Which fair should I hit?

[Nelson Cooke]

I just wrote a pirate book that was published yesteday and my publishing company wants to send me to a pirate festival or two in the next month or so to hawk it and make money for the bastards (I already got an advance and drank it). Having spent the last three years cooped up typing about pirating rather than doing it, I've never been to one. If you had to choose one, and it was getting paid for by The Man, which is the one to go to, d'ye think, Hampton or Lee Island? I'd appreciate yer thoughts, sober or otherwise.

[HarborMaster]

Thats a tough nut to crack there? Having never been to a Pirate type event.,but needing to try to decide which one you could pull more money from?

Do You have Pirate garb at least? A kit (Clothing) That way you can play the part a bit? Have you thought about how youll set this up ., display yourself around the other vendors with piratical decor.

I think the more you could immerse yourself in it the better the experience for yourself in every way.

You might want to go online to the faires web sites and drum thru the existing vendors list. Perhaps call the office there and see if you can get hard numbers on last years head count for the events and simply choose the larger of the 2 . And if at all possible attend both.

[lady snow]

i don't know how you'd feel about it, but our faire has a pyrate weekend, granted it's not til august, but you might want to visit faires on a pyrating weekend. our theme this season is pyracy. i'm sure all faires have a website and you can usually find them by googling - renaissance faires/festivals. you can probably do the same thing with pyracy faires and fests. ours is parenfaire.com. :)

[lorien_stormfeather]

Look to the west , Sir! At Pirates of Port Angeles (Washington State, June 17-19th) will find ye with the best company in the Northwest coast and Tall ships in the harbour to boot!

PoP is smaller than the Cali faires to be sure, but ALL pirate, ALL the Time!

the TLAP guys will be there, Heather Alexander, Bogg and Salty, BOWI, Thryce Wicked Wenches and let's not ferget me bosom companions... B.O.O.M, The Brotherhood of Oceanic Mercenaries....

Here be the URL...

http://www.visionlandscapenursery.com/Port...faire/home.html

[Fairie Tails]

If you be lookin for a Pirate Festival that runs this month you might want to look at Lee Island Pirate Days Festival in Ft. Myers Florida.

The Wolf will be sailing there for a wonderful three day festival. The Pub Stroll will be the first night. you can visit thier web site www.leepiratefest.com or contact Rowan at 239-481-7231.

Then there is always Pirates in Paradise in wonderful Key West Florida the First weekend in December will be the Village Market Place however we at PIP also have Arts, Historian and Literary Luminaries. If you go on our web site www.piratesinparadise.com there is more info there.

Look forward to seeing you there..

[Diego Santana de la Vega]

The Ojai Pirate Festival in California is on Lake Cassitas and though somewhat warm in Fall it gets chilly at night for us campers and the wildlife is so plentiful that the coyotes come right into camp at night. Lots of wondrous costuming champions most wondrously adorned with greatness as well as Gods own iven wonders to be sure! Huzzah!

[Red Maria]

Hampton is a very good one from what hear. Really try and get your publisher to send you to PIP. That's your market. It's from Thanksgiving to first 2 weeks in December.

[Gentleman of Fortune]

The operative phrase in his post was "the next month or so". The PiP is a must, but not for a long time off. And how the book does initially will dictate how deep their pockets are to send him to anything 8 months away.

Not to sound rude, but what exactly are you going to do?

Do you want to dress up like a pirate and participate in the Festival.

or

Being that the "Man" is paying, I would imagine that they want you to Hawk your wares at a table or something...

Does this mean you, a table, some books, and a cheesy grin on your face?

I can't speak for a lot of festivals, but I would contact them as soon as possible to see if they have a "location" for the above mentioned table and where its going to be. If not careful, you could get stuck next to the guy selling Styrofoam pirate swords and will end up ruining the effect/look of the accomplished author signing his best seller.

At least the Hampton Pirate gig is in the middle of several large cities.

Hit the festival, but also try and get to the Boarders Books and B & Ks in the area too. For that matter, how about the Airport bookstores too. They have a captive audience and the added benefit of charging insane prices for hard backs.

PLUS

The following weekend is Norfolk’s Harborfest. YOU get a twofer! That place is NUTs for the whole weekend. Music, ships, entertainment, and rich middle age Buffet fans that are your meat and potatoes audience. They have about 500 hundred thousand people come through on the weekend. And if 1 out of 100 buys a book…..

Definitely think about your look though. I think you are going to be more appealing as the middle aged buffet fan writer type than some weirdo pirate re-enactor wannabe. Hawaiian print shirt, khaki shorts, Birkenstocks, expensive sunglasses, and margarita in hand. Look like you own a sailboat, not a great collection of fake pirate swords.

Just my two cents

Good luck

[Diego Santana de la Vega]

I think that the Gentlemen of Fortune has many valid points. The Buffet look will enable much less BS about that which you need not delve into. Excelent and well wishes.

[Nelson Cooke]

Thanks to all of you, shipmates. In particular, Gentleman of Fortune, thank you for your well-thought-out thinking for me (and Diego Santana de la Vega for seconding it). I was given the option of wearing a Calico Jack get up, felt wacky about it, and didn't know why. So if Hampton works (ie there's still even sleeping bag space), I'm there. And I'll probably bring a crate of books and try to pitch them, though I'm thinking a cannon pointed at folks might do so more eloquently. If you're there, IOU a (real, non-digital) rum.

The Pirates of Pensacola site

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Fair winds mate

I am glad to see someone living the life we all think we want to have....

GoF

[Nelson Cooke]

So if you were, hypothetically, going to hawk pirate novels there (I want to have a good time of course, but I'm there on the publisher's dime), how would you do it. Sailing around with a boatful of books is one idea I'm tooling around with, but don't have the lay of the port? Salesman (pictured below) sitting in a tent telling ARGH jokes just isn't my schtick.

PiratesOfPensacola.com