In his memoir “On Writing,” Stephen King wrote, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”

On Saturday, the enchantment of reading and authorship was on full display upstairs at Rails Craft Beer & Eatery in Seymour.

The Magic of Books in Seymour hosted their first book signing event at the restaurant, with 27 Hoosier authors in attendance.

“We’re hoping to be able to do another [signing] next year,” Jenna Martinez said, owner of The Magic of Books. “Hopefully we’ll get a bigger venue so it won’t be as cramped, and it will be on the ground floor so we won’t have issues carrying equipment upstairs.”

Martinez also said she hopes the gathering of authors will become an annual event.

“We had to turn away, I want to say 40 authors, because we just didn’t have the capacity,” Martinez said.

Columbus-based children’s author Kimberly Hoffman, who sits on the Friends of the Library Board of Bartholomew County, was among the 27 authors present at the signing.

“I feel like I’ve always had a story to tell,” Hoffman said. “It just brings me a lot of joy to write.”

Hoffman said she liked it in high school when teachers would assign papers to write instead of tests.

“That was my jam,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman also said she likes being able to influence and encourage children through her writing.

“There’s so much in life that is hard,” Hoffman said. “Just to be able to have something that encourages them to know that they can do what seems impossible.”

In addition to writing books, Hoffman is available for speaking engagements with audiences of any age, and she also offers programs that are specifically designed for children.

Molly Daniels of Vincennes, author of “Arbor University Tales”, also signed her books at Rails on Saturday.

Daniels said she began to write the series when she was still in college.

“When I went to college, I couldn’t find what I wanted to read so I wrote the book I wanted to read and then I just went from there,” Daniels said. “I started in science fiction … and then I went to romance and now I’m back in sci-fi.”

Dark fiction author J.D. Phillips, who also makes hand-crafted pillows, dolls, ceramics and figures, was present at Saturday’s book signing event as well.

“I’ve been [writing] since I was eight,” Phillips said. “It’s something I’ve always felt compelled to do. I do mostly dark fiction. I’ve got dark comedy; I’ve got some dark fantasy, some about ghosts, some mysteries.”

On Facebook, Martinez thanked Nikki Rosbottom with Hometown Biz, a social media, digital marketing and planning business dedicated to helping small businesses across southern Indiana.

“[Rosbottom] helped me pull off an amazing author signing with 27 authors,” Martinez wrote. “She has been an invaluable asset for my bookstore.”

The Magic of Books hosts an in-person writing group the second Saturday of every month at 1:30 p.m., a Fantasy Book Club the last Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m., a Horror Book Club the third Thursday of every month at 6 p.m., a Romance/Erotica Book Club the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m, a Silent Reading Club the first Saturday of each month at 6 p.m. and a book club with no set genre the last Friday of every month at 6 p.m.

Addtionally, the Magic of Books is hosting a Family Feud event June 8 at 6 p.m. in which two teams of five will compete against each other. The winning team will be presented a trophy, have their name engraved on a plaque displayed in the store and earn the opportunity to challenge other victorious teams.

The Magic of Books is located at 115 W. Second St., Seymour.