totnes civic hall

I love attending book festivals, especially exhibiting at them. I love the buzz from meeting people, my tribe, and the humbling feeling I get when strangers decide to buy my books.

I also enjoy hunting for those festivals – less so when I miss out, and I had missed out on a big one. I read their website in that peculiar afterglow of disappointment and saw:

https://www.indieauthorbookfair.com/how-do-i-host-a-book-fair

Now there’s a thought! But did I need to pay them a third of takings to use their website and marketing support, good as their offer was?

After all, I had a career in book publishing, in sales, management, mainstream fiction, academic, digital content and software, along with a degree in business. I also have a love of books, bookshops, libraries and the people. So, surely, I had picked up one or two tips along the way? Preening and puffing up my ego was all very well, but how was I to undertake this project?

I needed a plan.

The internet is full of people who have trodden this path to Book Festival success many times before me and have been generous enough to commit their experiences and advice to text and reply to my naïve questions. My thanks go to the following people:

Debbie Young: https://hulitfest.com

Alison Smith: https://www.southhamsauthors.co.uk/festival-2025

Rebecca Collis: https://www.stratfordliteraryfestival.co.uk

The project plan is in place.

But is there an appetite among authors to support another event in South Devon when there are so many good ones around?

Posing the question to the South-West Writers and Devon authors Facebook groups gave encouraging interest. Game on!

So, where to host? Location cubed, right?

I shortlisted five places for consideration.

The ‘Goldilocks’ venue turned out to be Totnes Civic Hall. It has a grand hall, with four huge windows on each side of the hall, adding light and views of hills, with a generous stage, and extra rooms with convenient access to a car park. And Totnes is a funky arty town bearing all the hallmarks of the right demographics, with an excellent location on the high street, and reasonably priced, too.

As a bonus, the market square sits between the hall and the main high street and features a market every Saturday, so hopefully, it will be a natural source of footfall to the hall and for those seeking that unique Christmas present. And Becky Ford-Bartlett (Finance and Lettings Officer) proved to be an excellent advisor on behalf of the site.

I had my venue!

via GIPHY

When is a good date to book it?

I was advised that I needed at least six months to set it up, which would be near Christmas. A check of the calendar ensured that it does not clash with anyone else’s events, and I was left with 22/11/25 as the optimal date.

Totnes Civic Hall booked. That’s it. It is no longer hypothetical: it is real! I had better get a move on!

I had decided on what it was going to look like: a hall full of lovely authors, workshops and talks, plus much more besides.

Cathy Dodd, luckily for me, was newly available. I approached her to see if she was interested in acting as a wise adviser. Cathy did more than that; she offered to do live interviews! And with her experience on the radio, she was the perfect person for the job.

Cathy also introduced me to Jonathon Posner, who also generously gave freely of his advice and was also responsible for taking my poster design and creating the poster we have now.

And with Alison Smith acting as my go-to guru for ongoing tips, I had a consultative team!

Author Tables

Now, to start selling tables – thirty-four of them. But who do I want to attend? Ideally, South-West-based, indie, self-published authors, but there are few barriers. And the tables sold fast!

Live interviews

One room in the hall is earmarked for Cathy’s live interviews. I wanted to create a cosy sofa corner feel: two people chatting casually – I am sure we have that. We began the process of gathering interview subjects – it didn’t take long, as we have a wealth of interesting people with great stories to share.

Workshops and talks.

The second room would be dedicated to workshops, talks and readings.

The event has been blessed to have had many people step forward who have expertise in their chosen areas, with most running creative writing courses and others who have regular experience of talking about their chosen subjects.

Full line-up of events here

Dare I say it, it was all coming together. But I still had more ideas.

Choir

I love the festive season and thought it would be fun to have a choir there. And I was fortunate to find the talented Wild Goose Choir. They will entertain us for lunchtime on the big day, on the hall’s stage.

Refreshments

If you are feeling peckish on the day, do not fear, for Sylvia and John of The Green Café of Totnes will be hosting a service for soups, homemade curries, cakes, savouries and a plethora of drinks both hot and cold.

One of the authors Cathy will be interviewing is Derek Air, who has written about his passion: Subbuteo table football.

This game started life many years ago and is enjoying a resurgence: the World Cup was held in Tunbridge Wells last year.

South Devon Subbuteo Club will be setting up a couple of tables on the stage, giving demo matches and offering the chance for anyone to have a go on the green baize.

Creative writing

I want to promote creative writing to all, especially young people.

I had the idea to run a writing competition in local schools. How lucky was it to have Cathy Dodd, not only based in Totnes but also having the contacts with local primary schools? It was also a good fortune to have Nigel, the generous proprietor of East Gate Bookshop, offering to donate book tokens as a prize for winners! Watch out for those young writers who will be invited to read their work.

Support

And to the support and positive responses of so many people – thanks to all.

To everyone from South-west writers and Devon Writers who have been marvellous in sharing their experiences and knowledge.

As I have travelled further afield, attending Book festivals in Blandford, Swindon, Oxford, Marlow, Stroud, Teignmouth, Worcester, I have to give a big shout-out to the network of festival organisers who have welcomed me into their circle and offered so much advice.

The event team consisted of volunteers of Janet Stocks, who will ensure that the workshops run on time. Lottie McKnight and Ffion Mackenzie, from Teignmouth Writers, will be the events’ front of house, welcoming and directing people, ensuring that the interviewers run to time.

So, we have authors, speakers, workshops, a choir, catering, table football fun, and writing competitions… so what else?

Visitors

Oh yes, I need people to come along and enjoy it. So that meant promotion. Hello, lots of time on social media.

Follow the South Devon Book Festival Facebook group for the latest news.

Admission to the hall and all events is free this year, although it is recommended that tickets be reserved via Eventbrite (scroll to the bottom) to avoid disappointment.

Admin

Has there been anything I have not enjoyed about this experience?

Not really. Even the potentially tedious administrative tasks, such as insurance and risk assessments, have been informative.

Motivation

So, the 22/11/25 is approaching fast, and if we can give pleasure, support local writers, and encourage young and mature people to write, then it will be a job done.

It is also my favourite season of the year, and what a great chance to combine many of my loves: Books, the festive season and nice people.

Could this be the start of a tradition?