I attended BookCon 2026 with absolutely no expectations or preconceived notions about how my experience should be, and ended up having a fantastic time!
Returning to the Javits Center: From Overwhelmed Fan to Accredited Press
This was my second year attending BookCon, and my first year attending as press. Back in 2019, I remember things being a blur and having far more Advanced Reader’s Copies than I knew what to do with. This year, I made the conscious decision beforehand to completely ignore ARCs and giveaways, and instead chose to focus on the ambiance, experiences in fandom, and to just try and enjoy my time at the event after its years-long hiatus.
Shifting Priorities: Choosing Atmosphere Over ARC Lines and Giveaways
Looking back at how crazy those giveaway lines were for ARCs and spin-the-wheel prizes, I’m glad I had the foresight to make that decision.
The Show Floor Symphony: Setting the Atmosphere at the ReedPop Return
After getting off the train, I arrived at the Javits Center around half past ten and could see the crowds lining up from three blocks away as I approached the space.
Upon entering the space, I was greeted with the Will Call ticket area, BookCon banners, and security at the major entrances.
On the lower floor was Indie Alley and Author Autographing, and you had to take the escalator up to the Show Floor from the entrance of the convention center.
There was a very nice String Quartet seated just above the veranda overlooking the breezeway space playing renditions of pop culture songs that completely set the mood and atmosphere of events yet to come.
Navigating the Show Floor: Interactive Spaces and Global Imprints
Despite the doors just opening, the show floor already felt packed, and the excitement in the air felt palpable. HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Random House, and Macmillan Publishers were particularly popular booths, for obvious reasons besides their excellent assortment of books for sale.
From La Croix Photo Ops to the ThriftBooks 500 Billion Page Challenge
This may be a little obnoxious to say, but La Croix was the MVP of BookCon, and I often found myself gravitating toward their ornate and fun display when I needed a break from the (almost claustrophobic feeling at times) lines surrounding every other booth nearby on the show floor.
On Day 1, I received a free hat and a drink to quench my thirst, and on Day 2, I went back for another hat (my mom wanted a matching pink one) and a tote bag I hadn’t seen the prior day.
In terms of drinks, La Croix offered naturally essence flavored spring water drinks like Cherry Lime, Sunshine (which tasted a bit like Sprite), Pamplemousse, and Pineapple Coconut, amongst other offerings.
The booth also had a really cute photo op where you could take a picture with props and have it printed out and sent digitally to your phone afterward.
There was a BookCon photo op directly across from the La Croix booth, and other locations dotted throughout the convention.
I moseyed on down to the ThriftBooks booth, which sponsored the Main Stage at the convention.
I started using ThriftBooks during the pandemic, and ended up accumulating (literally) hundreds of (mostly used) books for my home library through their services. Unfortunately, I’ve lost them all after the house fire last year, so I need to rebuild soon, and I was hoping to win the “free books for a year” giveaway through their ClueCard packs. I didn’t win, but I did get a free lapel pin.
(I heard from the booth staff that one woman did win that prize, which is actually pretty cool.)
In order to get the “ClueCard” pack, you had to sign up for a ThriftBooks account (which I already had) and enter the 500 Billion Page Challenge, which is “a global collective reading initiative encouraging users to log their pages to read” as per their website.
I only put 10 books as my ultimate goal, as I’ve been reading through Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels since Christmas day in anticipation of both the TV show’s end and the release of the 10th and final book. (Hopefully, we get “What Frank Knew” because wow…I would love to know what that man was actually thinking…because he really decided to make some decisions…and they were indeed “decisions”.)
I also decided to pick up Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat since Lestat’s season of Interview with the Vampire is airing soon.
Rebuilding a home library means prioritizing the classics, and prepping for AMC’s upcoming season with Anne Rice’s foundational text is non-negotiable. To step directly behind the scenes of the production and read our exclusive, on-the-ground press conversation with the cast and showrunners, dive into our feature interview: Rock Star, Relatable Monster: Sam Reid, Jacob Anderson & The Creators on Lestat’s Epic Transformation for The Vampire Lestat.
