What I learned from Essence Festival..
Things I learned from Essence Fest 2017
I am pleased to announce that BK Royston Publishing was a participant at the Essence Festival 2017 by having the opportunity to have books sold in first ever Essence Festival Bookstore for sale. The four day festival taught me something and what I learned were:
Be ready. I didn’t get the notice that my books would be available for sale at the Festival until Wednesday, June 28 at 10:05 a.m. My husband and I had left the house 5 minutes earlier and I had some books with me but not enough. I turned around for more books because I was literally 10 minutes away from the house. But what if I hadn’t written and finished the book? What if I hadn’t purchased print copies to replenish my inventory from a previous event? What if I had left a day earlier? What if this and what if that can be debated all day long but in the end, I was ready.
Don’t miss the opportunity. Someone sent me a link to apply to have my books in the first ever Essence Bookstore at the Festival. I hadn’t seen the notice on my own. Even though I waited a day, I still acted on it. I don’t know if there will be a Bookstore next year but I acted and didn’t miss the opportunity, this year.
Present and Pleasant Surprises. I had planned to go to the festival as a get-away trip with my husband, family and friends. I had dreamed about participating at Essence Festival one day when I attend the 20th Anniversary a couple of years ago and other national events, but who knew that participation at Essence Festival was to happen this year. This to me was a pleasant and present surprise.
Connections. I confess that I was overwhelmed after dropping off my books at the Essence Bookstore. I literally cried while standing in the middle of the Convention Center. I should be embarrassed but I’m not. I’ve been publishing and writing for 9 ½ years now. I had a break through. A fellow author saw me, hugged and congratulated me. Now, I have a connection with another author that I didn’t have before. Not to mention, that I now have a connection with a New Orleans Bookstore.
Partnering with a Purpose. The Essence Festival is a huge and incredible event bringing education, information, culture, food and fantastic music together in one unique city. There were nightly music concerts and I saw artists that performed classics, familiar music as well as new music. As an artist, it thrilled me. One important thing that I didn’t expect was the mutual celebration and acknowledgement of artists of each other. There were performances that brought surprise artists that were not listed on the program but the main stage artist was willing to share their stage. This only enhanced their performance and in the end, gave me a higher respect for that artist. Would you be willing to share your stage with someone else? It was a great lesson to me.
Opportunity, readiness, connections, partnering and even surprises may take time but the most important thing is that you start moving in the direction of your goals and dreams. Some opportunities won’t come until you start. You can’t always be getting ready, you have to have some things already ready. With being ready, connections, partnering and pleasant surprises will happen. Thank you Essence.
If you are ready to get that book finished, go to http://bit.ly/writethatbooknow and sign up for the next Write that Book Now Class or get on my schedule and let’s talk about your book. Reach out at http://bit.ly/speakwithbkroyston.
