Arts
The Book Expo America is almost here. And it is extremely exciting to be attending for the fourth year in a row! In 2016, I attended the Book Expo America, also known as the BEA, after a company called America Star Books approached me to showcase 'I'm Not Scared of Spiders', which I had published through Lulu.com. At that time Lulu was not hosting any authors at the Expo, but they did attend as an Indie Publisher. I showcased a range of my books including, An Ounce of Expectation, and I'll Always Love You No Matter What with America Star Books, even though I was published through Lulu. In 2017 I attended the Book Expo again..., again hosted by America Star Books to showcase my novel, The Night Birds. 2017 turned out to be an incredibly interesting year. Situated opposite Lulu Publishing's booth at the BEA, I was able to spend my signing time looking in at the company booth and afterwards, meeting staff and made some valuable connections. Once I arrived back in Australia, I was then asked to host my own radio segment with Paperback Radio, consider a signing with Lulu in 2018 and I also signed a contract agreeing for my novel, The Day it Rained Forever to be adapted for the film screen. In 2018 I gleefully attended the Book Expo America and this time, was hosted by Lulu.com, an ABSOLUTE dream come true for me - and perfect timing too because America Star Books had suddenly and sadly, closed its doors. The closure of the business also meant no radio segment for me as Paperback Radio was owned by America Star Books. My attention turned to the expo. But it wasn't just the BEA, I attended and had signings at, it was also the Book Con! This is where I showcased The Day it Rained Forever, alongside Omar Epps (yes, the actor) who had just released a title, From Fatherless to Fatherhood, as well as some other Lulu authors. What a thrill! When I returned from New York, I attended a forum about publishing and got very inspired. Lulu had just released their xPress App, which opened the doors to consider starting my own publishing company – to help others achieve their dream of publishing stories. But as exciting as it was, I was worried about how this would impact my appearance in NYC in 2019. It didn’t. Lulu Publishing have been so supportive and incredibly open. And I am on track to appear at the Javits Center once again in May of 2019 at the Book Expo and Book Con! The incredible thing is, that I will be there as a Lulu author, but also as an example, to show people where Lulu can take you and how supportive they are. Being there as a writer and publisher will only enhance the reputation of my company, Limelight Publishing, but also showcase, the greatest Indie Publishers on the planet; Lulu.com 2019 - I hope to see you all in New York in May, where I will be signing copies of my first short story collection. The cover of this book reflects the meaning of the title; Scripturient, means to have an overwhelming, almost violent desire to write. I have written 15 books and during this process there have been some stories I wanted to add some details to. In Scripturient, I had my chance. The slit represents slicing open paper because when I write, I give my all. Make sure to get your Book Expo and Book Con tickets, they are on sale now! BookCon is an annual fan convention established in 2014 in New York City. Taking the name format from other fan conventions such as Comic-Con, BookCon was established to combine pop culture and the book industry. Many authors, celebrities and publishing professionals attend BookCon. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/limelightpublishing/message