and why I’m stepping back.
Let me explain.
I’m not stepping back from all in-person author/reader/book events, just the big, multi-author, expensive table-fee ones.
In the past two years, there has been so much chatter on Threads, FB, and TikTok about author events around the country that are, simply put, horrible. Exorbitant table fees ( $ 500.00 for 1 day at one!) oversold promises ( expected attendees in the 1000s and then 50 -75 show up; last-minute event cancellations with no refunds to authors that result in negative ROIs. No or minimal advertising for the event, which resulted in poor showings that led to zero-sum sales. There was even an event last year where one of the character/cos play actors was groped ( sexually), and then a location tracker was attached to his costume by a “fan” who wanted to know where he was staying. The what-ifs in that instance are horrifying.
There have been reports of oversold events, mismanaged events, poorly staffed events, events that asked for the moon and stars in donations from the participating authors ( raffle baskets, giveaways, freebies galore for VIP bags, swag), all at a cost to the authors that never gets recouped.
Because of the indie author explosion, many of these events are being run by people who are looking to promote those authors, but make a buck for themselves too. I’m not knocking that. This is, after all, America, and we historically believe in free enterprise. But not every single person who wants to run a book event has the business chops to back it up and make it a success, as is evident by the number of brand new, debut events that have tanked in every conceivable way recently.
I’ve been involved for the past 12 years of my writing career in several big multi-author events and have never, not once, ever, broken even or made money. Granted, I am a relatively unknown author, but still. When you lay out over $1000.00 for travel, hotel, GAS, food because you have to eat(!), and the cost of your books to sell, you expect to sell something; make some money back.
The latest controversy I’ve been watching on TikTok concerns Lit Con and their kicking attending authors out of the event if they use AI in any of their marketing or cover design. I’m not going to say much about this, but I am going to say I feel for those authors who were uninvited because they’ve already paid for their books and sundries and now have no way to make back the outlay. My hope is that they get their table fees – which were high – refunded. That they use AI is on their conscience, not mine, because I don’t use it in any of my marketing, books, or covers.
For the rest of 2026 and all of 2027, I am doing smaller events. I do have three bigger ones that I’d already registered and paid for in 2025ish that I will honor, but those three events ( 2 debuts and 1 standard) I know have excellent reputations because I know the people running them. I wouldn’t participate in something if I knew the organizer wasn’t up to speed. But moving forward into the distant future of the rest of the 2020s, I’m sticking with smaller events. Library events, romance-day events, events with less than 20 authors attending. Those are where I can make some sales and take my time to meet new-to-me readers, plus chat with ones I’ve got an established relationship with.
Sometimes it really is better to be a big fish in a small pond than a minnow in an ocean.
So, if you are looking to attend some great author events where you will be able to have fun, meet your favorite authors and maybe find a new one ( me!), these are my upcoming 2027/2028 events:
November 14/15, 2026
November 21, 2026
November 28, 2027
February 6/7, 2026 A Your Bookish Bestie event ( more to come on this soon.)
February 13, 2027
March 6, 2027
April 17/18 2027
August 20/21, 2027
So that’s it for now. I will be adding smaller events as they come about, like on Romance Book Day in august 2027. For now, though…come see me at any of these events. Buy a book. Find a new author. Have fun.
Peg
