and most small press authors who have a table at the festival: ***You should be ready to greet a crowd at 10 am. Please try to have all of your questions answered before then as the LBF staff will be inundated with questions and requests from the public, while also trying to set up for the festival. Authors, presenters, and exhibitors are professionals, and we will need you to be independent. Consider the festival your office for the day.***
Each participating author will have access to half a table in a large, beautiful ballroom area of the KICC. Your table will have a linen and one chair each for the two authors assigned to your table. Like a lot of festivals, you will share a table with another author.
At a shared table you will have 4 feet of space and one chair. Please do not take a chair from anyone else’s table. You may bring one large sign or poster that should not exceed five (5) feet in length or eight (8) feet in height. Your sign must stand on its own. The KICC will not allow you to hang a sign anywhere on the property. Be aware that if your sign has legs or feet that stick out into the aisle/ walkway you may be asked to take your sign down and remove it from the area because of the KICC’s fire code.
*You will need to bring all of your own accessories for any items you need. This includes electricity throughout the day.* There is no place to charge a phone or iPad in the author or vendor area. The KICC charges for electricity. If you use an outlet, you will be charged for using an unauthorized outlet at the KICC. You may also bring a table drape if you have one you want to use. Battery packs/ portable chargers are a great investment to get through a festival and something you will use again for these kinds of events. You can find a helpful list of items to bring at this link.
You can also have signs on your table, but be sure your area is neat and organized as it will be more attractive and draw more people to you (like Target!).
We will have an author green room on the lower level where you can take a break or eat a meal uninterrupted. Bring water, drinks, snacks and lunch with you so you will not have to stray far. If you are away from your table you are missing out on fans.
Take LOTS of pictures and post them the entire weekend using the hashtag #LouisvilleBookFestival or #WeBringBooksToLife. Festivals are instant credibility and GREAT boosters for your author social media and also to add to your website. Attending a book festival as an author increases your author authority! Many people also make lifelong friends and colleagues at festivals. You will want to remember this time and show it all off! This is the world we live in now and attending events and meeting fans is a part of your brand.
You can go to the bathroom whenever you want or even attend a session you may really want to see, but keep in mind that you are far more likely to sell a book when people talk to you in person, especially if they can get your book autographed- that is a huge draw for a new or current fan.
You will have a name tent on your table. You will also need sharpies or nice pens and sticky notes- we encourage you to ask people to write down the spelling of their name if they want you to dedicate a message in a book to them. This will keep you from making an error in a book.
13. How will I sell my books at the festival?
Not all festivals are the same. Each one is structured differently. The Louisville Book Festival partners with Carmichael’s Bookstore, Louisville’s oldest independent bookstore, as our official bookseller for the event. All traditionally published books will be ordered by Carmichael’s through a publishing distributor and they will bring them to the festival for sale. (In some cases Carmichael’s will be able to sell books from small presses and even a few self-published authors, but this will be rare. If your book cannot be sold by Carmichael’s you have been made aware of this by now.)
The Louisville Book Festival has its own bookstore during the festival. The bookstore is run by Carmichael’s, but we consider this the Louisville Book Festival store.
If your book cannot be ordered through a publishing distributor you will pay a table fee instead of Carmichael’s selling your book (this most typically only applies to self-published authors and books published through a small press). Please bring your books with you to manage and sell. You cannot ship them to us or to the KICC in advance. We do not have the staff to bring books on your behalf. You will sell your own books at the festival and manage your sales, inventory and table. You will also retain 100% of your sales. This is a change from the 2022 and 2023 festival structure.
*You cannot sell any other merchandise at the festival unless it is related to your book and has been approved by the festival prior to October.*
Please do not place your books on any other table than your own. The best placement for your books is physically with you. People will meet you and then want to buy your book. No one will be able to sell your books for you. You will be responsible for all your own sales.
*If you sell books that were not approved for sale or other merchandise that is not related to your books from your table you will be asked to leave immediately. This decision will be at the sole discretion of the Festival Director and will not be subject to debate.*
You would be surprised at the things people want to sell at the book festival. This is a bookish event, and we require that only bookish items are sold. After you check-in, you will then take your books with you to your table so your fans can pick them up directly from you, look at them, fall in love with your cover, talk to you all about the book, and you can sign it for them. Just like a signing at a bookstore.
Please remember to unload books from your car and any other items at your assigned time at the loading dock.
14. If I have to order my own books, how many should I bring?
It is absolutely impossible for us to be able to answer this question. When you attend an event, how many books do you bring? We have had authors sell 5 books, but we have also had many authors sell dozens of books.
You are the best judge of how many books you need. Some books are great, but maybe not highly commercial or maybe they are in a narrow niche. You may not want to bring as many books as
someone who sells something that just seems to click with a wider audience. We anticipate a crowd over two days of about five thousand people, but five thousand people total are unlikely to buy your book. This is why it is hard to tell you how many books to bring. It seems as though most authors bring somewhere between 20 and 50. Again, this is something you will need to decide.
If you always attend events- bring more than you think you need- you will use them again. If you sell out, you can always direct people to your website and still interact with them. This is just really an impossible question to answer because everyone’s book sales are different. You truly are going to have to use your best judgment here based on your own personal experience.
