Let me start off by first saying I really meant to have this up the day after the Indianapolis Black Expo had ended, however, my mean ole muse had other plans for me. I dare not think of anything else until she was finished with me. Any who, this year’s Summer Celebration was still filled with a full week of events leading up to the big weekend with a host of celebrities running around.
It was great to see Pooch Hall, Tweet, Yolanda Adams, Tocarra, and a few others in their respective locations. But, I was amazed they didn’t walk around to really see the actual exhibits. Maybe that’s just what celebrities do, I don’t know. It didn’t matter because my main focus was the authors’ area. Took me forever to find it being that it was shoved in the very back. The entire set up slightly resembled an assembly line. They weren’t laid out like the rest of the exhibits, just one table after another stacked up side by side and hidden behind two curtains
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While those authors located at the front of the line, yeah soror Omegia Keeys, received most of the attention and were pumped up, those at the end seemed less enthused. It would have been easy for me to attest their less than enthusiastic demeanor to their location but as I made my way down to speak with some I realized, no it was just them. Once again I had run into authors at an event who did not what to engage the reader. I had every intent on buying books, that’s what I was there for. Too bad they didn’t want to sell me any. As authors we must be approachable at all times at an event. Just because a person doesn’t buy that day doesn’t mean they never will or pass your information along. Needless to say I only walked out with books by my soror.
As I made my way out the back door of the building it was then that I noticed a sign that said author panels along with a list of times. Now, IBE, what the heck were you thinking? Why wasn’t the sign inside where the authors were? Or, how about an announcement during the day? You keep hollering out raffle ticket winners all day long so I know it could not have been too much of a bother. They surely knew upon placement of the sign that no one walked down that back hallway. I was a witness to that myself. Not a soul was out there.
Overall the Expo was okay but when it comes to your authors quit treating them like the bald headed step-child and do better! I am sure they paid money for those tables too. That’s just my two cents. Until next time.
Golden Pen
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