BookCon is an annual

fan convention Fan convention (also known as con or fan meeting), a term that predates 1942, is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some ...

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. In a statement made on December 1, 2020, it was announced that due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic the convention was canceled for 2021 and would be reworked for the future.

History

BookCon is run by ReedPop, which also organizes New York Comic Con, Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo,

Star Wars Celebration The ''Star Wars'' Celebration is a fan gathering to celebrate the ''Star Wars'' franchise. It began in 1999, when Lucasfilm held the ''Star Wars'' Celebration in Denver, Colorado to celebrate the upcoming release of '' Star Wars: Episode I � ...

, 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 The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center, is a large convention center on Eleventh Avenue between 34th Street and 38th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by architect James ...

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 Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor, director and producer known for his roles of Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox/Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development (TV series), Arrested Development'' and of Mart ...

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 (''Yes Please''),

Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and writer. He has received various awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019 Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada. He ...

(''I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend''), Jodi Picoult (''Leaving Time''), Kathy Reichs (''Bones Never Lie''), and Ruth Reichl (''Delicious!''). Nickelodeon also organized a ''

Dora and Friends ''Dora and Friends: Into the City!'' (or simply ''Dora and Friends'') is an American children's animated television series. The sequel to the original ''Dora the Explorer'' series, this series premiered on Nickelodeon on August 18, 2014 and ende ...

'' 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 Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak (born July 31, 1979) is an American actor, director and screenwriter. He has received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Novak became known for starring as Ryan Howard in t ...

. John Hodgman of '' The Daily Show'' led a panel discussion with comedian

Nick Offerman Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...

(''

Parks and Recreation ''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 ...

''), 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 Alexandra Bracken (born 27 February 1987) is a The New York Times Best Seller list, #1 ''New York Times'' bestselling American author known for ''The Darkest Minds'' series and ''Passenger'' series. Early life Alexandra Bracken was born in Phoeni ...

, 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 Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...

, Kwame Alexander, Cory Doctorow, Shea Serrano, Rainbow Rowell, Veronica Roth and

Soman Chainani Soman Chainani is an American author and filmmaker, best known for writing the children's book series ''The School for Good and Evil''. Soman's series, ''The School for Good and Evil'', debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List, has sold mor ...

. Celebrities at the event include scientist

Bill Nye William Sanford Nye (born November 27, 1955), popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter. He is best known as the host of the science television show ''Bill ...

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 Alyssa Milano, 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.

References

External links

TheBookCon.com
* {{coord, 40, 45, 29.4, N, 74, 00, 09.0, W, type:landmark, display=title Recurring events established in 2014 Conventions in New York City 2014 establishments in New York City Book fairs in the United States