ReedPOP Launches BookCon… During BEA

It has just been announced that ReedPOP, the world’s largest producer of pop culture events, is launching BookCon during BookExpo America (BEA) as an extension of BEA on May 31st at the Javits Center! BookCon will include a series of panels, podcasts, author Q&A’s, autograph signings, and more, allowing readers to interact with authors, publishers, celebrities, etc…

BookCon’s headline event will feature a panel with Amy Poehler and Martin Short who will have books coming out this fall from Dey Street Books and HarperCollins, respectively. Best-selling author, John Grisham, and comic book legend, Stan Lee, will headline other marquee events at this inaugural show. Future panels and Q&A’s along with talent will be announced soon.

“We’re in the unique position, as the producers of BEA, to curate the best talent and publishers and deliver them to fans through a truly interactive experience. BookCon is the ultimate celebration of books giving book lovers access to their favorite authors and wherever they intersect with TV and film,” said ReedPOP’s Global Senior Vice President, Lance Fensterman.

Awesome headliners! Good job there!

I found quite interesting in the press releases the phrases, “potential to become a major big tent event” and “perfect time to expand upon BEA to provide the kind of behind-the-scenes access to talent…” as this seems to be the beginning of what will be a public book convention (that doesn’t shy away from but instead embraces pop culture…essentially making it a pop culture convention with the theme of books) right next to BEA which is not open to the public. So, if you have a BEA badge, you are permitted to attend BookCon but if you only have a BookCon badge, you are not permitted to go into BEA. That’s fair.

I love that there’s a book convention for the public. I hate that it’s literally the same time as BEA. Yes, I want to attend ALL THE THINGS. I’ve always loved BEA in May but I have longed for another book convention in the fall. There are tons of festivals in the summer and fall but it just seems odd to have BEA and BookCon at the same exact time in the same space. Why not extend BEA another day so the Power Reader Day can be extended from one to two days? Or extend the time and/or space for Saturday’s program of events?

I love that BEA has its “Power Reader Day” for the public. But I’m trying to understand why BookCon is the same day as the “Power Reader Day.” More options for the power reader? Is it convenient? I’m assuming the goal of BookCon is not to have an annual one day convention. I’m assuming BookCon is going to expand its days in the future and I wonder if that means BEA and BookCon will take place back to back or if BookCon will take place in a different location in the future or if… you see might point. Lots of question. As of now, I can only imagine how much more crowded the Javits Center is going to be on Saturday during BEA.

That said, the show floor hours for BookCon are 9am to 3pm while panels are open until 6pm so when you factor in the time it takes to get stuff done at conventions given the long lines, how much do you expect the average attendee to accomplish from 9am to 3pm on the show floor? If panels are your thing and you’re a public attendee, I see no major problems for you. But the show floor being open for such a short time when BookCon is only open for one day? What a tease.

There are tons of pros and cons to BookCon happening on one of the same exact days as BEA. Points for being affordable BookCon! Go you! Another pro? More celebrities. And by the looks of it, celebrities who actually write their own work. More points for you! Another pro? People who go to BEA could use this as an opportunity to bring their family or friends who are also book lovers to New York and have them attend BookCon. These are just a few off the top of my head. Really, there’s so much to digest here, so many questions, so much to wonder about and wait and see what happens.

UPDATE: It appears people who registered for BEA’s Power Reader Day are now having their badges replaced by a BookCon registration and will not be allowed into BEA on Power Reader Day even though that’s what they paid for. Yikes. For more developments on that, check out the comments on the BookCon Facebook Page.

What do you think?

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit TheBookCon.com.