So, it’s going to be a while before I make some serious progress in blowing through 500+ page books to complete the challenge…I’m currently only on Outlander Book Two: Dragonfly in Amber.
No one was collecting the “prize” cards on Day 1 at the ThriftBooks booth, but they certainly were on Day 2 of the convention. You could choose prize pins based on your own reading style. Stickers were available with the same designs as the pins.
Scholastic to Yen Press: The Incredible East-West Manga Crossover
I headed back through the crowds to explore the rest of the show floor. The booths catered to a little bit of everything, but romantasy was undoubtedly the premier theme of the convention.
Lulu was handing out a “Read More Books” freebie that served as a book log alongside offerings of stickers.
Scholastic offered a photo op to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Baby-Sitters Club, freebie “Read YA” pins, the Captain Underpants manga sneak peek, and those “I Read YA” black canvas bags I fell in love with in 2019.
(Can you believe Captain Underpants has a manga now? I think I remember hearing about that at NYCC, and then feeling so old. I used to buy the original Captain Underpants books at the Scholastic Book Fair in middle school, and now they’ve been turned into manga! The amount of cross-over between Eastern and Western media has been insane to witness.)
Scholastic also had a list advertising author signings that you could attend at their booth.
I spotted a Percy Jackson promo photo op, and one with a BookCon bench as I continued through the convention.
I spoke with PIE in the Sky Publishing, who was promoting Dower: A Story About the Color of Love and the Form of Light by T. Rayson Woods. They even had a display where you could sample a trial of the “Dower’s” immersive audiobook experience, and tons of merchandise available.
The Historic Traveler was the booth “next door”, and offered a service where you could select through a comprehensive directory of historic novels, mysteries, and books by country or region, amongst other physical adventures like historic museums, hotels, and even find historic TV dramas through a curated list.
While heading back toward the center of the convention, I passed by two more photo ops.
(Ah yes, John Doe is wanted by the NYPD police department…)
On the way to the Yen Press booth, I passed by a few booths with really interesting and aesthetically pleasing merchandise for sale, and a plethora of spin-the-wheel giveaways.
(One woman was very excited to win this cute tote bag.)
Yen Press had “manga, manhwa, novels, and more” on full display, and offered freebies for pins and apparently, three free ARCs if you followed their social media.
I saw flyers at their booth (and around the convention) for Avocado House, an imprint dedicated to literary and non-fiction works from around the world. The three ARCs from this imprint were Laplace’s Witch, Sickness Unto Love, and 1,000 Words Left to Live.
Secluded Hideaways: Stepping Into The Grove and the Audible Story House
Indie Alley had a lot to offer and quite a few spicy images on the romance book covers. I found a really cute Derpy fanart pin at one booth, and decided to buy it for my (new) emerging pin collection.
The vibes in Indie Alley were full of nervous tension, excitement, and anxiety in anticipation of meeting their favorite authors and receiving a signed book.
The Author Autograph Section was placed in the back of Indie Alley, and Official Bookseller Partners Barnes & Noble Union Square, Greenlight Bookstore, and The Ripped Bodice were there with books available to conveniently purchase for the author signings.
The Grove presented by Allurial was one of my favorite interactive spaces at the convention. It was described on the official website as “…BookCon’s very own leafy little hideaway” and it totally did give secluded, hideaway vibes…when a (book) giveaway or workshop wasn’t going on.
There were different sections in the space for dedicated activities, like the aforementioned map-making workshop, a Community Book Swap where con-goers could place and swap acquired books and ARCs, Trinket Trading where people were also leaving small crafts like bracelets and bookmarks, and a small café area directly nearby the section that held timed giveaways throughout the day.
The Audible Story House at BookCon offered yet another secluded, exclusive space with limited, group admittance to sample Audible’s vast collection of audiobooks.
Here, you could enjoy immersive listening experiences, browse and sample stories with story tiles, and, for subscribers, secure a customizable tote bag and enjoy a drink at the on-site café.
