“I think books are like people, in the sense that they’ll turn up in your life when you most need them.”
– Emma Thompson
WHY ATTEND A BOOK FESTIVAL?
- BOOK FESTIVALS OPEN YOUR EYES TO NEW IDEAS.
- BOOK FESTIVALS INTRODUCE YOUR BOOK TO NEW EYES
- BOOK FESTIVALS ENCOURAGE COOPERATION AND PARTNERSHIPS
- BOOK FESTIVALS TAKE US OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES
- BOOK FESTIVALS INSPIRE.
Resilience. Authors need it. Book stores need it. Book festivals need it, too. We all need the buoyancy of reboundability! Like most other gatherings, book festivals across the US and abroad were hit hard by the pandemic. but many are returning to vibrancy as we head into the last half of 2022 and 2023.
Scroll down for a list of upcoming book festivals!
- “I’ve never seen so many creative book covers!” one book festival attendee exclaimed. “I’m bursting with ideas for my next book.”
Going to a book festival can really open your eyes to new and creative ways to design and market your book. We often create in a vacuum — especially over the last couple of years — but attending a book festival can allow us to share in the creativity of others and broaden our horizons.
Becoming a presenter or getting a display table at a book festival gives us an opportunity to share our book with a larger and more diverse audience. As we share with others and they with us, we may form new and interesting partnerships in creativity! This is just one way book festivals can take us out of our comfort zone and transport us to a place of inspiration.
“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
– Stephen King
GET A TABLE OR BECOME A PRESENTER AT A BOOK FESTIVAL
Most book festivals charge for a display table to show your books, but presenting at a festival is often compensated and allows you to show off your book to participants. Both reserving a display table and becoming a presenter require making arrangements up to eight months, or more, in advance of the festival event date. To be a presenter, you’ll need to submit a proposal following the festival guidelines.
CREATE A VIDEO, BOOKTOK, OR FACEBOOK LIVE
A great way to share your book festival experience is to make a video to share. YouTube, BookTok, and Facebook Live are all effective ways to spread the word about your book. It can give you a reason to step out of your comfort zone and go talk to others.
SELECT THE RIGHT BOOK FESTIVAL FOR YOUR BOOK
Book festivals come in many shapes and sizes. Some are specifically geared to a certain book genre, like KILLERFEST. Take time to research the festival promoters, vendors, and attendees in order to choose the festival where your book fits best. Below if a list of current festivals to explore.
BOOK FESTIVALS 2022 – 2023
INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIRS 2022
OCTOBER – Frankfurt Book Fair Publisher’s Rights Corner; Frankfort, Germany. October
APRIL – London Book Fair: London, England. April
SEPTEMBER – Word on the Street: Toronto Book and Magazine Festival, September, Toronto, Ontario.
NATIONAL/REGIONAL BOOK FAIRS 2022
***FEBRUARY – Savanah Book Festival, Savanah GA Feb 16 – 19, 2023
FEBRUARY – Virginia Festival of the Book, VA February
MARCH – Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival; March
***MARCH – BookCon, June, NYC. March
***MARCH – Tucson Festival of Books, March 14, 15 2022, Tucson, AZ $750
***MARCH – The combined Book Exhibit, March 2023 (registration February) Portland, OR
***MARCH – The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University; March
MARCH – Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival. March 25-29, 2020; New Orleans.
MARCH – Des Moines IA Book Festival; March
APRIL – https://www.unboundbookfestival.com/; Columbia MO, April 21- 24, 2022
***MAY – https://usbookshow.com/
***JUNE – ALA American Library Association annual conference; Chicago, Illinois. June 25-29 2023
JUNE – The Printer’s Row LitFest: Dearborn, MI, June
JULY – Sleuthfest; Florida JULY 7-10, 2022
JULY – San Fransisco Art Book Fair; SF CA July 15–17, 2022
JULY – READERCON, (speculative fiction) July 13–16, 2023
AUGUST – Maine Book Festival, August 2022
***SEPTEMBER – High Plains Book Fest: Billings, MT. September
***SEPTEMBER – Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention; Minneapolis September 2022; San Diego August 2023, Nashville August 2024 – The Anthony Award nominations are submitted online by people who registered for the previous year’s Bouchercon and/or are registered for the current year’s Bouchercon. Books are nominated by the membership and voted on by the membership.
SEPTEMBER – Montana Book Festival, September, Missoula, Montana.
SEPTEMBER – Library of Congress book fair; D.C. September 3–4, 2022
OCTOBER – Fort Collins Book Fest, Fort Collins, Colo. October
OCTOBER – Six Bridges Book Fest; Six Bridges AR, October 2022
***OCTOBER/NOVEMBER – https://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/ Comicon, NYC October
NOVEMBER – Yall Fest: Charleston Young Adult Book Festival, November, Charleston, South Carolina.
NOVEMBER – Miami Book Fair, November, Miami, Florida.
NOVEMBER – Portland Book Festival, Portland OR, November 5, 2022; Submissions to the 2022 Portland Book Festival are open now through Friday, June 17, 2022.
***NOVEMBER – Texas Book Festival, November, submissions open until June 17, 2022
Have fun & Keep Scratchin’!
