Phictly, the spoiler-free social platform for the book community--authors, readers, and book enthusiasts--hosted its first Global Digital Book Festival on July 25, a free one-day virtual event bringing together more than 80 authors across three concurrent tracks of panels, workshops, and live readings. The festival was presented by Shelf Awareness and co-sponsored by Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, and StickerApp.
"This first festival gave us exactly what we hoped for: real conversations between readers and authors, and a clear sense of what to build on for next time," said Nyleena Aiken, founder and CEO of Phictly.
Author Melody Chu said, "I had a great time today, and appreciate the opportunity to do a live reading of Mathey Girls and the panel on making friends through writing with Jane Hartsock! I'd be happy to work with Phictly further in the future."
Author Christina Victoria added, "As a new author and the founder of Marion Alexander Press, moments like these are unforgettable. They remind you that the long nights, the uncertainty, and the leap of faith are all worth it. I don't take opportunities like this lightly. Every conversation, every reader, and every connection filled my cup in ways I never expected. I left feeling more inspired as an author, a publisher, an entrepreneur, and a creative than when I arrived."
Shelf Awareness worked with Phictly to present this festival, a wonderful opportunity to connect authors with readers and for booksellers to discover authors from a wide variety of publishers.
The Phictly app is free to download at mobile app stores.