Audible’s Story House currently has a pop-up store in NYC through the month of May that is free to enter and open to the public. Details below:
Audible Story House
- Location: 260 Bowery
- Dates: May 1st – 31st
- Days: Wednesday – Sunday, at 11 am – 7 pm
Treasure Hunt Presented by ThingsBook was available to all attendees through the BookCon app. The premise was that several sacred texts had disappeared from BookCon’s library, and you were tasked with finding them by traversing the convention to scan hidden runes (QR codes) with your compass (mobile device) to reclaim the lost tomes before weekend’s end.
Almost all fan attendees should have had the app downloaded since it was required for their QR tickets, and I saw quite a few people completing this ‘quest’ while walking around the convention.
Once the Treasure Hunt was completed, participants could try to unlock all trophies for a chance to win prizes that included:
- One grand prize winner will receive a $100 gift card for ThingsBook, a Moleskin notebook, and a pair of Weekend tickets for BookCon 2027
- Seven second prize winners will receive a pair of Weekend tickets for BookCon 2027
BookCon After Dark included activities like the Fantasy Ball, a PJ Party, a Poetry Slam, A Murder Mystery at the Hotel Orient with Gallery Books, and various panels, a live taping of the “PLOT TWIST” podcast, karaoke, and even bingo.
To be quite honest, I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on regarding securing tickets to the Fantasy Ball. I read somewhere on social media that it required a separate reservation, but when I went to the official website, I saw no such claim.
I did have an interest in going, but since I didn’t know if it was already sold out (or capped with no available standby line), I decided to leave Day 1 after the Rewriting the Rules of Romance and Fandom panel since I had been at the convention center since around 10 am.
The Murder Mystery party was especially intriguing to me (since I missed out on the one at NYCC due to reasons eerily similar to what I mentioned regarding the Fantasy Ball), and I read that you had to enter for an invite to the party beforehand.
I’m not sure when that happened or if it was just for general attendance through reservations with no option of a standby line, but in any case, this event was already capped when BookCon started.
I don’t blame BookCon for this, because ReedPop is a fan-first organization. This was completely on me for not attempting to find out how I could secure an invite for myself, or for not sending an inquiry to double-check if the event was definitely capped with no option for a standby line.
Panel Insights: Penning the Perfect Atmosphere in Speculative Fiction
I attended two panels and one workshop during my time at BookCon:
Penning the Perfect Atmosphere: Creating the Riveting Worlds and Emotions of Speculative and Fantasy Novels with Alexis Henderson (The Year of the Witching), Alix E. Harrow (The Ten Thousand Doors of January), and Olivie Blake (The Atlas Six).
Moderated by Keir Alekseii (Literary Agent with Azantian Literary Agency).
This panel was held in a bigger room, and the hostess played games with the audience and called people onstage for a few rounds of a game that appeared to be a mix between charades and telephone.
The large screens on either side of the room ran advertisements for different events and book-themed initiatives until it was time for the panel to begin.
I’m not sure if it was because of the panel’s theming or the panelists’ amiable relationship, but this conversation was very high-energy and produced more than a few genuine laughs from the crowd.
Worldbuilding Masterclass: Pinterest, Universal Girlhood, and Lived Experiences
There was a great number of questions posed to, and takeaways from the panel because authors are always a wealth of knowledge, but here are a few topics and conversations that stood out the most from the panelists:
When asked about what kind of story they wanted to give readers in a past work based on an overall “vibe” they sought to portray in the work, the ladies all had very different answers.
Blake named Girl Dinner, her past novel about a cannibalistic sorority house. She sought to have readers “fill in the blanks” and make the experience more personal based on their own academic history. So, there were no references to weather (as to not isolate readers who lived in places like, say, Arizona) in order to “accept universal girlhood” without isolating “intersectional femininity”.
Harrow then chimed in that because ultra femme culture is about control, she was expecting the twist in the story’s narrative. Blake agreed and stated that femme culture is communal, providing the example of complaining about weight (e.g., “omg, I’m so fat”) to others to demonstrate this.
Harrow named Hadestown as an inspirational work, and how the reader can help accelerate worldbuilding based on shorthand and familiarity with concepts like a “petticoat”, “labor” and how even the Greek Goddess “Persephone” can add so much depth to a story by saying so little.
