My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore | Jo Linsdell

My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore


My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore


On Saturday 3rd March I was hosted by Infinite Parentesi Bookstore for an author event to promote my children's picture story books. The event started at 16:30 and lasted about 3 hours.

Here's a gif to do a quick recap:


My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore

For those of you curious about the details, keep reading ;)

The store:


I love this bookstore! They have a wonderful variety of books and toys for kids. It's also attached to an English language school. The staff were fantastic! So helpful and friendly. A real pleasure to work with, and amazing service for their customers. 


My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore

My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore

My little table:


I was set up with a big armchair to sit on for the readings, and had a little table for my books and other bits and bobs next to it. There were padded mats on the floor for the kids and parents to sit on.


My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore

The readings:


I started with a brief introduction telling them a bit about myself and what I do, and then I read Out and About at the Zoo, The Box, and Fairy May.

My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore

Activity time!


Then it was time for some activities. I gave the kids some colouring pages, and they each took home a Fairy May tooth brushing chart. Whilst the kids were busy colouring, I talked to the parents and gave out by business cards.

My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore

I made some character masks to take with me, and the kids had fun having their photo taken.

My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore


You can find free printables, including the character masks used for the photo booth, on my Free Resources page.

I then gave the parents and kids the opportunity to read the books for themselves, and get a closer look.

My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore

My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore

My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore

My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore

I took the time to do some one on one readings with some of the kids during this time, which was appreciated by both the kids and their parents.

My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore

My Author Event: Behind the scenes of my author event at Infinite Parentesi bookstore


I had such a great time doing this event. The kids had fun, and the parents enjoyed themselves too. Feedback was amazing! I sold several copies of my books, and I've already been invited back to do more events in the future. 

If you'd like me to do an author event at your venue please get in touch. Just keep in mind I live in Rome, Italy ;)

Learn more about my books here

20 comments

  1. Saturday Nite Reader6 March 2018 at 12:32

    Looked like a successful event, congrats!

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    1. Jo Linsdell6 March 2018 at 17:22

      Thanks. It was. I'm really pleased with how it all went :)

      Delete
  2. Love, Sawyer6 March 2018 at 14:53

    Looks like the children had a great time!

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    1. Jo Linsdell6 March 2018 at 17:22

      They loved it. The majority got copies of my books too.

      Delete
  3. Terri6 March 2018 at 17:53

    This seriously looks like a blast. I think you're my new hero. The face masks were an awesome idea. Almost like a photo booth, but with a level of anonymity for kids.

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    1. Jo Linsdell6 March 2018 at 19:36

      Thanks :) It was so much fun. The kids loved the masks. I'll definitely be making more for future events so they have more choice of characters. It was my sneaky way of encouraging the kids to engage more during the event, and it worked a treat! They loved posing with the masks. It made for some awesome photo's for my readers galley too ;)

      Delete
  4. DJ Sakata6 March 2018 at 22:06

    so sweet, I'm glad they provided you with an adult chair - the last time I sat in a small chair in the preschool classroom, I had 2 fears 1) I couldn't get up by myself, 2) I would break the chair... neither happened, but I don't want to temp fate ;)

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    1. Jo Linsdell7 March 2018 at 11:25

      I loved the chair. It's from IKEA apparently. It was perfect for the event as it was nice and wide giving space for a kid to sit next to me on it to read.

      Delete
  5. Cricket7 March 2018 at 01:13

    The store is so cute and it looks like you all had a great time. Congrats on your event.
    Latoya

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    1. Jo Linsdell7 March 2018 at 11:26

      It was a blast. Both the shop and the English language school are really well laid out. It's very welcoming, especially for the kids.

      Delete
  6. Just Another Book Bitch7 March 2018 at 02:05

    This looks so fun! Something I would have attended when my kids were smaller. Our number 1 hangout was the library

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    1. Jo Linsdell7 March 2018 at 11:27

      My kids love the library too. We have a children's library near our house that we go to.

      Delete
  7. Katiria7 March 2018 at 02:45

    Aww it looks like you had so much fun! Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.

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  8. Jenn @ Bound to Writing7 March 2018 at 04:51

    What a successful event! So glad everyone had a great time!

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    1. Jo Linsdell7 March 2018 at 11:29

      I was a bit nervous beforehand as this was my first time doing an event like this in person, but it went amazingly well. A success all round :)

      Delete
  9. Bookworms Corner7 March 2018 at 09:16

    Looks like a great event. congratulations.

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    Replies
    1. Jo Linsdell7 March 2018 at 11:29

      Thanks. I'm really pleased with how it went.

      Delete
  10. Whispering Stories7 March 2018 at 11:21

    Looks like you had a wonderful time and the kids are all so happy.

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    1. Jo Linsdell7 March 2018 at 11:30

      They loved the books, and bringing along some activities to do was a good idea. So happy they enjoyed it.

      Delete