Books Authors 'N' All That Jazz

Once again, I'll be participating in an event in Weatherford, Texas and Weatherford College that's developing strong legs called Books Authors 'N' All That Jazz. I'd like to invite all reading this blog to drop by for a hug, handshake, and a few signed books of your choosing from a large contingent of authors. The event is fun and festive.

For all Texas authors I've posted the entire announcement, just in case there are some who aren't aware. There's still time.


Books 'n Authors 'n All that Jazz IX‏

Authors: Five weeks and counting, and we’ll all be gathered at the Alkek Fine Arts Center, ready for the 9th edition of Books ‘n Authors ‘n All That Jazz. It’s amazing that this is our 9th year, and I, personally, am so pleased to be a part of an event that has become a much-anticipated cultural event on our Weatherford campus. We have YOU to thank for that. BAJ is all about you, our Texas authors, and we will work hard to make this a great day for you.
I have attached the overall agenda for the day, including the schedule of workshops that will be presented throughout the day. Also, below, I’ve outlined information that will be helpful to you who have not participated before.

Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of Saturday, April 30th:

· Doors will open by 7:30 a.m. for you to come in and set up. Directions can be found on our College Web site (www.wc.edu - "About WC" link on the left). Texas Hall, inside the Alkek Center, is a very nice venue for our event - easy in and out, and handicapped accessible, of course. Restrooms are at each end of the building. Classrooms, where we will hold the workshops, and the theatre are within a few feet walking distance. Anyone who comes into the Center for one activity or the other will have easy access to you Authors in Texas Hall.
· Some of you have asked about near-by motels since you are not within a short driving distance. There are many to choose from, but two most convenient would be the Super 8, 817-598-0852, or the La Quinta Inn,817- 594-4481. Two other choices nearby are the Hampton Inn, 817-599-4800, or the Holiday Inn Express, 817-599-3700. Rates are reasonable. There are other hotels, as well, and a couple of B&Bs. Check out our Chamber of Commerce website for more information about our little town. We have a lot of to offer – antique shops, good restaurants, the beautiful parks - especially Chandor Gardens – all kinds of things for you to check out while you’re here in Weatherford, Texas!
· When you arrive at the Alkek Fine Arts Center, please check in at the Registration Table. A volunteer will greet you, hand you your name badge, and will show you where you are to be seated. You have been assigned a table space with one other author. Some of you have requested seating next to or near a particular colleague, and we have accommodated those requests. Student volunteers from our Phi Theta Kappa (honor society) will be on-hand to help you fetch and tote your books, if you'd like assistance.
· This will be a good time for you to turn in your “fee” for participating: the two books – one for our College library and one for the door-prize drawing. This year, in order for the attendees to be eligible for the door-prize drawing, which will be a basket of all your books, they must get at least 10 autographs from you authors. The autograph sheet will be on the back of the program, so please remind the attendees about that if they forget to ask you for your autograph.
· You should have approximately 4 feet of space for your books display. Tables will be covered with a white tablecloth, though, you may, of course, bring a covering or "accent" of your own to best display your work. One chair per author will be provided, and those of you bringing a second person to assist with sales need to let me or Evelyn know that, so we'll be sure to have plenty of chairs. Please know that space is limited, and while we certainly welcome your guests and space usually can be arranged, I cannot guarantee their seating at the table with you. The Author is the featured participant at each table.
· If you need or would like to request special arrangements for seating, please let us know that.
· You will need to bring whatever else you need to conduct your sales. We are not set up for electronic charge cards, sorry; however, many of you, I know, have those small, "sliders" for credit cards.
· Also, for your comfort, small portable fans will be plugged in behind the tables. Even on a cool day or with the best of air conditioning on a warm day, it can get a little stuffy with all those tables arranged in one area and, we hope, hundreds of people coming in and out!
· The Authors' Hospitality Room will be located in the service kitchen, just down the hallway from Texas Hall. We'll point the way. Coffee, tea, juice and water, along with breakfast pastries, will be available from about 7:30 a.m. - 10 ish. Then additional snacks and fruit will be set out, until lunch time at Noon, when fresh hot pizza of various kinds will be delivered for you. This is complimentary. If you have special dietary needs, you will need to bring your own food, but everything in the Hospitality Room is free for you.