Henderson mentioned her second book, House of Hunger, and how she utilized Pinterest boards filled with food for the vampiric-themed gothic fantasy novel.
From readers on Goodreads, to friends, family (especially their mothers), and a discerning editor, all panelists named the above as offering viable, succinct feedback on their work while penning a new novel.
When asked what the most important tools in their worldbuilding kit were, Henderson named Pinterest, as she enjoys the passion of “falling” for a place or location due to her upbringing in the beloved city of Savannah, Georgia.
Blake ponders “How does the character react to the place?” when writing a story. Due to her Urban Planning and Public Policy background, details of the world arise after she realizes how the character experiences said world.
Harrow spoke repeatedly about the inspiration she took from other authors’ work throughout the panel, and circled back to that, stating her worldbuilding kit was influenced by places detailed through another author’s eyes.
When asked how to hone the craft of worldbuilding, Harrow suggested paying attention to lived experiences and how you, yourself, interact with books. Henderson reads books by authors she loves, and practices “showing up for yourself” by writing during times when she doesn’t really feel like doing so. Blake offered that the first few books are hard, and afterward, it still might be hard as you try to grow in your craft.
Blake continued that each book is different based on what story is being told, and the more you write, the grander the story gets, and you wind up deeper into the craft. So the craft is ongoing, in a constant state of honing.
Crafting Ongoing Narratives: What’s Next for Blake, Harrow, and Henderson?
As for what’s next for the authors, Blake spoke (passionately, and at length) about an ongoing disagreement regarding her next book’s title, and that the story centers around “multiverse colonialism” with a focus on the marital dynamic and love story between the central couple.
Harrow is working on a short story collection, playing with ideas that may not fill a whole book, but can definitely hold a story. Possibly with the integration of the Lesbian pulp genre.
Henderson is working on The Godfrey Home for Demonic Children, a story about children possessed by demons that cannot be exorcised. Henderson admitted that she scared herself while writing the story, but she considers all of the child characters to be her “cat babies”.
Rewriting the Rules: Demystifying the Unstoppable Rise of Romantasy
Rewriting the Rules of Romance and Fandom with Alessandra Ferreri (Head of Content at Wattpad), Carissa Mosness (Associate Digital Editor at Woman’s World), Christine Duann (Kissing Is the Easy Part), and Jessica Cunsolo (With Me series).
Moderated by Mi-Anne Chan (Creative Editorial Director at Teen Vogue).
This panel had a subtle, pensive vibe and, of course, was chock-full of creative gems and inspirational takes for aspiring and veteran writers alike.
Stripping the Stigma: Why Romance and Fandom Are No Longer Monoliths
The panelists began expressing their opinions on why they believe romance has been stigmatized as a narrative genre when prompted.
Cunsolo bluntly expressed her opinion that the stigma was based on misogyny, while Ferreri chimed in that, as a genre, romance is not a monolith, as it employs many layers and tropes. Mosness expressed the belief that romance makes you feel uplifted and happy, and sometimes people don’t want to be happy while engaging in certain media.
Duann believes that it’s due to the genre traditionally cataloguing a woman’s journey, but that there has been a shift, and people are now embracing romance more.
The Third Space: How Digital Communities and Wattpad Shape Modern Publishing
When asked how online and digital communities like BookTok, Bookstagram, and Threads have made books and genres like romance more accessible and broken boundaries, Ferreri spoke to her experience at Wattpad, detailing how the webnovel platform allows people to connect in ways they otherwise wouldn’t.
In a space between reading and writing, Ferreri believes that you can find your voice and tribe in a third space to connect digitally, and that digital spaces are important to find friends and connect with others. Duann shared that 90% of her book recommendations are discovered online.
Cunsolo shared her experience of writing on Wattpad at age 17, and when asked if the immediate feedback on her stories helped, Cunsolo explained that she initially used to post sporadically. But because people would often ask her about updates and new chapters, one book eventually turned into eight on the platform.
