Books by the Banks
Want to meet the person behind your favorite page-turner? Keeping reading to learn more about how you and your family can shake hands with more than 100 of this year's most popular authors -- from best-selling thrillers to HGTV design stars -- all right here in Cincinnati.

Literary lovers unite! Several local libraries, universities and bookstores are bringing together bookworms of all ages for the 6th annual Books by the Banks book festival.

Celebrate the thrill of reading by joining over 100 national, regional and local authors and illustrators, purchasing books and having them signed. The event also offers a variety of book talks and author panel discussions covering topics from cooking to sports. Books by the Banks includes something for all ages by featuring authors of teen literature and children's storybook characters, music and activities in the "Kids' Corner."

Sandy Bolek, Website Coordinator for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County says event sponsors include Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Northern Kentucky University W. Frank Steely Library, Clermont County Library, Midpointe Library System and the Lane Libraries.

"It takes a dedicated team of volunteers from all the partner organizations working for about six months to plan Books by the Banks," Bolek says.

Margaret O'Gorman, Books by the Banks executive director

"[Myself] and Melissa Cox Norris, director of Library Communication at the University of Cincinnati Libraries, are responsible for overseeing the work of the volunteers who help organize and stage the festival."

The authors selected to participate in the event are chosen by a team of booksellers and librarians from the previously mentioned sponsoring organizations. Event authors usually include those with books published within the last year.

"The Author Selection Team takes a variety of criteria into consideration when inviting authors to attend the festival," Bolek says. "Their goal is to create a festival with a balance of genres, audience age ranges and interests that will appeal to a wide audience."

Authors attending this year's festival include Gillian Flynn, author of the best-selling thriller Gone Girl, the "Cake Mix Doctor" Anne Byrn, HGTV design couple Robert and Courtney Novogratz, novelist Katherine Howe, author of the children's picture books How Rocket Learned to Read and many more writers from the regional and national level. There will also be a variety of local authors such as Loren Long and Will Hillenbrand.

Bolek says the selection of authors is one of the most importance aspects of the event because it has a large impact on attendance.

"Festival attendees really love being able to spend time talking with their favorite writers and to have the opportunity to purchase signed copies of their books," Bolek says. "The opportunity to make a personal connection with authors is one of the biggest reasons many attendees return year after year!"

Bolek says Books by the Banks stemmed from a conversation at a Reds baseball game between friends from Cincinnati Magazine and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County as to why the city has never hosted a book festival. Cincinnati has been routinely ranked as one of the most literate cities in the country because of its many public libraries, colleges/universities, specialty libraries and bookstores, so they felt it was the perfect region for such an event. That conversation inspired representatives from multiple local libraries to come together to plan the festival, Bolek says.

The first Books by the Banks: Cincinnati USA Book Festival was held in 2007 and proved to be successful from the start. As the festival has grown over the years, different organizers and sponsors have assisted with planning. This year's event is free to the public and will take place on Saturday, Oct. 20 from 10a.m. to 4p.m. at the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati.

Bolek says the event organizers are excited about this year's festival because of the participating authors, family activities, cooking demos and panel discussions. However, she says some of the biggest developments have taken place behind the scenes.

Last year, Books by the Banks was established as a 501(c)3 organization and this summer, part-time executive director Margaret O'Gorman was hired to pursue funding opportunities and manage the festival's growth. O'Gorman is currently pursuing plans to relocate the event from Duke Energy Center to its long-intended site outside of The Banks apartments in 2013.

"Moving to The Banks is an exciting next step for the festival as it will allow us to continue to grow and bring in more authors, attract a larger audience from not only Cincinnati, but from our neighbors across the river, and finally, to be true to our name and vision all along– to be the Books by the Banks: Cincinnati USA Book Festival," Bolek says. For further details, go to www.booksbythebanks.org.

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