Author Recruitment Underway

The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual all-day celebration of books, writers and literary excellence. Now in its fourth year, the festival has become one of the premier literary events in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The Festival will be held on May 18, 2013, on the grounds of Gaithersburg City Hall, in Olde Towne Gaithersburg, Md., with free shuttle buses running from Lakeforest Mall. Activities include author appearances, discussions and book signings; writing workshops; a Children’s Village; a Coffee House featuring poets and singers/songwriters; onsite book sales, both new and used; literary-focused exhibitors; and food, drink, ice cream and more. Admission is free. For more information please visit Gaithersburg Book Festival website.

Published authors interested in a featured slot at the 2013 Gaithersburg Book Festival are invited to submit an application to the Festival’s Author Recruitment Committee. To be eligible to participate, applications must be received no later than January 15, 2013, and authors must have published a book within the last year, or have a new work coming out before May 2013. The festival will take place Saturday, May 18, 2013, on the grounds of City Hall in Olde Towne Gaithersburg.

“What I love about the Gaithersburg Book Festival is its intimacy, its small-town atmosphere lit by big-time literary stars,” said Ron Charles, fiction editor for The Washington Post and leader of the popular “In Conversation With…” discussion with prominent authors at the past two Gaithersburg Book Festivals. “Here’s a chance for authors to talk and laugh with their readers, and for readers to share their enthusiasm in a setting that’s as friendly as a country fair, as sweet as kettle corn.”

Entering its fourth year, the Gaithersburg Book Festival has gained prominence as one of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area’s premier literary events, featuring authors, poets and songwriters of national and local acclaim. Among the past participants are best-selling and award-winning authors in a variety of genres, including Tom Angleberger, Alex Berenson, Buzz Bissinger, Sarah Blake, Eleanor Brown, Rita Mae Brown, Michael Buckley, Andrew Clements, John Feinstein, Mary Downing Hahn, Adam Hochschild, Stephen Hunter, Jenny Lawson, Caroline Leavitt, Jim Lehrer, Alice McDermott, Tom McNeal, Madeline Miller, Brad Parks, Sarah Pekkanen and David O. Stewart.

To be considered for a featured slot at the 2013 Gaithersburg Book Festival, download the Featured Author application from the Festival website. Along with the completed application form, prospective featured authors must provide a copy of their current book, and a resume or description of their speaking experience. Applications are due by Tuesday, January 15, 2013. Decisions will be made by mid-February, and applicants will be notified shortly thereafter. Authors who are not selected are encouraged to participate in the Festival as an exhibitor.

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