I attended the Author’s event at the Intercourse Library on Saturday, July 19, 2025. It was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. — 3:00 p.m. We had a steady trickle of attendees from about 11:30 until 1:10. After that, it was dead. I was able to meet some new people, gain one more sign-up for my newsletter, and connect with a few authors. However, sales were very hard to come by. I have come to the conclusion that Summer is not a great time for an Author event, and location matters. Unfortunately, the Intercourse Library is a bit off the beaten path and has no signage to let people know it’s there.
The above photo shows my friend, Shelleen Weaver, sharing one of her wonderful children’s books from her Fruit Fables Series with three attendees. Each of her fables focuses on one of the Fruits of the Spirit and the illustrations are beautiful!
The above is a photo of Melissa Roos’s table with all of her books. Right after set up, I spoke with her briefly and purchased a copy of You Can Hide, her first book. She mentioned that Tennessee Wishes was available on Amazon Kindle for free that day, so I downloaded it as soon as I got home. I purchased her other books on Kindle today. I love Mystery/Romance and these all sound so good!
Later, when the traffic was slow, I returned to Melissa’s stand to talk to her more. I enjoyed asking her about her writing journey, and we discussed book covers because I really love her covers for The Further I Fall and Cherry Hollow. She encouraged me in regard to designing my own book covers.
When there wasn’t a single “shopper” in the room, other than the owner of these two furry ladies, he mentioned that these girls were waiting outside. So the author he came to purchase a book from and I went out to see them. They are Greyhounds and were quite sweet and friendly, and I found their coats much softer than I expected.
I would say having one of my author friends go on a coffee run and bring back a chai latte for me, meeting the Greyhounds, seeing my friend, Shelleen, sharing a table with my friend, Megan, encouraging a struggling author at the table next to us, and talking with Melissa Roos were the best parts of the day for me. Though this Author event wasn’t what I had hoped, I look forward to the next Author I will be participating in. It will be held at Pebbles & Lace Boutique in East Lampeter on October 2nd. Check out my upcoming events tab for details.
Kelly F Barr 
You are not alone. I have found that events at bookstores and libraries are tough because I feel like I am competing against somebody’s favorite author. I have had better luck events like Coffee Festivals, where I am the only vendor out of hundred or so who is selling books (my coffee novels). And recently I had a six hour event where I sold only two books. But the event was billed as a collective of musicians, and painters and other crafty folks. There was spoken word, yoga, a grief circle, painting etc. So, I did a lot of activities and had great time, even if sales sucked. So maybe try a few different formats for your next event. Good luck.
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Hello Coffee Novelist,
Thanks for sharing some of your experiences. I have tried one event that was for people who sold many different items like artisan crafts, homemade jams and jellies, local honey, and more. Only sold one book there as well.
Thanks for the encouragement. I’m not giving up and have a couple more events already lined up, so I plan to keep on keeping on.
I wish you the best as well.
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