Editor Cortni had a wonderful time at the Read It Write It Book and Writing Festival 2024. The event took place at the Mall at Wellington Green on a bright and sunny Saturday, June 15, a perfect backdrop for the sunny group of writers who met to swap ideas and share their stories. While most writers were local to central or south Florida, at least two had traveled from Georgia and South Carolina to connect with other authors.

The most represented genre was romance, with everything from sweet to spicy making an appearance. Additionally, fiction genres of various authors included fantasy, small-town mystery, and science fiction.

Our editor also spoke with authors of nonfiction, including memoir and social/political critique and analysis. Additionally, several authors at the event were showcasing their children’s books as well.

Speaking of a showcase, SRD Editing Services was privileged that several of our own writers were kind enough to send copies of their printed books to display and distribute. Cortni gave away several copies of various books from the display at no cost to interested people. We love sharing and promoting our authors’ work and hope everyone who walked away with a copy enjoys their gift!

Throughout the event, there were several highly interesting panel discussions. Panelists included award-winning authors and publishers of a variety of materials Unfortunately, due to our table placement and the acoustics of the venue, they were sometimes difficult to hear unless stationed near the seats at the front of the stage.

When visiting various writers’ tables, we saw inventive, interesting merchandise from numerous authors, including 3D-printed figurines of characters, colorful and creative stickers, bookmarks, calendars, and notebooks. Several writers described using QR codes to lead readers to Spotify playlists that accompanied their stories.

Perhaps most interestingly, one author of a children’s book explained how he integrated a QR code for readers to scan in order to access augmented reality features designed to enhance the kids’ reading experience. How cool! Can’t wait to check it out.

There was so much talent that the room was bursting with it. In addition to all the writers, publishers, and illustrators, Cortni even chatted with a few future editors who stopped by the table to ask for advice.

At the end of the day, no visitor left empty-handed. Whether you picked up some merch or some swag, you at least walked away with the knowledge that the book reading and writing communities are strong in South Florida.

SRD Editing Services is looking forward to maintaining these new connections and growing these new relationships with all the Read It Write It authors over the next year. In fact, the date has already been announced for 2025, and we’ve submitted our interest form. See you in June next year!