When and where does the Texas Book Festival take place?

The 2024 Texas Book Festival will take place on November 16-17 in downtown Austin, Texas.  The annual fall festival includes literary programming (featuring books/authors across genres and age groups), book sales, author signing, exhibitors’ tents and more. The 2024 Festival footprint will include the Texas State Capitol, nearby churches/cathedrals, tents outside the Capitol grounds and other centrally-located venues.

Will the Festival take place virtually, or in-person?

The Festival will take place fully in-person. Virtual-only sessions are not planned, though select sessions may be recorded and/or live-streamed (with author permission). We will be in touch with confirmed authors throughout the summer and early fall with further details regarding session recordings and/or broadcasts.

How big is the Festival?

The Texas Book Festival, now in its 29th year, routinely programs 200+ sessions throughout the Festival Weekend, with 250–300 featured authors across all age groups; 175+ moderators, hosts, emcees, and presenters; dozens of exhibitors and food vendors; and nearly 1,000 volunteers. The 2023 Festival attracted approximately 40,000 attendees.

How large are the programming venues?

Typical programming venues range from 100 to 225 seats with additional capacity for standing room. Larger venues range from 300–800 seats.

What are the Festival sessions’ formats?

Apart from 30-minute picture-book story times in the Read Me a Story Tent and some 45-minute cookbook recipe demonstrations in the Cooking Tent, sessions during Festival Weekend are in-conversation, and most often limited to 45 minutes.

Most sessions are panel conversations comprised of 2–3 featured authors + a moderator, though a select few sessions feature a single author + a moderator. The final 10–15 minutes of most 45-minute sessions are generally reserved for audience Q&A. Immediately following their sessions, most authors will sign books in one of our Book Signing Tents.

While some featured authors appear in more than one session during the Festival Weekend, most appear in a single session. In the invited-author confirmation form, there’s a field to indicate your availability during the weekend (Saturday only, Sunday only, both days). We remain in touch with authors and publishers throughout the summer regarding session placement and availability.

How much does it cost for the public to attend the Festival?

Apart from a few ticketed sessions, the Festival is free and open to the public. The number of ticketed sessions varies from year-to-year, but we typically host 3–5 ticketed events and ticket sales are open to all.

What about book sales?

All confirmed authors’ featured titles (as well as select backlist) will be available for purchase in our BookPeople Main Sales Tent or BookPeople Children’s Book Sales Tent, each located in the center of the Festival footprint. BookPeople, Texas’s largest independent bookseller, is the Festival’s official partner bookseller. BookPeople handles all ordering, stocking, fulfillment, and selling.

Additionally, the full lineup is now available on our website (texasbookfestival.org/2024-authors). All author profiles include a link to purchase their featured Festival title/s from our official BookPeople storefront hosted by Bookshop.org.

What about book signings?

All signings will take place in the Main Signing Tent and in the Children’s Signing Tent, both of which are centrally located on the Festival footprint at 11th and Congress. Signing sessions are scheduled to take place immediately after an author’s appearance in any given programming session.

What safety and security measures does the Festival have in place?

If you have not already, please read (and plan to abide by) our Festival Code of Conduct. 

Every year, we have a robust security plan in place for Festival Weekend. We have measures in place for virtually any potential incident. We will have police officers stationed at every block as well as private security personnel stationed inside key Festival venues and roaming the Festival footprint. We will also have nearly 1,000 volunteers working the Festival (wearing bright teal and orange TBF shirts). While our volunteers are available to provide directions along with their assigned tasks, all volunteers are aware of Festival security protocols. So, please flag down a volunteer or officer if you need help!

Does the Festival book flights and hotels for confirmed authors?

No. However, we work with a partner that arranges discounted hotel rooms in central Austin. CLICK HERE to view discounted lodging availability – provided by Quintrooms. If rooms are sold out on Quintrooms, there may still be rooms available to book directly through the hotels. Apart from the hotels included on Quintrooms, we recommend the Stephen F Austin Hotel as well as the Aloft Downtown, both of which are located on or very near to the Festival footprint.

