That's my assessment of WriteOn Joliet's third anthology release party, which the adult critique group (of which I co-lead) held last Friday night at The Book Market in Crest Hill.
I say this because we are gradually becoming better at planning, organizing, and marketing the event as well as the free, chef-created food we serve.
Each year sales have increased, which is good for us individually, as a group (anthology proceeds benefit WriteOn Joliet programs; get this year's HERE), and for The Book Market's owner, who stays open after hours each year for this event and receives a portion of all sales.
Most importantly, each year we see an increase in attendance, which gives the public an opportunity to discover this treasure of an independent bookstore and the writings of authors who live right in their community.
I mean this last with all my heart.
When I was a child, I longed to meet my favorite authors, but beyond the biographies on the book jacket, little information was known about them.
In fact, one benefit of the internet is that I can learn more about their lives, as well as their deaths, because most of the authors whose books I enjoyed in childhood have passed.
Now despite what some indie authors might proclaim, their books are not for everyone, just like the books I enjoy from well-known authors won't appeal to every person who reads.
But for those who revel in the printed word, what joy can compare to finding a book that sparks interest and then accepting it, signed, straight from the hands of the author who wrote it?
I say this because we are gradually becoming better at planning, organizing, and marketing the event as well as the free, chef-created food we serve.
Each year sales have increased, which is good for us individually, as a group (anthology proceeds benefit WriteOn Joliet programs; get this year's HERE), and for The Book Market's owner, who stays open after hours each year for this event and receives a portion of all sales.
Most importantly, each year we see an increase in attendance, which gives the public an opportunity to discover this treasure of an independent bookstore and the writings of authors who live right in their community.
I mean this last with all my heart.
When I was a child, I longed to meet my favorite authors, but beyond the biographies on the book jacket, little information was known about them.
In fact, one benefit of the internet is that I can learn more about their lives, as well as their deaths, because most of the authors whose books I enjoyed in childhood have passed.
Now despite what some indie authors might proclaim, their books are not for everyone, just like the books I enjoy from well-known authors won't appeal to every person who reads.
But for those who revel in the printed word, what joy can compare to finding a book that sparks interest and then accepting it, signed, straight from the hands of the author who wrote it?
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