Given how many festivals have gone online, let's talk about literary festivals in general. Follow #TenThingsAboutFestivals to collect them all!
1. There are something approaching 800 literary festivals in the UK alone. Some are great, others not so great, so it's worth getting to know which ones are really worth doing. #TenThingsAboutFestivals
2. A good literary festival should help promote literacy within the community, should be diverse, accessible and inclusive, and should be supportive of authors. #TenThingsAboutFestivals
3. That means paying their contributors, whether they're big-name authors, or authors at the start of their career. Authors may choose to waive their fee in the case of a small local festival, but that should be their choice, and not the default position. #TenThingsAboutFestivals
4. Authors often enjoy festivals, as it permits them to meet other authors as well as getting to know their public, but book sales don't usually even cover their expenses, or the cost of their time. #TenThingsAboutFestivals
5. In practical terms, that means that if a festival doesn't pay a fee and expenses, then lesser-known or lower-income authors just won't be able to afford to attend. This harms diversity, and reduces the public's exposure to new authors. #TenThingsAboutFestivals
6. Authors often feel pressured to attend festivals for free. And yet there would be no festival without them. Festivals pay for the venues, the tech, the advertizing, the caterers. If they can budget for those things, they can pay the authors, too. #TenThingsAboutFestivals
7. The baseline fee for an author appearance at a festival is between around £150 and £300. That's very good value, considering the time, preparation and expertise that has gone into the event. #TenThingsAboutFestivals
8. A good festival should provide you with - at the very least
- an interviewer or presenter for your event; refreshments; somewhere to wait before your event, and should organize sales of your book for the signing. #TenThingsAboutFestivals
- an interviewer or presenter for your event; refreshments; somewhere to wait before your event, and should organize sales of your book for the signing. #TenThingsAboutFestivals
9. No festival should ask any author to pay to contribute. If they are monetizing your work, they should be the ones paying YOU. (NB: Conventions are different, and have a different policy.) #TenThingsAboutFestivals
10. Some festivals ask authors to sign a contract. Make sure it's reasonable. Some festivals require you to agree not to attend any other festivals within a certain time around your event: if you do, make sure your fee reflects this. Or just don't sign. #TenThingsAboutFestivals
With so many festivals having been cancelled this spring, many authors have agreed to do their events online instead. If you're enjoying these online events, maybe consider contributing to the author's Patreon or similar, or even just writing them a nice review...
