Enjoy interactive sessions, exclusive insights, and personalized engagements with renowned authors, no matter where you are. Celebrate the beauty of the art of storytelling!
Get a chance to connect with book lovers and writers in this year’s The Festival of Storytellers (TFOS) – Chapter 06. This book launch event virtual gathering connects authors, readers, publishers, and the general public for a unique networking opportunity.
At TFOS’s Virtual Author Meet and Greet, book lovers and authors can meet each other wherever they are. Because it’s a remote event, everyone can participate while sitting in the comfort of their homes, doing something else. It’s so convenient!
What to Expect
Aside from exclusive perks and engaging activities, TFOS’s Virtual Author Meet and Greet lets you take a closer look at the genius mind behind the book that made you cry, laugh, scared to the bones, and love again. This is a chance to meet the very person who reshaped how you see life.
So, what usually happens during the authors’ meet and greet session?
Solo Appearance
There’s an allotted time for authors to speak and talk about their personal life, their books, and their experiences while writing. This is where you can get up close and personal with the authors because they will read your comments during or toward the end of their live speech. After the Q&A session with the audience comes author book signing.
In some cases, authors may choose to read their book for the audience. Some may choose to read a few excerpts only or read the whole chapter. It depends on the availability of time or the author’s discretion. Children’s book authors may often read from their books during their presentation.
Here’s a sample solo appearance of the author, Thomas Fargnoli, during The Festival of Storytellers (Chapter 05).
Solo Interview
Authors can expect to be interviewed by the event host or an avid reader. The person who will ask questions can be anyone, even another author. If that’s the case, the interviewee should really prepare for quite a few questions. Questions can be anything personal or focusing on the book, but it’s typically both. Sometimes, each interview session can run a little longer than the other, depending on the flow of the conversation.
Joint Event
Although the format for this Virtual Author Meet and Greet session can vary, joint events usually bring together two or more authors with similar audiences to build a larger crowd. Depending on the format, authors may often present separately and do a Q&A together, followed by a book signing.
Panel Discussions
This portion is similar to a joint event but may not include live Q&A with the audience. Still, this is a chance for authors to build larger audience networks. What usually happens during panel discussions is that there will be one or two moderators who will ask each author—who we can call “Author of the Hour”—specific or broader questions that anyone in the panel can answer. Authors, don’t worry because you will be given the panel topic in advance. In some cases, you may also be asked questions beforehand.
A Quick, Friendly Reminder
The preparation can be unique for each author and book. Nonetheless, the one thing that’s most important is to consider what people will take away from the event. For authors, you may read an excerpt from the book that ends with a cliffhanger or with a really interesting moment—just to make sure you leave your audience wanting more.
Join The Festival of Storytellers (TFOS) Chapter 6 from January 20 to February 2, 2025, for a chance to get more details about your favorite books and the authors themselves. Again, you can join for FREE.
