On the Books

The 30th annual Kentucky Book Fair is history.

And what is nice is that the book fair almost made history. The event took in about $157,000 -- about $32,000 more than last year -- and making it one of the most successful and reversing a downward trend for the state's premiere literary gathering.

I like reporter Kayleigh Zyskowski's lead in The State Journal: "In a convenient literary world of e-readers, digital copies and smartphones, the Kentucky Book Fair proved once again that printed word is very much a part of the book world."

It did, indeed.

I was there all day with two of my books and noticed a steady crowd of book buyers until the doors were closed. It was a great day for everyone involved.

According to the newspaper, these were the top 10 best-selling books/items:

Al Smith -- "Wordsmith: My Life in Journalism"

Paul Michael Glaser -- "Chrystallia and the Source of Light"

James Archambeault -- "2012 Kentucky Calendar"

Meadowlark Lemon -- "Trust Your Next Shot: A Guide to a Life of  Joy"

Douglas Boyd -- "Crawfish Bottom: Recovering a Lost Kentucky Community"

Dick Burdette -- "Kentucky Babe: The Babe Parilli Story"

Bobbie Ann Mason -- "The Girl in the Blue Beret"

Ron Rhody -- "Theo and the Mouthful of Ashes"

Bob Edwards -- "A Voice in the Box: My Life in Radio"

Gene Burch -- "Frankfort and Beyond"

I enjoyed participating in this year's event, signing a few books, meeting other authors and conversing with readers who still treasure seeing the printed word on paper.

Until the next time...