NEWS
June 2013 Edition
Oct. 24-26, 2013
- 6th Anniversary ●
Fallbrook Church ● Houston, Texas
www.nationalblackbookfestival.com
[Click here if you are unable to view the images or read the newsletter]
Greetings
From National Black Book Festival Headquarters!We hope you are having an awesome summer and are enjoying all things literary. We are continually working on the details for the 2013 National Black Book Festival, which is going to be a phenomenal event you won't want to miss. For authors who are interested in participating as vendors, author tables are already 94% sold and we expect to sell out completely at least two months before the event takes place. Late registration rates are in effect and the full payment must be made at the time of registration. However, UNTIL JUNE 30TH, we will accept a 50% deposit on remaining author tables, with the final payment due by July 31st. If you are an author and would like to make a 50% deposit of $175.00, you may register online here.
No more partial deposits for tables will be accepted after June 30th.
Book clubs that plan attend should register their clubs via email at info@nationalblackbookfestival.com. Registering your club means it will be listed on the web site and book clubs will receive special attention and gift items at the Festival.
Each year at NBBF, we present the Best New Author Award. The winner is selected based on an essay competition and the sales results of his or her book over the past year. The ten finalists are selected and they are as follows:
Roje' Augustin (New York, NY)
Stacy Campbell (Indianapolis, IN)
Hank T. Cannon (Austin, TX)
Lashanta Charles (Killeen, TX)
Frances Frost (Silver Spring, MD)
Norwood Holland (Washington, DC)
Jedah Mayberry (Austin, TX)
Masika Ray (Longview, TX)
JeanNicole Rivers (Houston, TX)
Mikki Zimmerman (Monroe, LA)
Congratulations to all ten finalists. The winner will receive an all-expense paid trip to Houston to receive the award, as well as a two-hour book signing at the Festival. The award will be presented on Thursday evening (Oct. 24th) at the Welcome to Houston Reception.
Here is some updated information about the 2013 NBBF, to be held Thursday., Oct. 24 thru Saturday, Oct. 26.
NBBF will have an entertainment tent throughout the Festival to feature local live entertainment. This is for local entertainers who would like to receive exposure for their work. Although the entertainment must be performed by the talent free-of-charge, those who perform will be able to sell their CDs or DVDs after their performance. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PROVIDING TALENT FOR THE FESTIVAL or know someone who is, a video must be submitted for approval before talent can be scheduled. Please submit your video or link to the YouTube video to: info@nationalblackbookfestival.com.
The location for the 2013 Festival is
Fallbrook Church in Northwest Houston. The Festival will be located in the church’s primary parking lot. Fallbrook is one of the largest black churches in Houston and the 6-acre property houses three worship buildings, the Fallbrook College Preparatory Academy and Fallbrook Christian Academy. Visit their web site for more information about the church. For out-of-town guests who will be staying the entire weekend and would like to attend church, Fallbrook's services on Sunday are at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.Because of our location on a church property, some authors have asked whether or not all types of books will be exhibited and sold. While the Festival is being held at Fallbrook Church, the event itself is not hosted by the church. Nearly all of the genres we have included in the past will be retained. We are, however, requesting that authors who have books with profanity in the titles or nudity on the covers not display those items at the Festival out of respect for the church property. If you are unsure about your book cover, please contact us and we will review it with you.
The
headquarters hotel will be the Hyatt North Houston and our room block
rate will be $89 for single or double occupancy. The Hyatt provides
complimentary transportation from the airport to the hotel and NBBF will
provide complimentary shuttle service from the hotel to the Festival
location.
We
also have a discount with United Airlines for airfare to and from
Houston during the Festival time frame of
Oct. 21 to Oct. 28th. Use the
offer code ZPTU398617 on the United Airlines web site.
We've got one of the best featured author lineups in the country. See for yourself!
 |
We’ll keep you abreast of plans for 2013 in
our periodic editions of the newsletter. In the meantime, feel free to visit the Festival web site and our Facebook and Twitter pages, which are all updated regularly.Gwen
Richardson
NBBF National Coordinator
info@nationalblackbookfestival.com
1-800-340-5454
______________________
AUTHOR
COUNTDOWN TO 2013 NBBF
by Rhonda Jackson Joseph
Can you believe we only have
four months until this year’s National Black Book Festival, in Houston, Texas, from Oct. 24-26? The time has flown. Hopefully, you've been focusing on your preparations for this premiere event so you can optimize your attendance and build on your existing foundation.What you should be doing this month:
- Secure your participating author
table. If you haven't already signed up, do so
immediately because 94% of the tables are already sold as of June
26th. A $175 deposit made by June 30th holds your spot and guarantees that you
can be a part of one of the nation's best annual book events.
The balance of $175 is not due until 7/31/2013, so you have time to pay it off.
- Finalize your travel arrangements
and make your hotel reservations. If you're flying to Houston,
make sure to arrange your transfers to and from the airport.
The official festival host hotel, the Hyatt North Houston, has an
airport shuttle from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, as well
as a special nightly rate for festival participants of only $89.00.
Save even more money using the exclusive festival United Airlines
discount code.
- Keep the lines of communication open
with those new Houston area contacts you've worked hard to make.
Remember those family members and friends we talked about a couple
of months ago? Now is the time to pin them down and
specifically request their presence at the festival to support you.
You have been talking to them about it, haven't you?
And you did let them know how excited you are about the
festival, right?
- Update your website, blog and/or
newsletter regarding your appearance at the festival. Make
sure to also mention the featured authors, especially those who
write in the same genre as you. If you're planning a promotion
at the festival, such as a giveaway or purchasing discount, mention
this as well.
- Create and print your promotional
items. If you're using postcards, bookmarks, or other printed
materials, get proofs now so you can have plenty of time to make any
changes you want. These items should be of high quality in
order to draw the attention of customers.
- Experiment with coupon codes at your sales venues. Many online sellers offer coupon codes for books when readers purchase them from their sites. Consider using coupons for your electronic books so that readers will be more tempted to purchase them.
It's still of the utmost importance that you continue to promote yourself and your book(s) before the festival arrives. Word of mouth is a powerful tool for authors and you want the buzz created about your work well before you set foot in Houston.
Continue to build your personal author brand. You're selling yourself just as much as you're selling your work. Let customers know what they're getting when they purchase your work. Show them why they should purchase your book, when they could spend their money with other authors.
Until next time,
Rhonda Jackson Joseph
National Black Book Festival
Steering Committee Member
BOOK FEATURES
Coach
Michael Taylor
Corey Reynolds
Alvin Dawkins
Barbara M. Barnes
Peter Benjaminson
Gwen Richardson
Billie Bierer
Gwen Richardson
Dr. Loren Due
John A. Taylor
Jacquie Hood Martin