Readers, writers and arithmetic for authors and storytellers searching for readers at literary festivals in France

How do writers and readers get together?

They go to the Second Salon du Livre at the Salle Multimedia in Vic en Bigorre on the 23rd September

Ruth sits a table on which are her novels against a wall in the street outside a bookshop — Ruth outside the Glass Key with The Shaping of Water

A group of people arounda table eating an informal meal in the street — Ruth, John, James and Patsy have a meal with shop owners in the street at Montmorillon

We are all readers and more and more of us are writers too. How can writers find readers? That means you and me of course. Well – here we are one week away from the Salon Du Livre organised by Marie-Clémence Duguet and what we need is you to come to make it a success. Please come and say hello!

It’s a new project – this is only its second year but from the outset there has been a place for writers in English. This year Nick Inman, author of A Guide to Mystical France will be a key speaker. June Gadsby, author of Rosa, will be there and so will I with The Shaping of Water and The Tin Heart Gold Mine. Apart from us and over 30 other authors, there will be food and wine. In Vic there is also a lovely bookshop La Litote run by Nathalie. It has a great selection, beautiful books for children, lovely cards, and my favourites – a selection of Bandes dessinées. My books are there too.

Book Fairs can be found all over France – The Charroux Literary Festival

People reading books displayed on tables by the authors under a marquee — Montmorillon Book Fair

Book Fairs take place in lovely little towns and are great business for them as well as inspiring for both readers and writers. Harriet Springbett, author of a smashing YA book Tree Magic, went to the Charroux Literary Festival. Here is a link to Joining the Dots, her blog about it.
Alison Morton has also posted about Charroux – a different litfest on her blog. She has excellent advice for writers on promoting your book.

Montmorillon Cité de l’Ecrit

The green front of the Glass Key bookshop with its doors open — The Glass Key bookshop

We visited this book fair in 2014. Montmorillon is the home of publisher, Régine Deforges and her book The Blue Bicycle. It also has a fantastic second hand bookshop called The Glass Key after Dashiell Hammett’s gritty detective book where we were given generous hospitality by the owners, James and Patsy.

Parisot Literary Festival October 2017

We we are all off to the Festilitt in Parisot then. Again there will be English authors and agents as well as French. It will be a great occasion to meet people and to learn about the reading, writing and arithmetic of being an author.

Here is the information about the Salon du Livre at Vic we need your support – do come and have a drink with us.

One Comment on “Readers, writers and arithmetic for authors and storytellers searching for readers at literary festivals in France”

Emma

16 September 2017 at 14:40

Hi Ruth, can you send me the fiche for 23rd by email as I can’t blow it up enough to read it properly? xx