My NYC BookCon 2026 Experience | Authors, ARCs, Indie Alley & More
In the wake of NYC BookCon officially announcing the dates and extended length of BookCon 2027, I thought it was finally time to share my time at NYC BookCon 2026.
My First NYC BookCon Experience
BookCon 2026 Decal on the Main Entrance of the Javits Center
BookCon was truly a book lover's dream. BookCon was my first ever time attending an event of this size and magnitude. Honestly, I’d barely been to an independent author signing before then. It was overwhelming at first, especially given the stress of signing up for author signings, panels, and even just seeing the line of attendees the day of. But it was all worth it to me.
After seeing the discourse surrounding BookCon, I know there were a lot of mixed opinions on who would or wouldn’t go back, but I know for certain I would attend again. To me, attending BookCon was about connecting with fellow book lovers, the chance to meet authors I enjoy, and the possibility of finding new favorites among big-name and indie authors alike. I did all of that and more during my time at the convention.
Arriving at BookCon with Friends
I attended BookCon with 3 of my close friends. We all hoped to attend both days, but we could only get tickets for Saturday. Since we were all coming from Jersey and working the day before, we drove in together on Saturday morning and grabbed a hotel room for the night, knowing it was going to be a long day and wanting a place to change for the Fantasy Ball that evening.
We managed to park, get our bags into the hotel, and walk to the Javits Center by 9:30. We hoped to be there sooner, but we ran into a few delays along the way. Regardless, we got there at what could be considered an almost perfect time: we made it into the venue by 10:00, which, considering the general-admission crowd, seemed like a miracle.
BookCon Author Signings: Rachel Gillig, Jodi Picoult & More
Samantha with Rachel Gillig at BookCon 2026
The four of us immediately had to split up because we'd landed lottery signings with certain authors or hoped to get into standby lines for others in the main signing area. Out of the four of us, only Age (@wordsnwhiskers on IG) received time slots for author signings among the “ticketed” authors. So most of us went in with low expectations and planned to hop into standby lines whenever possible. Honestly, going in with that mindset might have made the event even more successful and positive for each of us.
Yes, we were disappointed that we had no guarantees, but we went in with the best attitude and made the most of it. By many miracles, I met with Rachel Gillig and got books or bookplates signed by Christina Lauren, Jodi Picoult, Carissa Broadbent, and Alexis Patton.
Age allowed me to meet Rachel Gillig by letting me take her place at her ticketed signing, as long as I brought one of her books to get signed. I’m not sure if that was allowed, but we didn’t take a slot away from anyone else, so I’m sure it’s okay. I can’t thank her enough for the opportunity; it was so incredibly generous and thoughtful of her, especially knowing how much I enjoy Rachel’s books.
After that, I joined my friends Lexi (@lexi.reads_ on IG) and Kayla in the standby line for Jodi Picoult. We got lucky, and all of us met Jodi and had her sign personalized bookplates I made for everyone with my Cricut the night before. We weren't sure who we would get a chance to meet, so we didn’t bring many physical books; that way, we had less to carry around for the day. But we all certainly bought a lot while we were there.
ARCs, Publisher Booths & Another Book Signing
Samantha with Christina Lauren at BookCon 2026
After that, we split into groups of two, where Kayla and Lexi looked around the vendor booths and got into some more standby lines for author signings while Age and I went upstairs to explore the bookstore, publisher, and exhibitor booths. We had some ARCs we were interested in getting, so we scoped out the lines and tried our luck.
Age and I were blessed with 5 e-ARCs from Hachette after we waited in line for a physical ARC drop of Reliquary by Hannah Whitten and made it to the front, right as they ran out. As a consolation for many attendees who waited and didn’t receive a physical copy, they offered QR codes for all the books they were giving away that day, plus some swag. So, I still got my ARC of Reliquary and was super stoked. I’ve since read three of the five books we received that day.
While we were exploring the booths up there, we also hit the La Croix booth, several different vendors and shops, then did the same thing back downstairs before Age had to run to another signing. I snagged a sprayed-edge copy of Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren with the hope that once I went back upstairs I would be lucky enough to snag a spot in the Steamy Lit wristbanded signing line to meet my romance idols.
I am happy to report I did! I was truly starstruck and can’t remember my brief conversation with them, but I know I couldn’t stop thanking them for inspiring me and writing such beautiful love stories. I’m so, so grateful for the opportunity and will cherish my signed books FOREVER!
