Explore ideas, dreams at book fest

THE Inter Club Drop-in Centre will be the place to be for bookworms next month.

Featuring everything from author appearances, readings and panels to a book swap and kids’ corner, All Booked Out will run over two days on 12 and 13 July.

The event is the first to be organised by fledgling Ballarat-based self-publishing services business Coven Press.

Established in February this year following nearly 12 months of planning, Coven Press combines the collective talents of local women Anna Bilbrough, Alana Lambert, Stephanie Talevski and Liz McCracken.

They offer services to authors ranging from blank page to book launch, including editing, design, formatting and marketing.

A haven for all things books, All Booked Out is a book fest designed for readers, writers, authors and those interested in the indie publishing industry.

The event is timed to coincide with school holidays and the Ballarat Winter Festival, which runs from 5 to 27 July.

Ms Bilbrough said the event would feature an exciting line-up of authors from Ballarat and surrounds – a mix of independent and traditionally published.

“We are keen to create a nice weekend event that celebrates local authors and their stories and showcases them,” she said.

“We have a bunch of panels, two-a-day, focusing on specific genres and the publishing industry as a whole.

“We’ll also host a book swap and being school holidays, a kids’ corner, so mums and dads can come along with their kids.”

Ms Bilbrough said the kids’ corner would also incorporate craft making.

With the theme of Themes We Orbit threaded through the event, authors and visitors are invited to explore the ideas, thoughts, dreams and fantasies they just can’t ignore.

“We’re really excited to get it off the ground and to focus on local authors, as Ballarat has a really thriving writing scene,” Ms Bilbrough said.

“But there is not a huge number of events that showcase them.”

Artists appearing at the event include Anthony Kearle, Elisse Hay, Emma Mugglestone, Holly Brunnbauer, Jade Andrews, J.B. Villinger, J,C. Rycroft. J. M. Voss, Judith Rook, Julie Kay, Kat Orgovany, Kelly Wilson. M.G. Hunt, Nicholas Wetemans, Rebecca Warr and Yvonne Horsfield.

All Booked Out will cap an exciting first six months for the owners of Coven Press, whose friendship was forged while working together at a now closed small hybrid publishing company in Ballarat.

By combining their talents and expertise, they are aiming to help authors to find the tools, the guidance and the visibility to blossom.

“We envisage ourselves as a one-stop shop for indie authors,” she said.

“Indie authors typically have to become their own little micro-publishing house. They have to liaise with designers, formatters, editors … they have to do a whole bunch of marketing.

“If there is an indie author out there who has a full-time job, but also dreams of being a published author, they are essentially taking on a second job to get their books off the ground.

“We felt, why can’t they just do that in one spot? So, we are pretty much a ready-made team who can hit all the checkpoints an author needs in publishing their books.”

All Booked Out will be held at 320 Pleasant Street South, Newington on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 July.

For a full list of events, click here