BookCon


BookCon is an annual fan convention established in 2014 in New York City. Taking the name format from other fan conventions such as Comic-Con, BookCon was established to combine pop culture and the book industry. Many authors, celebrities and publishing professionals attend BookCon.

History

BookCon is run by ReedPOP, which also organizes New York Comic Con, Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Star Wars Celebration, and other events. BookCon was created to boost the image and attendance of long-running book fair BookExpo America.

Events

2014 edition

The first BookCon was held May 31, 2014, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. On May 30, a sneak preview event was held with the This Is Where I Leave You Q&A panel, featuring author Jonathan Tropper and stars of the film version, Jason Bateman and Tina Fey.
The event featured a panel with best-selling novelist John Grisham. Other writers and stars there for Q&As and autograph signing included Amy Poehler, Martin Short, Jodi Picoult, Kathy Reichs, and Ruth Reichl.
Nickelodeon also organized a storytime for children.

2015 edition

The second edition took place May 30–31 at the Javits Center in New York City. Scheduled authors for the event included James Patterson, Candace Bushnell, Sherman Alexie, Julianne Moore, Aziz Ansari, Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak. John Hodgman of The Daily Show led a panel discussion with comedian Nick Offerman, whose second book, Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers, was released May 26.

2016 edition

The third BookCon was held May 14, 2016 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event was shortened to one day, which caused complaints from fans that it was too short. About 7,000 people attended the event. Authors at the event included Alexandra Bracken, Khloé Kardashian, Kate DiCamillo, Sherman Alexie and Meg Cabot.

2017 edition

The fourth BookCon was held at the Javits Center in New York City. Authors included Dan Brown, Margaret Atwood, Kwame Alexander, Cory Doctorow, Shea Serrano, Rainbow Rowell, Veronica Roth and Soman Chainani. Celebrities at the event include scientist Bill Nye and actors Jeffrey Tambor, Mayim Bialik, Krysten Ritter, Chad Michael Murray and Andrew McCarthy.

2018 edition

The fifth BookCon was held at the Javits Center in New York City. Authors included Angie Thomas, Victoria Aveyard, Leigh Bardugo, and Marissa Meyer. Celebrities at the event included Taye Diggs and Zach King.

2019 edition

The sixth BookCon was held at the Javits Center in New York City. Authors included Victoria Aveyard, Leigh Bardugo, V.E. Schwab, Marie Lu, Joe Hill, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Maggie Stiefvater and Marissa Meyer. Celebrities at the event included John Cena and Evangeline Lilly.

2020 edition

The seventh BookCon was to be held at the Javits Center in New York City, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was canceled. Instead, BookCon was held virtually as "BookConline," with panels held over Facebook.