Duann mentioned that she initially shared stories with her sister, and after a desire for more feedback, she discovered Wattpad 11 years ago. Her story was finished, but reader feedback shaped the narrative into changing its course toward the middle.
Ferreri then reaffirmed that Wattpad pays attention to story engagement and monitors that engagement and communities in real time.
The panel was asked why Romantasy is so popular right now, and Mosness believes it is a combination of a push from BookTok and the “fomo”, or Fear of Missing Out, on the current trend everyone is talking about. Ferreri believes the blended genre’s popularity is data-driven and that writers are listening to the community and their audience.
Cunsolo believes it is due to a lack of gatekeeping by publishers, due to vocal communities and fandoms that express their enjoyment online at mixing and matching genres.
Authors Cunsolo and Duann gave insight into the experience transitioning from writing on Wattpad to official publication, both emphasizing how the feedback from their online community on the platform helped direct their stories and aided in making crucial edits when necessary to enhance enjoyment for their readers.
When asked to offer advice for new writers, the women gave a variety of answers that focused on honing one’s craft through practice, dedication, and relying on community.
Mosness encouraged the audience to keep writing even if you feel like it sucks, because someone in your life (whether that be family or friends) will be proud of you, regardless. Duann noted that she found that Wattpad readers are generally very encouraging of everything you post.
Cunsolo stressed the importance of writing about a topic that interests you, because you can tell if someone is passionate on the page. Ferreri expressed the motivation a supportive group can bring, retelling a story about joining a writing club after work and how much fun it is to write with a friend or colleague versus by yourself.
The authors stated that the role of a good editor is to help the story develop without diminishing the writer’s unique voice. Don’t tell the writers what to do, but suggest alterations and enhancements that could be employed if needed or desired.
The acknowledgement of plot holes is extremely necessary, as that resolution makes the story stronger, and first edits of any story should never be taken to heart while the narrative is still being crafted.
The panel ended with the ladies discussing opinions on underrated tropes (like time loop, and older female and younger male relationships) and tropes they don’t particularly care for in romance (like second chance romance, the cheating trope, and relationships between step-siblings).
Note: I did not attend any of the available post-panel book signings with the authors.
Our look at digital community metrics only scratched the surface. For more exclusive insights on how webnovel ecosystems are forcing global publishers to pivot, read our full, feature-length conversation: The International Fandom Shift: BookCon 2026 Interview with Wattpad’s Alessandra Ferreri.
The Fandom Awakening: Final Thoughts on BookCon’s Triumphant Return
BookCon 2026 proved that the vibrant energy of the literary community is more authentic and inclusive in its post-hiatus era than ever before. Beyond the massive publisher booths and shifting marketplace trends, the true heart of the convention rested in those small, unexpected moments of shared fandom connection.
Ultimately, the event beautifully captured how a generation of millennial readers has evolved, turning digital spaces like BookTok into an unstoppable, real-world community.
Shared Real-World Magic: The Quiet Power of “River Flows in You”
Fantasy Map Making 101 with illustrator, cover & character artist, and fantasy mapmaker Lia Ramírez was the workshop I was most excited to attend at BookCon. It was capped when I arrived at The Grove on Saturday, so I made sure to arrive early on Sunday to snag a seat at one of the tables.
(The workshop guide, Ramírez, also had a booth in Indie Alley).
The map-making workshop detailed how fantasy maps are crafted. We were encouraged to let our imaginations run wild and to craft a full, lived-in world with diverse landscapes and terrains.
A bag of dry beans was passed around in a paper bag, and we were instructed to drop them on the blank canvas, outlining the beans to create unique landmasses and islands for our new fantasy world.
The instructor mentioned that she usually has a few weeks to create a new map, but regardless, a lot could be accomplished in the time we had. Colored pencils and a marker were also on the table to decorate the designed towns, oceans, and forests copied from the master art ledger’s examples.
I have all of the artistic drawing abilities of a dry sponge seated on a potato, so my fantasy map turned out as expected.
Overall, a very fun and insightful workshop on how some of our favorite fantasy world maps are created! I especially enjoyed the soft music playing in the background during the map construction.
