Organised by independent author Fanny Garstang, a book festival will showcase writers from Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Wiltshire and Birmingham.
Stroud’s first independent book fair will take place at Lansdown Hall in Stroud from 10am – 3pm on Saturday 21 October, and is free to attend.
The authors will be talking about their literature from genres including romance, contemporary fiction, children’s fiction, sci fi, fantasy and historical.
Speaking about the event, Fanny said: “Independent publishing is a growing concept, and has moved a long way from the early idea of ‘vanity publishing’ when anyone could buy their way to having a book published. Today independent authors employ professionals such as editors, sensitivity checkers and book cover artists to ensure their books are as good, or often even better than, those selected by the big publishing houses.”
Many independent authors choose the route because it gives them control over their writing – they own all of the rights to their books, have control over future development of storylines, and can manage their own creative and promotional work. Additionally, it is harder today than ever before for new and emerging authors to attract the attention of the big publishing houses, making the independent route attractive.
Fanny adds: “We have some great support available these days to independent authors – here, locally, we have the Gloucestershire Writer’s Network, and nationally there is the Society of Authors and Alli, the Alliance of Independent Authors. These networks are great ways for authors to meet each other, learn the many skills they need to write and promote independently, and to publish great books.
“Events like ours planned for Stroud are a great opportunity for authors to meet existing and new fans of their works, and for avid readers to find and support new local authors. There are many held in America, and now we’re starting to see more across Britain along with greater visibility of independent authors at craft markets and comiccon events. However, we are ahead of the curve here in Stroud by offering a full independent book fair, which is fitting as our town is so well known for its independent shops and businesses!”
