Lynne Stringer – Author & Editor

On the weekend I had the pleasure of going to the Emmaus College Fair at Jimboomba. While I took my own books, I went on behalf of my publisher, Wombat Books/Rhiza Press. In spite of being unprepared for some things that are required at these kinds of events (in fact, I forgot a lot of things that I normally remember. I have made a checklist for next time.) they were helpful and supplied me with everything I had neglected to bring with me.

We did quite well on the day and I was pleased to see the locals were interested in buying books. It’s always difficult to tell whether or not attending these events will be worth our while, as sometimes people don’t seem all that interested in buying books at a school fair, but this was not the case on Saturday. Not only did I sell books for my publisher, but I sold several of my own books as well.

I also had some great conversations both with some teachers and some members of the public. I impressed upon them the fact that we were an Australian small business, supporting primarily Aussie authors and illustrators. Just about everyone nodded and was keen to support us when they heard this.

One person asked, ‘And are these available in bookstores?’

‘Bookstores can stock us,’ I said, ‘But they have to hear about us and be willing to do so first, and that can be difficult when you’re small, like us.’

She nodded understandingly.

Recently there have been some positive signs from bookstores. A new store called Little Gnome Bookstore at Wynnum opens this Saturday. They’re a coffee shop/bookstore and are anxious to support local authors. Here’s a link to their Facebook page if you’d like to check them out. My family and I will be popping down for their opening on Saturday. It’s great to see bookstores who are willing to support the little guy.

Of course, my publisher has always been trying to do that, even though some days it’s difficult to get the word out about our books. If you want to check out either of them, here’s a link to Wombat Books’ Facebook page or Rhiza Press’ Facebook page. If you like Rhiza’s page you could win a copy of Carol Preston’s new book, Next of Kin.

Please check them out and support Aussie authors!

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2 Responses

  1. Thanks, lynne, for flying the Wombat Books flag! I have been watching Little Gnome bookstore preparations with interest – I’ll be keen to hear what you think of them. Another bookstore about to open up your way is Mad Hatters bookshop, in Manly, I think.

    1. Yes, I’ve been following Mad Hatter’s posts as well. Trouble is, they’re not far from Little Gnome and it’s not always considered good form to have book signings, etc, with the competition of another bookstore that supports you. I haven’t been sure what to do in this case.