BookCon’s Virtual Read-a-Thon Will Help Support Bookstore Workers

BookCon, ReedPop’s annual convention dedicated to books, announced today the lineup for their first Virtual Read-a-Thon, featuring more than 25 best-selling, fan favorite authors across all genres. The Read-a-Thon is scheduled for this Saturday, April 11th.

In addition to featuring authors giving 15-minute readings – and answering questions from fans all around the world – the Read-a-Thon will invite viewers to donate to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC), which aims to assist bookstores and booksellers who are affected by the massive shift in the industry caused by worldwide quarantines and stay-at-home orders.

“We give our warmest gratitude and thanks to all those at BookCon and ReedPop for hosting this innovative Read-A-Thon benefiting booksellers and bookstores,” said Pam French, BINC’s Executive Director. “At BINC, we have been amazed every single day over these last few harrowing weeks by the extraordinary ideas, energy, and dedication this community shares for the wellbeing of booksellers, comic retailers, bookstores, and comic shops. I extend my thanks and gratitude to every person who donates.”

The BookCon Virtual Author Tour Series launched last week and will continue on into the spring. It offers live author interviews, panel-style discussions with authors and publishers about debut books, and more. The April 11th all-day Read-a-Thon is just one event in a long string of planned events to help people cope with the current global situation.

The event will be held from 12:00PM EDT to 8:00PM EDT on BookCon’s official Facebook group. The full schedule is below:

12pm-12:15pm: Introduction and welcome by BookCon and BINC teams
12:15pm-12:30pm: Lamar Giles
12:30pm-12:45pm: Andrew Eliopulous
12:45pm-1pm: Kacen Callendar
1pm-1:15pm: Justina Ireland
1:15pm-1:30pm: Justin Reynolds
1:30pm-1:45pm: Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed
1:45pm-2pm: Tobly McSmith
2pm-2:15pm: Tahereh Mafi
2:15pm-2:30pm: Layton Green
2:30pm-2:45pm: Marie Lu (The Kingdom of Back)
2:45pm-3pm: Zan Romanoff (Look)
3pm-3:15pm: Melissa de la Cruz (The Queen’s Assassin)
3:15pm-3:30pm: Cameron Lund (The Best Laid Plans)
3:30pm-3:45pm: Laurie Halse Anderson (Shout)
3:45pm-4pm: Ransom Riggs (The Conference of the Birds)
4pm-4:15pm: Soman Chainani
4:15pm-4:30pm: Shaun David Hutchinson
4:30pm-4:45pm: Victoria Aveyard
4:45pm-5pm: Kelly Yang
5pm-5:15pm: Julian Winter (The Summer of Everything)
5:15pm-5:30pm: Lilah Suzanne (Tack and Jibe)
5:30pm-5:45pm: Makenzie Campbell (Nineteen)
5:45pm-6pm: Emily Juniper (A Strangely Wrapped Gift)
6pm-6:15pm: Hannah Templer (Cosmoknights, GLOW)
6:15pm-6:30pm: Nick Tapalansky and Kate Glasheen (A Radical Shift of Gravity)
6:30pm-6:45pm: Adam Silvera (Infinity Son)

“BookCon was created from the desire to offer readers a place to meet and interact with their favorite authors alongside people who are as passionate about books as they are. Now, more than ever, we are eager to provide that sense of community to our fans and are excited to debut our first round of virtual events,” said Jenny Martin, Event Director, BookCon.

More on the Virtual Author Tour Series, from the press release:

The BookCon Virtual Author Tour is part of ongoing efforts to connect fans and foster a reader community in the digital world, as well as in the physical world. The Virtual Author Tour comes on the heels of the debut of BookCon Societies, a celebration of every type of reader that offers a community where like-minded readers can come together to discuss favorite genres and core values. After joining a BookCon Society, readers will receive dedicated emails with curated content to help them find the authors, books, and events they are sure to love. If readers are unsure of which Society they belong to, they can take a sorting quiz on the BookCon website.

Other upcoming events in the Virtual Author Tour Series include a discussion from esteemed music journalist, Nelson George, and Sarah Smarsh, author of the upcoming Dolly Parton biography She Come By It Natural on April 13th. Readers can also look forward to Rocky Callen, author of A Breath Too Late, in conversation with Jandy Nelson, author of I’ll Give You the Sun on May 1st.

For the full schedule, visit the BookCon website.

BookCon was originally scheduled to be held at the Javits Center in New York City on May 30th and 31st. Due to the pandemic, it has been postponed until July 25th and 26th. Currently, that is also the weekend of San Diego Comic-Con. Only time will tell if both of these events continue on as planned.

UPDATE 4/10/20 11:29AM: BookCon tweeted that the Read-a-Thon would be held on their official Facebook group rather than the main page, so the article was updated to reflect this.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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