BookCon returned to New York City in April, bringing more than 25,000 readers to the Jacob Javits Center for a weekend of discovery, connection, and the buzziest books of the season.
Featuring almost fifty authors, Penguin Random House created a vibrant presence that brought readers, authors, and the book community together.
Throughout the weekend, BookCon attendees were drawn to the PRH booth, which was anchored by a full slate of author appearances and interactive fan experiences. Author signings were consistently at capacity, with tickets for multiple sessions selling out within the first few hours each day. The combination of in-demand authors and interactive discovery moments kept traffic steady and audiences highly engaged.
While the overall event saw heavy crowds and received some attendee criticism about crowd flow and organization, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the PRH booth, highlighting the strength of our programming, staff execution, and fan-facing activations.
Our “What’s Your Book Love Language?” matchmaker activation was a standout, with more than 3,000 attendees completing the quiz and over 1,300 opting in to receive ongoing communications from PRH.
The “Book Lovers” backdrop was another fan favorite. The PRH team meticulously decorated a floral wall, providing a prime photo opportunity for visitors. Throughout the weekend, attendees were constantly flocking to the backdrop to snap photos for their social media posts. This creative addition to PRH’s booth helped us to extend our presence beyond the show floor and reach more audiences online.
Other key moments included in-booth signings with Jodi Picoult, Jasmine Guillory, and Matt Dinniman, which drove especially high traffic. Among the most in-demand titles were advance reading copies from Emily St. John Mandel (Exit Party), Brooke Averick (Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It), Soman Chainani (Young World), and E. Lockhart (The Pools), which generated significant buzz on the show floor.
Attendees engaged with our audiobook offerings through a dedicated listening kiosk featuring interactive audio quizzes and curated clip previews. As part of the “Book Love Language” matchmaker experience, visitors also received custom bookmarks with access to a free audiobook download, reinforcing cross-format engagement.
BookCon reinforced the power of in-person experiences to drive discovery, deepen reader engagement, and elevate author visibility. Interactive activations and personalized recommendations proved especially effective in converting interest into ongoing relationships, while strong demand for author access highlighted the continued importance of live fan-facing moments.
