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Children’s publishers are evaluating their support for literary festivals in the light of poor ticket and book sales at a number of events during the autumn.
As a result of the increasing number of annual festivals, publishers can spend five-figure sums in supporting their authors at events. The main children’s festivals each year take place at the Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Bath and Hay-on-Wye festivals.
Clare Hall-Craggs, publicity director at Random House Children’s Books, said: "It is hard for a publisher to justify asking an author to travel all the way to a festival for a schools event for limited book sales, when they could charge a fee and gain potentially higher book sales for a well organised school event elsewhere."
Alyx Price, group PR director at Scholastic, called for publishers to be involved in any "discussion about how things might need to change or be refreshed".
Options under consideration include selling books into schools ahead of events and better marketing to groups that are not traditional festival-goers. The structure of events themselves may also need to be reviewed, said Hall-Craggs. "Do [audiences] want to hear about an author’s latest book or an issue that really concerns them?"
Edinburgh International Book Festival broadened its appeal by moving away from events focused on new titles to discussion and debates, especially for YA events, said children’s programme director Sara Grady.
Nicola Wilkinson, head of publicity for Hachette Children’s Group, said: "Book sales will always be an issue at festivals. Last year we released Robert Muchamore’s new title early at Edinburgh and generated lots of sales. This year, we sold very few books at our Giraffes Can’t Dance events, although the events were booked out. That could simply relate to people tightening their spending."
Publishers’ expectations may also be too high said Jane Churchill, programme director for the Book It festival, Cheltenham: "I would argue passionately to keep the range and depth of events. Festival appearances even to small audiences help to generate interest in the author beyond the actual event." Author Marcus Sedgwick agreed: "To be honest I’d be happy to talk even if only three people turned up to an event. I always find it valuable and enjoyable to discuss the process of writing."