Meeting Bookstagram Friends at BookCon
Samantha with Katie Ariano, the Happy Romance Writer at BookCon 2026
Something amazing also happened to me in that hour: I got lucky enough to stand in line, notice my surroundings, and realize I was right next to one of my favorite bookstagrammers and the best Happy Romance Writer, Kate Ariano (@katearianowrites on IG). We connected a while back on Instagram because of our love for writing, romance, and staying inspired to write. I couldn’t believe my luck when I realized I was standing next to her, and we essentially spent the whole time in line talking since we’d never had the pleasure of speaking outside of our DMs before. I also met another bookstagram friend unexpectedly because she was standing behind me while I decided whether to get in another standby line for a signing. Lauren (@litbylauren on IG) was such a pleasure to meet face-to-face, too; it was wild how we just happened to stop and stand right next to each other.
Indie Alley Was One of My Favorite Parts of BookCon
After my experience with Christina Lauren, thanks to Steamy Lit, I went back downstairs to take some time to explore Indie Alley finally. Although the entire day thus far gave me so many incredible moments and memories, this may have been my favorite part of BookCon. To be honest, I probably spent the largest chunk of my time on Indie Alley talking to authors, expanding my TBR, and experiencing the joy each indie had while sharing their books. As a romance and romantasy lover, the majority of the indie authors were all right up my alley. But I know other people wished for a bit more genre diversity. Even surrounded by my comfort genres, I would have enjoyed the chance to be exposed to the not-so-typical genres I also enjoy.
I posted a Thread before BookCon, seeking out indie authors who were attending to tell me about their books. I used that opportunity to read a few via Kindle Unlimited before the event and knew which authors I hoped to scope out. I went to more tables than I had on my radar for the day, which I am glad I did, and bought SO many books. Talking to these authors was a big highlight because I got to speak with them for so long, saw their complete and utter joy while discussing their books, and, honestly, just got to support and celebrate their accomplishment of publishing and writing the damn book!
My haul of books and bookish merch from BookCon 2026
I made a point to get all of the books I purchased signed, write down additional titles for books once I started going past my allotted book-buying budget, and take pictures with any of the indie authors I could, and I am so grateful that all of these authors were open to speaking and taking photos; it really helped commemorate the experience even more.
The Authors I Met & Books I Bought
In no particular order, these are the authors I met, took pictures with, and the books I purchased from them and asked for them to sign. All of them are available to read on Kindle Unlimited if you’re interested in reading before buying a physical copy!
Rachel Lewis, Yours, Unexpectedly(This was my first special edition purchase of the day as well as the first special edition book I’ve ever bought, and it’s absolutely stunning. PLUS I devoured this book before BookCon and neededa copy for my shelves).
Hope E. Davis, Demure(I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Brazen from Hope before BookCon, and wanted to snag a copy of Demure since it’s an alternate entry into the Brazen Universe).
The BookCon Fantasy Ball
Age, Kayla, Lexi, and Samantha dressed up for the Fantasy Ball
This day was wrapping up to be a pretty amazing one. After another loop through as many vendors as we could manage, the four of us reconvened to walk back to our hotel room, grab a pizza (thanks, Age and Kayla, for grabbing it; you saved us!), and spruce ourselves up for the Fantasy Ball. We didn’t theme our outfits in any intentional cosplay sort of way, but I think each of us was giving off a whole lot of fantasy ball energy.
We strutted back to the Javits Center, spent some time taking pictures, and walked around the space to take in all the fantasy ball had to offer. Unfortunately, I’m sorry to say, we were all a bit underwhelmed. We went in with wild imaginings of what the ball would look like and how the atmosphere would feel, and then we were let down. A clear divide ran through the large room. People were either at the bar, taking photos, or waiting in line for the extra themed experiences BookCon had to offer, and not nearly as many people as we expected were dancing their hearts out. I will say, not a single person didn’t give it their all in their attire, and there were some pretty incredible cosplays and handmade outfits we couldn’t stop raving about. After some debate about whether it would improve, we decided to call it a night and head back to our hotel.
We were all tired, and our social batteries drained from the endless walking, standing, and talking with authors and exhibitors. But while we were all getting ready for bed and dealing with the hotel situation from hell (that’s a whole other story), we spent time talking about our experiences and favorite points of the day.
My Final Thoughts on BookCon 2026
Overall, we had such an unforgettable experience at BookCon. I still think about it all the time, can’t wait to go back, and cherish the memories I made there. As a book lover, it was simply incredible. Thank you to the BookCon employees, hosts, authors, vendors, exhibitors, and other attendees for making it so special. I know it was the first time it was back since the pandemic, and of course there will be kinks to work out, but considering the size and turnout, you all did an incredible job. Don’t forget: be nice to all authors, staff, and attendees at any event. They are draining and overstimulating for many, so be patient and kind!
This was an especially long post, but as always, thanks for reading! 💜
