As the years go by, the country’s biggest independent book fair continues to grow.

Authors and readers have taken delight in the 11th AJC Decatur Book Festival, last September 2-4, 2016, where many published works exhibited by authors and publishing companies alike were on display.

An annual event, the AJC Decatur Book Festival is hailed the largest independent book festival in the country, and has drawn in more than a thousand authors as well as festival-goers hoping to check out print on demand titles.

The book festival doesn’t limit itself to showcasing books, but it also organizes mini events, such as author readings, poetry slams, workshops for budding writers, exhibits for book publishers, and more. What started in February 2005 as a humble book fair has ballooned into something on a much larger scale. The founders of the book fair organized the first ever festival on the account that book festivals aren’t as popular in metropolitan Atlanta than the rest of the United States.

This year’s book fair blossomed into a full-blown epitome of success. Presented by DeKalb Medical and sponsored by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Emory, MailChimp, and many others, the AJC 2016 drew in crowds from all around the country who have come to experience and check out the works of authors who aimed to make their names known among a general audience.

The resounding success of the 2016 AJC Decatur Book Festival spells great things for book events in the future. As such, the organizers encourage authors from here and the world over to participate in the book fair, and take a step up in book promotion, as well as publishing a book.

Among the many LitFire authors who participated in book signings and socialization were Margaret Selby, Gita Nightingale, Lydia Davis, Margee Minter, Angelino Cooper, Martin Latigue, Diane Vann, Terry Williams, Wolfgang Hanau, Maureen Santora, Dr. Percy Caldwell, and Dr. Sylvia Fields.

LitFire also introduced engaging activities for the crowd. Both young and old participated in LitFire’s Color Wall, and veteran authors and emerging writers came in for the Instagram Photo Op.

As early as today, the organizers of the AJC Decatur Book Festival have started the planning process for next year’s event, which will mark the 12th year of the book festival. The organizers hope to make it on a larger scale, much like international book fairs such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, and the London Book Fair, and hopefully encourage book publishing companies to teach authors how to self-publish.

AJC has yet to announce a tentative date for the 2017 event.

Are you excited for the next book festival? LitFire Publishing invites you to join the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair on October 19-23, 2016, at the Frankfurt Trade Fair Grounds, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.