BookCon is back
After a six‑year hiatus, BookCon returned to New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center for a two‑day event on April 18–19, bringing author panels and fan programming back to the convention circuit (mashable.com) (amny.com). The weekend lineup joins festival‑season activity across the U.S., with nonfiction showcases and author appearances running alongside other spring book events (mashable.com) (amny.com).
BookCon opened Saturday at New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, ending a six-year break for a fan event that last ran in 2019. (bookcon.com) The two-day event runs April 18-19 and is produced by ReedPop, the company behind New York Comic Con. ReedPop announced the revival in June 2025 and called the 2026 edition a “wholly reimagined” return. (bookcon.com) (rxglobal.com) Organizers told amNewYork they expected about 25,000 fans through the doors this weekend, alongside hundreds of authors, publishers, and creators. BookCon’s official ticket page now lists Saturday, Sunday, weekend, VIP, and Premium VIP passes as sold out. (amny.com) (bookcon.com) The new version leans harder into reader fandom than the old trade-show era of publishing events. ReedPop built the weekend around panels, autograph sessions, book clubs, workshops, and social spaces meant to turn online reading communities into an in-person convention. (rxglobal.com) (bookcon.com) That shift shows up in the programming. BookCon added an After Dark slate on Saturday night, a Pride Lounge in partnership with Geeks OUT, a lounge-style space called The Grove, and Indie Alley for independent authors in Hall 1B. (bookcon.com 1) (bookcon.com 2) (bookcon.com 3) The event also reflects how the book business changed while BookCon was gone. ReedPop told Variety that planners spent about 18 months rebuilding the show and weighing how to update it for the rise of romantasy, book-to-screen fandom, and TikTok’s BookTok audience. (variety.com) Some of the mechanics changed, too. BookCon now uses advance reservations for selected panels, autograph sessions, in-booth signings, and giveaways, and its official app handles digital tickets, maps, schedules, and exhibitor lists. (bookcon.com 1) (bookcon.com 2) The comeback has not been frictionless. Variety reported that some authors and attendees backed a boycott after drawing attention to ReedPop parent company RELX’s ownership of LexisNexis, which has a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (variety.com) For now, the immediate test is simpler: whether a sold-out weekend can prove there is still room in New York for a mass-market book convention built around readers, not just the industry. By Sunday evening, ReedPop will have its first answer in six years. (bookcon.com) (amny.com)
