The Upper Arlington public libraries hold a special place in my heart. Their books provided me with much of my early reading and gave me, as a child, a more realistic window to the world than television did. I still have memories of walking with my friend, Mike Havener, to the little Miller Park branch, which was housed in a one-room brick building. As a high school student, I sometimes researched term papers at the Tremont Road branch, which was then about half the size it is now.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the UA Library’s Tremont Road branch for a special program titled “The Write Stuff.” The event was similar to Columbus State’s annual writers conference in that it included both a book festival and small-group sessions. Among the latter were presentations on “Research Skills for Writers,” “Mining Your Memories,” and “Creative to Analytical: Editing Your Fiction.” My main purpose in attending “The Write Stuff” was to help staff the International Women’s Writing Guild (IWWG) table with fellow writers Bonnie Abbott, Jules Knowlton, and Carol Rosebrough. All three women have books published or in progress. Bonnie is the author of Radical Prunings, a novel which takes gardening advice in a whole new direction. Carol has written two nonfiction works – Loving Yourself Through Cancer and a soon-to-be-released biography of her sister, Genevieve Belville Rollyson. For her part, Jules is putting the finishing touches on her literary novel, Boswell.

I had copies of my own YA book, Fast-Pitch Love, on the table – the first time it has been available for direct sale to the public. I discounted the book to $5, a very low price for a 316-page paperback, which may explain why I sold four copies. When the next opportunity to sell Fast-Pitch Love rolls around, I will probably raise the price.

Besides IWWG, a number of other local writing-related groups were represented at the UA Library’s event. Upper Hand Press, Thurber House, Central Ohio Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, and the Ohioana Library all had tables. There also appeared to be one author with a table, but I didn’t have the opportunity to talk with her. A few people stopped by to chat with us at the IWWG table, but overall attendance seemed low. Apparently lots of the people who came to the book festival in the morning had left by the afternoon when I arrived.

I enjoy events like “The Write Stuff” but they make me realize how challenging it is for little-known authors to sell their work. With hundreds of titles for sale at book festivals and dozens of writers promoting them, how do you make your book stand out from the crowd? Maybe the next writers conference at the UA library will have a speaker who addresses that issue.