BookCon is back for the first time in 6 years — heres what to expect for the events return
For the first time in six years, BookCon is back. Celebrating the book industry and its fans, BookCon returns to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on April 18 and 19. The two-day convention is jam-packed with panels, author signings, and a robust show floor, and Mashable will be on the ground at the event, covering every must-see moment.
The event follows a big year for books. Heated Rivalry, based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling series, has everyone headed to the cottage, and the movie adaptation of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary took us to space. BookTok is one of the loudest and most influential spaces on the internet, literally reviving book sales in the modern age. Now BookCon can be an IRL space for book fans to celebrate their passion.
“It has been a dream for our team to bring back BookCon, and we are thrilled with how the book community has come together to help us build this incredible programming lineup full of diverse voices, genres, and perspectives,” said Jenny Martin, Event Director for BookCon.
Leading up to the event, there’s been a lot of chatter, so before the big weekend, here’s everything you need to know about BookCon.
When and where is BookCon?
BookCon takes place Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19. It will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.
How to attend BookCon?
BookCon is a ticketed event, but it’s unfortunately sold out. Tickets went fast, with BookCon posting on Dec. 3, 2025, that the event was officially sold out.
Which authors will be at BookCon?
The BookCon lineup features tons of people’s favorite authors, with panels and signings all weekend long. Rachel Reid (Heated Rivalry) will be there celebrating the show alongside the TV show’s EP, Jacob Tierney. Authors of the buzziest adaptations including Andy Weir (Project Hail Mary, The Martian), Emily St. John Mandel (Station Eleven), May Cobb (The Hunting Wives), Robinne Lee (The Idea of You), and Casey McQuiston (Red, White, and Royal Blue) will be present. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Divergent, Veronica Roth will be in attendance. Other authors attending BookCon include Jasmine Guillory, Leigh Bardugo, and RF Kuang. The full list of attendees can be found on BookCon’s website.
What’s the BookCon controversy?
While there is plenty of excitement around BookCon, the return of the event sparked quite a bit of noise online. Tickets sold fast, leading to some disappointment from fans who were hopeful to attend — but even fans in attendance have shared concerns.
Author signings and some panels require reservations for ticket holders. When the reservations went live, attendees had spreadsheets of all the events they wanted to attend and patiently waited in an online queue to sign up. Unfortunately, even after waiting an hour, some ticket holders couldn’t secure any reservations. Now there’s an active community on the BookCon subreddit trading reservations in hopes of scoring the spots they didn’t get the first time.
Another controversy surrounding the event came forth when authors and fans questioned BookCon’s association with ICE. ReedPop, which runs a variety of conventions including BookCon, is owned by parent company Relx. One of Relx’s subsidiaries is LexisNexis, which has a multi-million dollar contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Several authors, including Rebecca Thorne and Sabaa Tahir, called out the connection, with Tahir no longer attending BookCon.
ReedPop has since issued a statement to clarify: “We at ReedPop do not sell customer information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ReedPop/RX operates entirely at arm’s length and independently. None of our data is shared for marketing or commercial use by any other entity within our parent company.”
Where can I follow along with what’s happening at BookCon?
We’ll be on the ground at BookCon, so be sure to check back at Mashable.com and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and X.
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