I remember around the time of the start of the pandemic reporting on the closure of many of the highest-profile events in the book world. In many cases permanent closure. Such we thought was the fate of Book Expo and its companion event BookCon. Last week, BookCon was back in New York after a six-year hiatus, thanks to ReedPop, the conference organizers who came in for quite some criticism for their handling of events at that earlier time.
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
The focus of BookCon was firmly on readers. And alongside that there was a real effort to attract indie authors. We may have associated (at least I have tended to, from my experience of visiting giant conferences) the attempts of large events to woo indie author exhibitors in the past with a somewhat cynical cash grab. Too often indie authors have been asked to part with hundreds of dollars to have a single cover placed on the shelf of a conglomerated stall on an aisle no one will ever see.
A Genuine Indie Focus
But from what I have read, BookCon's indie appeal may have been more genuine. First, indies were given their own Indie Alley, which from the sound of it was less a case of segregation and more celebration. I found this comment from Publishing Perspectives's write-up fascinating, addressing the nature of the fans who showed up:
“These readers aren't judgmental when it comes to indie authors. Publishers haven't seen indie authors as much of a threat to their sales bottom line, but I think that could change rapidly in the age of BookTok, independent publishing, and AI.”
In terms of what these fans are reading, that's no surprise. Topping the bill was romance, with fantasy and the mixture of those two, romantasy.
If you are interested in taking part in next year's BookCon, do keep an eye on this page, where calls for exhibiting authors for 2027's Indie Alley will go live. And if you were there this year, I would love to hear how it felt as an indie author and I will report on what you say. Email me at [email protected] by the end of Friday (May 1).
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