We also offer complimentary ground transportation to/from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, courtesy of our dedicated team of longtime volunteer drivers. To sign up for a complimentary airport transfer, please CLICK HERE. 

What community and networking opportunities are available during Festival Weekend?

We’ll be in touch with all confirmed authors about RSVPing for private events as Festival Weekend approaches, but will include the following:

  • Author Kickoff Party : This event will take place on Friday, November 15 from 7:30 – 10:00 p.m at the iconic Austin venue, Antone’s (in the upstairs private event space), located at 305 E 5th Street. This event is open to confirmed Festival authors, moderators, and select members of the local literary community. Complimentary food and drinks will be served. 
  • Saturday Author Breakfast – Hosted by Texas Monthly and Libro.fm : From 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 16, we’ll host a buffet-style breakfast at the Texas Monthly headquarters, located at 816 Congress Avenue in Suite 1700. Open to authors, moderators, and select Festival friends, the Author Breakfast is an opportunity to mingle with fellow writers and members of the Austin and Texas literary community. 
  • Author Cocktail Party : This event will take place Saturday, November 16, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. on the (covered) rooftop of the Jones Center at the Contemporary Austin, located at 700 Congress Avenue. This event is open only to confirmed Festival authors, moderators, and invited members of the Texas literary community. Complimentary food and drinks will be served.
  • Lit Crawl Austin : Saturday, November 16 from 7:00 p.m – 10:00 pm at Speakeasy, 412 Congress Ave. Lit Crawl is a literary-focused bar crawl — this year’s event will take place across different floors and event spaces within one (very large) venue. Each session will feature Festival authors in unique programming, readings and literary-themed games. Once finalized, all Lit Crawl programming details will be posted HERE. This event is free and open to the public, no RSVP is required. All guests must be 21+ to attend.
  • Sunday Author Breakfast – Hosted by 26 Keys with Noah Hawley : From 9:00 – 11:00 a.m, we’ll host a breakfast on Sunday, November 17th at the 26 Keys downtown office. Open to Festival authors, moderators, and select Festival friends, this newly-added event is another opportunity to network with esteemed members of the literary community.
  • Author Greenroom / Lounge : The Author Greenroom is open between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. the Saturday and Sunday of Festival Weekend. This space serves as a home-base for featured authors to relax, prepare, or grab coffee / a bite to eat before, between and after sessions. This is also where authors and moderators will convene prior to their featured session. Upon checking in with a TBF volunteer, an escort will guide authors/moderators to their designated venue. The Greenroom is centrally located on the Festival footprint, at 816 Congress. There will also be an onsite bag check inside the Greenroom for authors who may need to leave luggage depending upon hotel check-in/check-out times.
What are some important dates to keep in mind?
  • Midsummer:  TBF will release a “sneak peek” of 12–15 featured Festival authors.
  • September 18: TBF will release the full Festival lineup. View the full Festival Author Lineup.
  • Mid-October. TBF will releases the full schedule and program. View the full Festival Schedule.
What is the Texas Book Festival?

The Texas Book Festival, a 501- (c)(3) nonprofit, connects authors and readers through experiences that celebrate the culture of literacy, ideas, and imagination. Founded in 1995 by Laura Bush, our mission is to honor diverse authors, promote the joys of reading and support the state’s public libraries. The first Festival took place in November 1996 and is now one of the nation’s premier annual literary events. While remaining an important showcase for Texas authors, the Texas Book Festival hosts writers from all over the world.

TBF also runs impactful literary and literacy programs throughout the year and across the state.  Since its founding, TBF has donated more than $3 million to Texas public libraries and donated more than 150,000 books to students in Title I schools through our Reading Rock Stars and Real Reads programs.

What if my question wasn’t answered here?

If you have additional questions, please contact our Literary Director, Hannah Gabel, at [email protected].