MIDCOAST—Maine authors, particularly those who would rather write than wear a sales and marketing hat, are finding community and collaboration with a new authors' collective called No Shelf-Control. 

Midcoast authors and friends Danielle Bannister and Carley Packard were socializing through an informal breakfast club held at Bell The Cat in Belfast one morning in 2024 when they discussed how hard it was to set up bookstore events as authors. They shared the struggles that many new authors, and those who are long-established, share when it comes to marketing, sales, and public relations.

From that discussion came the idea to form a collective, to share the burden of setting up book events, and to provide a built-in community.

"Let's do it ourselves," said Packard. "We know enough people."

"And I had a lot of experience attending events over the last few decades, so we thought, together, we had enough knowledge to get something small going," Bannister added.

Since its inception last year, No Shelf-Control has amassed 36 members and averages about four to six events all around Maine. The collective, while still small, is free. A printed tote bag, which Packard created to represent the group, has garnered enough sales to defray marketing costs such as Facebook ads.

While there is no specific count on how many Maine authors reside in the state, there are at least 1,700 Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance members who traditionally published and self-published writers living in Maine with the assumption that there are many more in the writing community.

Typically, an event at a bookstore or a library showcases around three to six authors in various genres, such as the one they recently did at Anodyne Bookshop in Searsport this past March. With an event planned for June 21 in Gardiner, 15 to 16 authors will be set up at a tabled event.

For readers, these events eliminate the unconscious discomfort many feel when coming into a bookstore to find only one author at a lone table. For customers, it can create a sense of pressure or obligation to buy the author's book in order to speak with them.

"There's a lot less pressure for the customer," said Packard. "If someone comes up to me and says, 'I'm really looking for a romance novel,' I'll recommend an author in our group; it's so easy to pivot and direct the reader to another writer."

With a No Shelf event, customers feel more like they are at a multi-vendor craft fair and the vibe is much more easygoing.

Packard said she and Bannister have relied on a network of authors to help them find other venues through connections.

"The libraries adore any help and want to be supportive, and the bookstores we've been to have told us they love how easy it is for our group to come in and set up shop," said Packard. "For example, Grump & Sunshine's bookshop in Belfast was impressed with our authors' tables and unique displays at a recent event."

For the authors, this collective is a place to continue building skills. Writing and marketing require different identities, and the majority of authors not represented by larger publishing houses often have limited budgets and time to find space in an already crowded literary market. 

"The camaraderie in our group is huge," said Packard. "Even if an event has low foot traffic, we spend time talking to each other and having conversations about marketing skills and trade sources on editing, cover design, and things like that."

"We try to find a healthy balance of more established Maine authors and newer Maine authors just learning the ropes so that these events have a little something for everyone. Maybe we'll have a few books you've heard of and some you haven't, but we're hoping these events provide a variety of genres and experience levels," Bannister said.

Find No Shelf-Control on Facebook

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com