The event landscape isn’t what it used to be. Though publishers and booksellers may be expecting business as usual, the landscape has shifted. Heightened safety concerns, executive orders and federal budget cuts, and deportations have contributed to authors’ reluctance to fly. Along with new competition from Barnes and Noble, all of these factors contribute to growing anxieties and rising venue costs. At the same time, the impact of book bans on schools, school budget and DEI cuts, and the increased costs of books have become deterrents for author visits — particularly for Title 1 schools.

In this session for both booksellers and publishers, a panel of frontline booksellers will share insights to help recalibrate expectations around event attendance and book sales and discuss how we can collectively explore new ideas and partnerships to reimagine author events for today’s challenges, while preserving one of our industry’s most powerful tools for promoting books, engaging readers, and supporting independent bookstores.