When Yiruma’s “River Flows in You” quietly began playing during the workshop, every single person at my table looked up in quiet recognition at the song, and some turned to their friends and murmured the song title aloud in acknowledgement with an approving nod.
At that moment, it hit me, “Wow, these are my people”. I sat and wondered to myself, were they also huge fans of the Twilight Saga? Since “River Flows in You” used to be referred to as “Bella’s Lullaby” in fandom circles.
It was little instances like that over my entire convention experience that really reminded me of the power of a shared fandom experience, and why BookCon is such a beloved convention for authors, writers, readers, and fans of literature in general.
Beyond the Trends: Why the Millennial YA Market Evolved Into Adult Romantasy
As I mentioned at the beginning of this now quite lengthy article, I attended BookCon 2019 as a Fan and now BookCon 2026 as a member of the Press. I had never been to a literature-centric event before back then, and was completely overwhelmed by the crowds, panels, and ARCs I received.
Things have changed a lot since the hiatus period of BookCon, and my life in general, and my priorities have vastly changed.
I went to BookCon to see if it was as overwhelming as I remembered, and to observe if it had shifted in tone or enthusiasm in its post-pandemic era. I have done the same (internal) analysis on conventions like New York Comic Con, Anime NYC, and even the New York Travel and Adventure Show that I attended in the pre-pandemic world and now attended again after at least a five-year gap.
Analyzing massive, post-hiatus event spaces through a structural lens requires a deliberate framework, a journalistic evolution we’ve mapped across several major conventions. Step behind the curtain to see how our media outlet balances industry reporting with authentic community advocacy: NYCC 2025 Retrospective: Press, Purpose, and the Path of an East Asian Media Outlet.
The energies at these mass gatherings are different, definitely more authentic than I remember. BookCon really brought all of the “book girlies” out, but it wasn’t isolated to just women or female attendees. Men were welcome, and I even saw couples in attendance (some same sex, some heterosexual), and they were welcomed with open arms.
There was no prejudice or bias – just an enjoyment of fandom and a love of literature, books, and stories that can be portrayed online but rarely captured – and BookCon managed to capture that excitement in person.
It truly was an all-inclusive, and engaging fandom event – and people loved it, but as a member of the press (I had a lanyard and badge on, so I stood out), I did have more than a few people come up to me and ask that I “put it on the record” that maybe next year, they would like to see a focus on genres outside of Romantasy.
While I did explain to one woman that I thought Romantasy was the headline theme of the convention due to its current popularity and some of the attending guests, I did agree with her – as we stood together in a single line wrapped around one booth three different times – that YA wasn’t really on display, and that not everybody is (even) a casual fan of romance.
But then again, YA literature was extremely popular in a previous era, where we had dystopian fiction like The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and Divergent, seemingly turned into film adaptations back to back.
Harry Potter had ended, The Twilight Saga had ended, and YA had filled that gap for many people in our age group (millennials) and younger. We all collectively aged, and it appears that the core YA fiction market has aged with us.
Now, the same groups of people that I was alongside at Barnes & Noble launch parties for Harry Potter books, midnight screenings of The Twilight Saga movies, and on Fandom forums like Tumblr and Fanfic websites making friends and chatting about Kingdom Hearts, ATLA, Teen Wolf, and fictional characters’ story arcs and critiquing the media have seemingly pivoted to the emerging markets that later became the heavy weight literary communities on Bookstagram, BookTok, and Threads – amongst other digital spaces.
As the authors and executives in the panels I attended mentioned, the “Rise of Romantasy” is largely attributed to its passionate and vocal online community that even has the power to make publishers kneel to their collective voice. So maybe that’s where the YA Fantasy community went, or maybe they are elsewhere, hidden in the numerous genre-blends we see today.
I’m personally not sure where literature will head next, but I’m sure ReedPop’s next BookCon event will be worth attending.
But, tell me your thoughts: Did you attend the triumphant return of BookCon? What panels did you see?
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, we’d love to hear from you! Also be sure to follow us for more Conventions & Events!
☆ In Asian Spaces ☆ Ephesians 6:12 ☆
Leave a Reply