· The attendees will have the opportunity to have a free lunch as well, sponsored by the editor and publisher of our local popular magazine, Parker County Today. Their sack lunch picnic area will be on the west side of the building, outside. Most of them will be coming from the workshops on the east side of the building and will walk right through Texas Hall where you will be. So be prepared to see a lot of people around 11:45 or so. We’ll hold off on serving YOUR lunch until all the attendees who have reserved a sack lunch have a chance to talk with you.
· We have advertised that Authors will be present in Texas Hall from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. It is impossible to tell you how many books you will need to bring with you. Last year, some authors sold out and left early; some sold few or none, but MOST authors, on average, sold at least 8-12 books, some as many as 20 or 25, and one sold 42, nearly all he brought. There is just no way for me to advise you on this. Most authors told me last year that our event was their best-selling event yet, but I had one author vow never to come back because he didn't sell one book.( He was the one sitting there with his arms folded and looking down at a book in his lap most of the day – NOT engaging the attendees in any way…’nuff said…)
· There's no way to predict what the public is buying on any given day, but we are doing everything we can to GET people there for you! Last year's attendance was over 350. (Check out our Web site at www.wc.edu/calendar click on the BAJ link on the right and you'll see the kind of info that our public is seeing. I have placed ads in several papers (all of the ones in our five-county service area) - scheduled right up to the day of the event; radio spots, and, of course, I talk about it on my radio show all the time (Books 'n Authors on Saturday mornings, 10 a.m., KYQX-FM, 89.5). Posters are going up all over town, as well as event info on electronic marquees. Fliers will be distributed at numerous club meetings in the next weeks.)
· If you'd like some of the posters or fliers, then let me know, and Evelyn and I can arrange to get them to you. You might have a writing group, or a library nearby or a restaurant that would allow a poster in their window, especially if you live within our area...
· You’ll notice on the agenda that at 2 p.m., we have scheduled the annual Canis Latran ("The Coyote,") Writing Contest awards program. This is when we will present the winners of the contest and allow them to read a portion of their work to the audience. You are welcome to join us at that, if you’d like. The program begins with the "....'n All That Jazz" performance by our Jazz combo, and they’re good!
· And, of course, we have several workshops going on throughout the day. You may want to attend one of those. Attending the workshops and/or theatre activities is strictly up to you; we realize, of course, that you are attending Books 'n Authors 'n All That Jazz to sell your books and meet 'n greet your readers! If you choose to leave your tables, we will have volunteers in Texas Hall to ensure your belongings' safe-keeping. Last year, volunteers even finalized a few sales for our Authors while they were in the theatre!
I have had the privilege of meeting most of you at our event or at another book festival. I want to make sure I talk with each and every one of you sometime during the day. Please find me during the day if we should miss connections early on. I will have a few details to attend to through the day, especially early in the day and may be seen scurrying about a bit, but I'll be easy to find. Just look for the lady whose gray hair is going grayer by the minute, right before your eyes! :-) Also, my assistant, Evelyn Payne (a lot less grayer than I...) will be available, as well. We'll both have on great big name tags. You can't miss us!

Seriously, we will do everything we can to make this a wonderful day for you. Please do not hesitate to let me know if you need anything or if you have suggestion on how we can do anything better for you next year. There will be an evaluation form in your Author's Welcome Packet that will be at your table.

I think this covers several details of the day. I am very excited about Books 'n Authors 'n All That Jazz IX; in fact, it is my favorite event of the year! We want it to be the very best we can make it and make it a great day for you! If you have additional questions or know of something I have left out in this informational e-mail, please let me know.

See you on April 30th!

Linda Brooks Bagwell
Director, Communications & Public Relations
Weatherford College
225 College Park Ave.
Weatherford, Texas 76086
817-598-6274, office