15. Can I get paid or reimbursed for my time and participation in the festival?
We will have more than 150 authors and speakers participating in the festival. It is impossible for us to fund your trip in any way. We hope that you have fun and realize the benefit of connecting with fellow authors and new fans. We encourage you to make the most of your trip by documenting it all on social media and your website. Blog about what you loved or learned. We are providing authors with an invaluable platform to promote themselves to an audience full of booklovers. We believe you will find it well worth your journey. You need to build a book community and you can do that here. We are appreciative and honored you want to do that with us.
16. Will there be a festival opening or closing?
No.
Presenters/ Speakers (we use these terms interchangeably- to us, they mean the same thing)
17. As a presenter, what will my day look like? How long will I have to present?
Please check in when you arrive at the festival so we know you are here. Most presentations will be about 50 minutes. You should leave 5-10 minutes for questions. Your room may not have a moderator to introduce you, so you should be ready to begin promptly on time. People may still want to talk to you even though your presentation has wrapped up. That’s great! We ask that you let them know you will be available in the hall so we can make room for the next presentation. There is plenty of room at the KICC to spread out and network.
Please remember that children may be in attendance during your presentation so please keep your talk PG. Also, we do our best to accommodate requests for technology, but we will not have technology available in every room where presentations are held. (All technology requests have been made as of 10/8. We cannot accommodate new requests at this time.) The KICC also will not allow you to bring in your own screen. If you absolutely must have access to a screen and projector please tell us that when you apply.
18. Will there be a facilitator on hand to keep the audience engaged? Is there a way I can capture my attendees’ names or have them sign up to get on my email list?
There will not be a facilitator on hand to keep audience members engaged. Instead, we encourage presenters to implement audience interaction throughout their presentations, and we
highly encourage authors to have some conversation starters or pieces of their work they’d like to discuss. You will also be responsible for asking people to follow you on social media or sign up for your mailing list if you would like to do that. We will not retain this information for the presenters.
19. How will we be utilizing Facebook OR INSTAGRAM Live during the event?
We plan to promote aspects of this event on Facebook Live for more personalized interaction. You may also be asked to do a short reading from your work. (We may not do this in 2024.) You can also go live on Facebook and/or Instagram and we encourage you to do so. The more you promote the festival, the more traffic you will have at your table. People will come on down just to find you.
20. When will my topic and my time slot be announced?
Our application window closed on July 31st. It takes a great amount of time to sort books and apps from hundreds of authors and presenters. We do not admit all books that are submitted. Your book may be intriguing and well-written, but we must decline some books, well, because… you can only have so many books about demons and vampires, you know?
In the past two years, we have had about 300 to 400 applicants and only admitted about 150 each year.
After that the scheduling begins. We announce all who are admitted as authors to the festival by August 14th. Authors are our biggest groups of presenters. We have a gigantic wall at the office littered with postcards to organize the speakers and topics. This process is tedious. Please be patient as we fill out the schedule. (The schedule is complete as of 10/8.)
We anticipate announcing the full schedule of presenters and times by the end of September. We will be in touch to confirm your topic and schedule with you directly.
21. Will there be a moderator in my presentation or for my panel?
No.
Marketing
22. Can I promote my involvement with the LBF on social media?
Absolutely. We require that you promote your involvement on social media and on your website. You must list a physical link to the LBF website on your own author site. This is one reason why we ask that you do have a website, besides the fact that it shows a professional commitment to your work and helps your fans stay up to date on an organized platform. If you need help with this, please let us know. The Festival will do a great deal to promote you, but we also need your help to make your participation successful. You have your own fans- make sure they know where to find you. Our hope is to increase the size of that fan club. We strongly encourage you to share as much as you would like on your own social media.
23. How much marketing am I responsible for? Will LBF be providing me with copy-n-paste social media updates and images to share?
Festival participants are welcome to share our posts or utilize our graphics on their own social media channels. We will also send along our logo so you will be able to create your own social media posts and incorporate the logo in your post.
24. Will you market my books?
Not directly. We will market the festival. It is up to you to market your books.
25. Can I become a sponsor?
We would love for you to sponsor our mission. We do good work. Please email Melissa at melissa@louisvillebookfestival.com if you, your publisher, or someone else you know is interested in sponsoring. You can also invest in other opportunities to promote yourself with us while also supporting our mission. We will send those opportunities along soon. We also are always accepting new books, especially for children.
26. Are there any opportunities to pay to boost or further advertise my involvement in the Festival?
Yes. Please remember that we are a nonprofit and we need to raise money 1) to be able to do this every year; and 2) to further our goal of highlighting literacy and a love of reading. We are not a for profit business. We provide you with a truly incredible platform to network and engage fans and we do not ask a lot in return. Our hope is that you will become fans of ours and be willing to support us too.
Bottom Line: We are putting in a lot of effort to make this work for our authors. We want you to have a platform to interact and we want you to come back. Authors, more than ever, really need opportunities to interact with the public and the public needs opportunities to do things that stimulate their creative mind. Let’s make this event a success so fans will come to meet you in person every year!
To ensure a book festival is successful, marketing is key. You each have your own fan base. Please make sure they know what you are up to and where to find you. Heavily advertise your involvement with the Louisville Book Festival throughout the year. We will also be marketing heavily in our community and on social media.
Please invite your family, friends and fans to like the LBF Facebook and Instagram page for updates and to sign up for our newsletter on our website.