While its forefather, the BookExpo America (BEA) catered to those serving in some official literary-related field, BookCon, the weekend event at the Javits Center, was open to the public. The madness that resulted in free giveaways at BEA switched into madness for getting a hold of tickets or wristbands to get autographs and into panels with top celebrity authors, including Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak, Nick Offerman (with Paul Rudd and John Hodgman), Aziz Ansari and the final special event featuring some of the cast of the film adaptation of John Green’s Paper Towns. A panel on the film adaptation of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, was attended by the author, director and a couple of the stars. One of the busiest booths belonged to Litograph, a company that reproduces entire books on artistic posters and shirts. The combined Penguin/Random House booth had outstanding traffic due to its constant giveaways and signings.
Photos by Sachyn Mital for the Village Voice.
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Scenes from the 2014 Book Expo America at Javits Center