The Lit Fest Newsletter
It is far too hot for you to be reading this or me to writing it, so a slightly shortened version of the newsletter today - let’s call it a holiday edition.
Edinburgh introduces one-on-one signings via Zoom
The Edinburgh Book Festival is offering readers the opportunity to meet authors after their events for one-on-one signing sessions. Readers have to buy their book via the festival website and numbers are limited to 50 per author. They are asked to provide their dedication in advance and each individual signing will last a minute. I presume the festival is couriering the books to the author’s house with addressed and stamped packages for the author to put them in prior to collection. The possible logistical problems of this make my head spin! Nick Barley, from the festival said in the Guardian it was “an opportunity to have your online selfie with the author”. Twenty-two authors are taking part including Maggie O’Farrell, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin and Ali Smith.
Tomorrowland
Belgian rave festival Tomorrowland took virtual events to new heights at the end of July with their digital edition Around the World. They filmed 60 acts including headliners Katy Perry and Eric Prydz on four massive green screen studios in different locations round the world (so the performers wouldn’t have to travel). This gave them 38 different camera angles, they then superimposed computer game style visuals designed around the theme of an imagined island Pāpiliōnem. The online environment was produced in collaboration with Fortnite creators Epic Games. The festival’s eight stages were broadcast on YouTube over the course of a weekend. Tickets were €20 and they claim a million people joined in.
Chloë Smith from the Berwick Literary Festival Interview…
Could you tell us a little bit about the festival, how is started and how it has grown?
The festival started in 2014: Berwick already had successful autumn festivals for food, film and media arts and heritage open days so a literary festival was another way of contributing to the cultural economy of the town and region. At first it was free and showcased local writers but as its reputation grew we've attracted (inter)nationally-known speakers and grown a reputation as "the friendly festival", drawing an audience from an ever-widening area. The 6th Festival in 2019 had the biggest programme to date and audiences were 30% higher than a year before. It's an amazing result for an event that's entirely volunteer-run without a big corporate sponsor.
How have you adapted the programme this year? Why did you decide to proceed with a digital offering? What have been your biggest challenges?
Even in March it seemed unlikely that we could hold a 'normal' festival in our usual venues, so we pivoted to an online event, with half the number of speakers we had originally planned. Even so, we have kept a wide breadth of subjects - see our website! - and online gives us the opportunity and challenge of reaching audiences worldwide. We are having to learn new ways of marketing but in many ways online is easier, as we
avoid the logistics of staffing venues and bringing speakers to Berwick: now we'll have one session direct from an island in the Hebrides!
What platform are you going to use to stream events?
Like most online events we're going to be using Zoom, which seems to be the platform of choice! Our team did lots of research into various platforms but Zoom came out as the best one for our requirements.
Are you charging for tickets, allocating free tickets or just letting people watch?
All our events are free this year, though viewers will have to book a place in advance via the Berwick Literary Festival website. We wanted to ensure finances weren't a barrier to anyone 'attending' the festival, though there will be an option for viewers to donate towards the festival should they wish to.
How has Covid affected your amazing outreach programmes to schools and
care homes?
Live drama and poetry workshops organised by the Festival and presented in all the town's schools, for all age groups, are a key part of our work: that's why we are called a 'literary', not a 'book', festival. We are working with a performer to record YouTube events that can be fitted into schools' schedules as they catch up this autumn. We are sad to have to suspend our poetry readings in care homes: these mean a lot to many residents from the generation that learned poetry at school.
Could you explain a bit about your Patrons scheme?
A growing number of private individuals in and around Berwick recognise the value of the Festival's work and support it financially; in return there are Patrons-only events and benefits, but knowing they are backing a worthwhile cause is the main reason to sign up. Having that list of often well-known names behind us makes it easier to win charity and commercial sponsorship too.
What do you hope to achieve next year?
We want to return to live performances in front of audiences and bring more people back to our wonderful town; but I'd be surprised if there was not an online element to future festivals so that we can include important speakers from a distance.
www.berwickliteraryfestival.com
LA Times Festival of Books
The United States largest book festial The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books which was postponed from April to October has now announced that it is going virtual and spreading itself over four weeks rather than the usual two days. The line-up will be announced Mid-September (interesting that without pesky print deadlines or revenue targets everyone is annoucing their line-ups super late).
And finally
I really enjoyed Alexander Larman’s writing in The Critic about second hand bookshops and the role that Oxfam bookshops have played in their decline.
That’s it for this newsletter. Please follow us on twitter, add us to your press release list. We are always looking for people to interview so please get in touch mathew@bookamp.co.uk if you would like your festival to be featured. And if you know anyone that would enjoy reading this missive please get them to sign up here.