This past weekend, WestBow Press had the pleasure of being present at the two day Women of Faith event in Kansas City, Mo., for the first time. The event took place Nov. 2 and 3, at the Sprint Center in (the lively Power and Light District of) Kansas City.
Women of Faith hosted many wonderful speakers and talented musical artists who were presented throughout the event by best-selling author, speaker and singer Sheila Walsh. Some of the speakers included comedian Ken Davis, who had the crowd roaring in laughter, and Pat Smith, president of Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities, who highlighted the importance of having faith and direction in your life. The musical portions of the event included songs from multi-award winning musical group Selah and multiple Grammy ® winning singer CeCe Winans. It was a truly motivational experience.
WestBow Press had two stations at the event: an extensive BookStub gallery featuring over 85 titles and an author signing featuring seven authors. Each BookStub had a unique code, allowing the recipient to download a free copy of that title’s e-book, and by the end of the event we had handed out around 4,400 BookStubs. Attendees and volunteers were delighted to be able to meet the authors and receive a complimentary signed copy of their books. Authors that were present were:
Beth C. Walker, Love Letters to My Queen Bride
Karen Gryder with Sandy Faulkner, Farther On
M. Lorene Kimura, One Ordinary Woman, One Extraordinary God
B Bruchhaus, Fit 30:12
Sharon Carruthers with Corrine Vanderwerff, The Teeter-Totter
Kimberly Faye, Memoir of a Broken Brain
C.B. Matthews, Fake Christianity
Each author excelled during their one hour signing; crowds gathered and long lines formed until the authors had signed all of the books that we had available. We often emphasize to our authors that it is important to build a platform, reach an audience, and get their name and book out to the public. This signing event was a great start for these authors in that effort; many authors travelled from around the country to be in Kansas City, a market they might not have otherwise been able to reach. When the attendees and volunteers who got the signed books and BookStub cards have a chance to read the books they took from the event, we hope they find enjoyment in those books and tell others about them, allowing our authors a chance to reach even more readers.
We are honored to have been able to participate in this faith-filled event. It was amazing to be among so many people that share the same values and beliefs that we hold at WestBow Press and we look forward to being at more Women of Faith events in the future.
Courtney Light
Courtney Light is an Events Coordinator for WestBow Press and lives in Bloomington, Ind. She started with WestBow Press as a member of the production team and moved into the Events Coordinator position in Oct. 2011. Courtney studied Tourism Management, with a focus on events, at Indiana University.