Inside BookCon: where literature lovers give hope to the industry

The convention’s throngs of teenagers prove there’s still an appetite for reading, raising spirits of publishers who are starting to realize the importance of fandomLast Saturday and Sunday at the Javits Center, on the far western edge of Manhattan, the newly popular book lovers’ convention, BookCon, presented a scene familiar to fans of all sorts. Attendees crowded into exhibitors’ booths, arms covered in paper wristbands for entry into top events (people had reportedly queued for some of them since before the sun came up). The autograph hall, where hundreds were waiting patiently across dozens of lines, was deafeningly loud. On the main stage, TV celebrities were being interviewed, and the crowd was going wild. (Such crossover luminaries included BJ Novak, Mindy Kaling, Nick Offerman and Jason Segel.) At the entrance, a big, unmissable sign read: “Cosplay is not consent.” For the uninitiated, cosplay – short for “costume play”, where people dress up like favorite characters – is a staple at fan conventions, and the right to dress how you want and not get harassed is a relatively new and welcome addition. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: A 'Mostly Positive' Second Day of Literary Fanfest

BookCon 2015, held at Javits this weekend, drew mostly positive comments from both attendees and publishers who exhibited there. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Attendance Up, But Concern Lingers Over 2016 Locale

In its sophomore year, the consumer show drew 18,000 fans over its two-day run at the Javits Center. Show organizer ReedPop said the statistic represents an 80% increase over last year's attendance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Bestselling Authors Feel the Power of Grassroots

Three bestselling authors discussed how book clubs have helped propel their careers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Sweet as HONY

In just five short years, the followers of Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York” Facebook page and blog have grown to 12 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: YA Authors: We’re All Hungry for Diversity

As anyone knows who’s read anything by the five authors on today’s diversity panel, none has ever shied away from controversy. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Candace Bushnell: Who Wants Reality?

Think Candace Bushnell, and you think of actress Sarah Jessica Parker and her swirling pink tutu dress getting splattered with mud by a passing bus. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: In Full Bloom

It’s been more than 15 years since Judy Blume’s last novel for adults, Summer Sisters, was published, in 1998, so the publication of her new adult novel is a very big deal, what publishers like to call a rare “publishing event.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Put ’Em Up! Powerhouse Mystery Writers Reveal Secrets on the ‘Pencil Panel’

Don’t tell anyone,” confides bestselling author Brad Meltzer about today’s panel “Inside the Mystery Writer’s Studio,” in which he is participating with fellow superstars James Patterson and Nelson DeMille. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Khloe Kardashian: Negotiating the Zigzags of Life

Kardashian will be signing bookplates for fans today, 11 a.m.–noon, at the Regan Arts booth (2644), as well as being available for a photo-op with fans. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: The Civil War Through a Graphic Kaleidoscope

Using graphic books to teach, or to lure a more visual reader to books, is nothing new, but "Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War," by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and Ari Kelman, seems destined to resonate. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: R.L. Stine on the Big Screen

After two decades and 400 million copies of Goosebumps books sold worldwide, R.L. Stine gets to talk about the series in a whole new way: as a major motion picture. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Julianne Moore and Brian Selznick: From Screen-to-Page and Page-to-Screen: Star Power in Children’s Book

Actress Julianne Moore and award-winning writer and illustrator Brian Selznick have more in common than writing books for children. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Love Birds

Here at the Javits, love and romance are in the air—and at the Penguin Truck, which is parked outside the show floor and will be staffed today, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., by purveyors of passion on the page. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: John Green: Multi-Mega Star

Apparently movies would suck without John Green, who is downright effusive about how the movie adaptation of his 2008 novel, "Paper Towns," turned out. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Taye Diggs and Shane Evans: Joyful in a Diverse World

At 1 p.m. today in Room 1A10, “Mixed Me: A Discussion with Taye Diggs and Shane Evans” will address more than just a new picture book. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: A New Look for an Old Favorite

More than half a century after he created The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster is here at BookCon to celebrate a new hardcover edition of the enduring classic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: A Classy Canine to the Rescue

Men and fashion? The well-dressed man? Just look around, and you’ll see that it’s a concept reserved for glossy magazines and red carpets, but rarely found in reality. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: David Duchovny on Spiritual Cows, Circumcised Pigs, but Not Cancer Man

David Duchovny, best-known for his portrayals on TV of Fox Mulder on The X-Files, and Hank Moody on Californication, is finally where he originally thought he would end up: as a writer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: The Longest Line

Check out this hyperlapse video we took of the huge line to get into BookCon this morning! Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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