Milton Keynes Indie Book Fair 2026.
It was probably a few months ago when I caught wind of this Milton Keynes Indie Book Fair, courtesy of Ben Langley. As is often the way with social media such as Facebook, he shared a post about the upcoming event. Hell, he even suggested that the like-minded among us get on board. Who was I to say no?
I'm aware that for a number of my peers, they have solid reasons for not going to a convention. Social anxiety, time, cost, childcare to prioritise, etc. That's not to say that I don't have my priorities, because I do - but for the longest time, I've been mindful of the ROI (Return On Investment) that going to a convention will bring me. It doesn't mean that I go to every convention, but I can assess where some have enough return on investment of time, money, etc. that they prove to be worthwhile. And since Ben provided the link, and details at said link appeared to show a good investment, I put my name on the list to sign up. After which, some days, weeks later, I was on the programme for the fair.
A typical part of me getting ready for any convention is making sure I have enough stock of various books, whether they're ones I've written or ones I've contributed a story to. Either way, it means reaching out to various publishers ahead of time to make sure that I get copies in time for when I head off to the convention. So for this outing, ordering stock went pretty much as expected.
The good thing about this event was that, with it being in Milton Keynes, it wasn't too far away by train: an hour there and a half hour back (since the return journey was direct). The biggest hurdle is lugging a suitcase full of books with me on an intercity commute. Good thing I work out, right?
The commute up there was mostly quiet, apart from some guy singing to himself but, I suspect, with the agenda of pissing off other passengers. As for myself, I sat back in my seat, smiling serenely and waiting for him to run out of steam, which didn't take long. One of the things I like about such conventions is the actual journey; as someone who's often working on something or other, I find it bliss when I can just lean back in my seat and watch the scenery scroll past.
Anyhow.
I finally get to Milton Keynes Central station and from there, a short bus ride to centre:mk (the Milton Keynes shopping centre). This place is wonderfully massive, and I trail the patrol of venue security for a couple of minutes before I finally catch up with them to ask where the book fair is being held ...and then they tell me it's in the other direction. At least I'll get my steps in.
The fair was held at a cordoned-off area in the midst of the shopping centre. Wide open space, lots of natural lighting, and surrounded by lots of places to get food; Greggs, Pret A Manger, Pizza Express, etc. Note that I brought food with me but, foodie that I am, I always like to see food around. Case in point: author and editor Amy Acre seated beside me at the next table had told me of a place some five minutes away in the shopping centre where I can get a borek: Turkish pastry filled with goodies such as lamb - and, foodie, that I am, I had to go investigate (damn you, woman). Among the vendors and event staff, I also include one Donna Scott, who's running point on the whole event. The revelation that she's running the show took me aback (and I told her as much), because I know her as an author - and generally authors don't run events; other people do. I digress.
Given that this is a multi-genre event, I didn't expect a whole lot of engagement. Author Leslie Tate, who was also there with partner Sue Hampton, opined that I'd get more engagement than them on the engagement front. Given that I write horror and the disregard/disdain this got from some passers-by, I wasn't sure. My favourite one was the woman with an expression like 'a bulldog chewing a wasp' that walked past my table and simply mouthed 'horror' in visible disgust. That was one reaction I found entertaining, because I know and accept that no matter how good you are at your craft, regardless of what it is, you simply won't please everyone.
Aside from a five-minute author reading in front of the stage where I could barely read my excerpt from trying to see around the up-close microphone, most of the day was spent at my table. What I take as a win is everyone that slowed or stopped to have a closer look. Even more so for those that stopped to chat, pose for pictures, buy, get books signed, etc. This is one of the things that never grows old as an author. The icing on the cake is when people had made a point of saying they had come to check me out specifically, having seen my name on the programming. A thank you to centre staff as a whole for their grace and hospitality as well Let's not forget that Milton Keynes' finest, the author, essayist and all-round good human Kit Power swung by for a brief visit. And even with the purple tablecloth staining my jeans, like Ice Cube said: 'today was a good day.'
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