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Blogs by Gabriel Boutros
A Fair Time Was Had by All 6/16/2013 1:08:49 PM
I attended the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair yesterday, June 15, and the experience was neither an unqualified success nor an unmitigated disaster. First of all, it was important to get out in public with my book in hand, and get comments and reactions face to face. Having someone pick up my book, read the back cover quotes and blurb, then raise an eyebrow in my direction, as if to ask, “YOU write THIS?” can be a fairly intimidating experience. But it also led to several stimulating conversations, about writing my book, as well as writing in general. I also enjoyed meeting the couple of dozen small press and independent authors who had brought their own work to the fair: novels, memoirs, poetry, graphic novels, and so on. Speaking with them about how much of themselves they put into their works, whether it was a tell-all, very personal story, or a piece of pure imagination, I saw the reflection of much of my own journey as a writer.
The weather outside the community centre was gorgeous, and Ottawa streets and neighborhoods were full of summer activities, and this may have cut into some of the walk-up crowd that the fair’s organizers might have hoped for. So, that was perhaps the only downside to the experience, because, not only did we all want to sell lots of books, but we also wanted the chance to chat with lots of people about the whole experience of reading and writing. At the end of the day, we all got some of what we wanted out of the experience, even if it wasn't everything, and I, for one, am grateful for that. It was a chance to learn a lot about what readers are interested in, and about what goes into selling books. I’ll be just that much more prepared for the next fair or public event I attend. Can’t wait.
