Support Us

Dear Friends of the Palm Beach Book Festival:

We need your help. It’s a fact.

Reading is our most endangered species. We’re blessed that our NYT best-selling, celebrity authors, and FAU partners, understand this.

Did you know that out authors come in speaker-fee free?   We don’t pay high speaking engagement fees or take grant money to cover those high fees. What separates us from other events in Palm Beach County is that (by example) back in 2017 we brought in up to $1,000,000 in  guest author and celebrity talent. Why? Our authors believe in our mission. Many are close friends, or close friends of other author friends.

Unlike some of the glam non-profits in town, we don’t fund a large staff, have fancy buildings, high hedges or flowing fountains and grounds for show.  The money goes into the festival and into reading/helping kids. 

Did you know that the next festival begins the day the last one ends?  Running any type of a festival is a year round job.  Setting up the authors’ flights, dinner parties, and accommodations are only 2% of what’s involved.  There’s outreach to schools, full-time PR and Marketing, non-profit status reports, and challenges with the powers-that-be in our community and county. There’s publisher meetings, publisher inquiries, logistics, tourism meetings, ticketing, web design, and all types of other responsibilities right down to answering every phone call, fan mail, or nationwide inquiry in our ‘inbox’.  The Festival is a full time business.   Except it’s not a 9-5 job. It’s a often 70 hour a week job with a salary – so it’s volunteer.

Did you know we’ve partnered with FAU to do year-long one-off events and to host our annual festival?   The first event was author, Erica Jong, February 2nd, 2018, to discuss feminism’s new direction. Together with FAU we will bring seasonal educational and thought-provoking authors for events. Check the home page, scroll down and there you’ll see our FAU tab of who’s coming in next.

Did You know that this year we want to do more for schools?   In 2018 we added a Young Readers of the Palm Beach Book Festival.   The festival was free of charge and hosted by the very generous Palm Beach Day Academy.  Authors like Kwame Alexander, Troy Cumming and our favorite author, James Patterson were in attendance.  The following year we hosted another middle school event where we entertained 3,000 happy, rambunctious and enthusiastic kids. James Patterson and Kwame Alexander entertained the kids with books, song, and rhyme. 

DID you know that According to Amazon, Florida has the highest readership in America?  With our vacationers, baby boomers and senior citizens devouring books, let’s help the next generation of aspiring authors.

Palm Beach County is already a hub to all types of cultural events…Theater, Ballet,  you name it.  Isn’t it time to become a literary capital?   By joining our exceptional family of donors, and with your gift, we can make this happen.  Your pledge is tax-deductible.  Your gift, no matter the size, will make a direct impact on supporting our mission to engage, educate and entertain the greater community of the Palm Beaches through visits with inspiring, world-class, authors.

Would you buy a ticket for a teacher or librarian?   Let’s fill the space with not only book lovers but  seats for teachers, librarians or high school students, free of charge.  For our 2016 festival we were able to put 60 students into seats. For our 2017 festival, 100 seats were given to teachers/librarians, 40 went to the Pahokee Students.   For 2018 we built a children’s festival with 3,000 kids all thanks to your generosity.  We continue to provide free seats to librarians. We continue to send books to underserved communities at Christmas. 

Please make a donation today .  No amount is ever too small, and every amount is humbly appreciated. For other sponsorship opportunities, read on below.  Perhaps you want to go the distance and sponsor a favorite author or dinner….

 

Oxbridge students meet real life authors Jacqueline Mitchard, Dorothea Benton Frank and actress turned author, Molly Ringwald.

Pahokee High School students meet Olympic-winning, Laurie Hernandez, and receive a signed copy of her book.

Laurie Hernandez with a fan.

Laurie signing her book for a Pahokee student.

Go the distance…Would you like to sponsor an author’s panel?  Imagine, being the sponsor of the very author you’ve long admired. Later that evening, wine, dine, and be influenced by the power of words, and by the person who wrote them.

Please EMAIL info@palmbeachbookfestival.com  on how to sponsor an author.  

On behalf of our board, myself and all of our authors-forthcoming, thank you for believing in us and for helping our community at large.

Most sincerely,

Lois Cahall
Founder & Creative Director
PALM BEACH BOOK FESTIVAL

info@palmbeachbookfestival.com
www.palmbeachbookfestival.com

The Palm Beach Book Festival Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization in the state of Florida. The organization’s ID # is 31954. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling toll free within the state 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or visit www.FloridaConsumerHelp.com. 100% of all contributions are maintained and distributed by this organization.