Had a great day at Pybus Public Market in Wenatchee last weekend! It was a better turnout than I expected, but what really blew me away was the amount of people at the market overall. It was packed on a November Saturday afternoon. Kudos to Steve Robinson who has built this public market into an events each weekend! Beside us, there was the National Diabetes Day presentations (yoga and a cooking demo, I think), the usual shops that are permanently there, and so many vendors in the aisles selling their art, craftwork, food items, and personal passions.As for the books? There were 13 of us, all seated at tables and the vibe was very low-key and approachable. I suspect eventually I will stop saying this, but this was really my first event like this. It wasn't so much about selling books (though ultimately, that IS the goal), but more about giving folks a chance to meet local authors, here the back stories, and if they are so inclined, to buy books.
To her credit, Theresa from A Book For All Seasons (more on her later!) did a wonderful job of featuring our books, but also making it possible for folks to visit with us without feeling pressure to buy. Each attendee was given a sheet of paper with all of our names and books on it. All they had to do was stop by our spot, talk with us, and get us to sign their sheet. Once they had nine of thirteen signatures, they were entered into a drawing. And boy, did they come!I met some wonderful kids, including Aurelia, Peter and Emmy, and my buddy Eli who ended up with a copy of Fibonacci though his dad only planned on buying my science book. Parents and grandparents who really care about developing a love of reading and learning in the next generation. Really, it was an uplifting day, and a fun day to talk about math, science, and philosophy of education (!). I was proud to sell out of one of my science books, sell all but one copy of the other, and to sell half a case of my Fibonacci Zoo.
Even better, I got to meet some local authors who have been doing this a lot longer than I have. And most are self-published, which is a growing trend in the book publishing business, but still can be a very challenging way to go. I was honored to meet Wendell George who has written several stories (Coyote Finishes the People, Last Chief Standing, and Raven Speaks) about his tribe's history in north central Washington, Jim Talbert, who has penned a non-fiction account of Lake Chelan's history (Lake Chelan Revisited), and enjoyed sitting next to Sarah Hartsig, who was sharing her first picture book as both author and illustrator - a lovely, upbeat story of a birthday party (Party for Pepper) for a mouse and all the fun decorations to count at the party.
And even more fun, Theresa has asked me back to her shop in Leavenworth for their Christmas party December 3 to sign books! And then on December 5, I'll be back up there for another author event. It is heart-warming to connect with a local bookstore owner who supports local authors and is excited about bringing us in to meet the public and share our stories.
If you think you might be in or around Leavenworth that fir
st weekend after Thanksgiving, please stop by and say hello!
