Authors + Presenters: Apply To Speak
Are you a local author? We would love to feature you!
Presenting at FoCo Book Fest is a chance to take the stage in front of curious readers and fellow creators by sharing your work, your process, and the stories behind the stories.
We’ll pair you with a supportive moderator, help shape the session so it flows, and create space for real conversation through Q&A and audience connection. It’s a great opportunity to meet new fans, sign books, and leave with relationships that last beyond the festival.
How book sales and signing work for presenters:
Presenting authors are not assigned a dedicated table. Instead, all scheduled presenters share a communal author signing area: a relaxed space for meet-and-greets and signings. You’re not expected to staff it for the whole event, but you’re welcome to hang out as long as you’d like.
Book sales for presenting authors are handled by The Crowded Bookshelf, FoCo Book Fest’s official bookseller. If you have separate arrangements, coordinate those directly with The Crowded Bookshelf before the event.
Want a dedicated table in the book fair area? That’s a separate track with a $35 table reservation fee. Please submit a Table Application if you’re interested in participating.
What makes a good presentation/author talk?
- 95% to 5% Rule: 95% amazing content, 5% self-promotion (if any). Seriously: do not use this as a self-promotion vehicle. If you do, you will not be asked to speak again.
- Author Talk Attendance goes WAY up when there’s a sneak peak for a new work, a hidden story about a favored character, or something else that readers + fans wouldn’t get anywhere else.
- Panel Attendance goes WAY up when there is a VERY CLEAR take-away from the session: “by the end of this session, you will know how to _______”.
- Speakers engage their audience ahead of time via email and social media, promoting their own talk, and sharing out the FoCo BookFest social media promotions for their talk.
- Authors have brought (or partnered with us to bring) copies of their book in for folks to purchase.
What is this year's theme?
Multitudes is an invitation to explore the layered selves we carry—identities we reveal, protect, perform, or keep private depending on where we are and who we’re with. We’re looking for talks, panels, and workshops that show how stories can hold complexity: contradictions, change over time, belonging, secrecy, and the many ways community shapes what we share.