You’d have to be living on Mars to not know the current state of the world.
With the COVID-19 pandemic at our doors, we’re all restricted to our homes. Social distancing, lockdown, and quarantine — they’re all the new normal.
And this has changed lives. All the outdoor activities including events, conferences, meetings, sports, conventions, and more — they’re all banned.
This has obviously put restrictions on book fests too. So, this year, it’s all virtual. All 2020 in-person events have been moved online.
But, that shouldn’t be a problem.
In fact, it’s a blessing in disguise. Book fests this year are grandeur since there’s no limit to the number of attendees. Lockdown has made such events more accessible to book lovers and authors from all over the world.
We hope the organisers can find ways to keep these events as accessible in the future too.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the virtual book fests you can join this year:
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Bay Area Book Festival Unbound: MAY 1 – JULY
Bay Area Book Festival is an online incarnation of book fests. For the past five years, hundreds of authors, thousands of readers, and literary agents get together to talk about books, stories, writing, creativity, reading, and everything literary.
#UNBOUND programs present relevant authors who’re at the peak of their game. These conversations inspire, inform, engage, and encourage you. Apart from the Bay Area Book Festival, Unbound has rolled out several online fests to engage book lovers throughout the end of the year.
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Nantucket Book Festival: JUNE 18–21
Using the video conferencing app, Zoom, The Nantucket Book Festival organisers have given a new face to their annual book fest.
For their 9th Annual festival, they’ve scheduled ‘At Home With Authors’ Programme where different celebrity authors engage the audience with great stories, interesting conversation, perspective-changing insight, and opportunity for an escape.
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Virtual Thriller Fest 2020: JULY 7–11
Organised by the International Thriller Writers, the Virtual Thillers Fest will be conducted through a virtual conference instead of an in-person workshop.
Virtual ThrillerFest 2020 will have an extraordinary array of publishing professionals, bestselling authors who will help you pitch to the top drawer literary agents and also polish your thriller stories to perfection.
This year’s event also includes a Free ITW Author Videos, Free Debut Authors’ Presentation, and a Free Awards Presentation.
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WorldCon : JULY 29–AUGUST 2
Abbreviated for ‘World Science Fiction Convention,’ the WolrldCON is run entirely on a non-profit basis by the volunteers. The focus of this convention will be science fiction and fantasy.
It encompasses all aspects of these two genres and invites authors and literary professionals to share their stories and expertise during the event.
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ALA Virtual Event: June 24-26
ALA virtual event will have authors, agents, publishers, and marketers speaking on writing, publishing, and marketing trends.
Event highlight includes informative sessions in the form of live-streamed presentations, live chat with authors, notable featured speakers, and networking opportunities via social activities.
RSJ Virtual Book Conference is for both readers and authors. Where authors get to promote their books through online presentations, chat, and giveaways, book lovers and readers get a chance to explore emerging voices in the literary world and meet authors up close.
There’s so much you can do at RSJ conference — learn about the writing process, gain souvenir items, get free books, and be a part of interactive book club sessions.
These are some of the best virtual book fests you can attend from the comfort of your home. I hope you found this post informative.
If you’ve got any questions about the fest schedule, you can visit the links to organiser’s website, and drop them an email. Stay safe!
