Book Fair Etiquette for Aspiring Authors
Your primary goal as an author at a book fair should be to find the best fit between the book you’re pitching and the publishing companies at the show. That way, your goals are aligned with the agents and editors who are there.
I try to get as much information as I can about what publishers are looking for in their various imprints and what makes a book in their market successful. For example, I found out that most cookbook publishers will only take on a book that has scrumptious photographs of food; they know books showing a visual of the finished recipes sell far better than cookbooks with few or no photos.
The first time I attended a book fair, I remember not knowing what my job was…I honestly stood there and asked myself, “Why am I here?”