The New Mexico Book Association has been invited to display and sell member books at the annual government-sponsored 2023 Feria del Libro de la Frontera in Juarez, Mexico. NMBA Co-President Miguel De La Cruz, who lives in Las Cruces, will be handling our booth at the fair, which attracts thousands of English- and Spanish-speaking and reading people from Mexico and U.S. states bordering Mexico.

Here’s How You Can Participate

Because the cost of a booth in Juarez is less than the cost at the Tucson Festival of Books, we’re able to charge less to register.

Fees (payable by check or PayPal):
$15 for first book title; $5 for each additional (maximum of three)

Submit three (3) copies for each title: If we already have your book(s) in our book show stock, we’ll use those. If we don’t, please mail copies to Paula Lozar (address below)). If you’re not sure, email Paula: [email protected]. Books and/or check must be received by Paula by May 12th.
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IMPORTANT!
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Participation is limited to registered NMBA members. If you’re not yet a member and would like to participate in the Juarez Book Fair, you can register to be a member here or if you would like to renew your membership, you can do so by clicking here​.

NMBA showcased 45 of our members’ books at the New Mexico Writers Dinner at La Fonda in Santa Fe,
April 6, 2023. Thanks to James McGrath Morris, Executive Director of New Mexico Writers, for helping
to make this happen, and thanks to the committee (Shirley Melis, Anna Sochocky, Jordan Jones, and
Paula Lozar) who collected the books and assembled the supporting materials. This was not a sales event,
but we handed out lists of the books on display (including purchase information), and also distributed
brochures for the Southwest Book Design and Production Awards.
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The display will make another appearance on May 18 at the opening reception for the Santa Fe
International Literary Festival. This will take place at the Santa Fe Convention Center, and authors and
publishers whose books are on display will be invited to the reception – watch for an email with specifics.
After the May event, New Mexico Writers will donate the books to local libraries. Thanks to everyone
who participated, and we hope to see you on May 18!

It's impossible to predict which books will sell, and this year’s best-sellers at the NMBA booth ranged
from children’s books to memoir and fiction. We had inquiries for Young Adult books, Native American
topics, and travel books, but we didn’t have any of those this year – so if you write in those categories,
consider participating next year. We gave out business cards directing interested readers to our online
catalog; even if your book didn’t sell at the show, it had lots of exposure and, possibly, follow-up orders.
(Let us know about those; we’d like to hear about the effectiveness of our catalog.)

This year the “Indie Authors” area had a different format: Authors were asked to apply in advance for a
time slot in the reading area and go through a selection process. If you are considering participating in
this aspect of the festival in the future, instructions will be on their website, tucsonfestivalofbooks.org.
(This section of their website may not be functional yet. We’ll let everyone know when the dates for next
year’s festival are announced, and you’ll need to check back after that.)

​Thanks to this year’s volunteers: Dominique Mazeaud, Shirley Melis, Connie Nelson, and Sandi Wright.
Frank Hirsch helped with booth set-up and take-down. Jordan Jones was indispensable in assembling our
online catalog, setting up our online Square store, and trouble-shooting our card reader from a distance,
and Anna Sochocky collected books from show participants and transported them to my house. Special
thanks to Jared Gann, who carpooled with me to Tucson through blizzards and epic traffic jams (no
exaggeration), and unloaded and reloaded many cartons of books and booth supplies as well as helping in
the booth. We’re grateful to all of you for your help in making this year’s festival a success for NMBA,
and we hope to see you again next year in Tucson.

​-- Paula Lozar