Readercon Bookshop
Readercon's Bookshop is open for dealer registrations!
How to Apply
Please fill out our application form and let us know your needs by clicking here: Apply
The deadline for applying to be a dealer is May 1. Please note that this is earlier than in previous years, and our location has changed.
The Readercon Bookshop is a juried dealer room. This means that Readercon reserves the right to select dealers and to limit the amount of table space assigned to each. Factors such as the promptness of your response, the clarity and accuracy of the information you provide to us, any prior Readercon Bookshop experience you have, and the nature of the merchandise you offer will be taken into consideration, but the final decision remains ours.
Bookshop dealer rates are $60 per six-foot table. In order to accommodate as many dealers in the Bookshop as possible (within legal limits), dealers will usually be limited to no more than two (2) tables and may be restricted to a single table. If requested, a third table may be available. Accepted dealers will be notified of how to pay online.
Access to electricity will be limited and may require an additional charge.
Dealers and assistants must be attending members of Readercon 34. A dealer-specific membership rate of $55 per person is available for dealers and their assistants, but only when purchased as part of paying the table fee, and each dealing entity is limited to a maximum of two (2) memberships at this price. (Memberships not purchased in conjunction with the Bookshop table payment will cost the regular membership rate in effect at the time of purchase.) These dealer-specific memberships will be available for purchase online by accepted dealers when paying for their tables.
As members of Readercon, dealers are welcome to attend all the same events as other attendees—readings, Guest of Honor interviews, panels, activities, kaffeeklatsches, the dance party, etc.—and avail themselves of the Con Suite (where free food and drink are available). We are also working with the hotel to arrange for a daily discount on their boxed lunch.
Dealers in the Bookshop will be required to collect sales tax on all items sold. If you do not already have a Massachusetts tax ID number, you must register online with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (click on the box labeled "Register your business with MassTaxConnect”) or call (617) 887-6367 for instructions. If you do not have a Massachusetts tax ID number, you will not be permitted to deal.
Initial Acceptance and Wait List notifications will be sent out in mid-May.
Be aware that the Bookshop usually receives more table requests than there is space available. Therefore, submitting an application does not guarantee you a place in the room. If your application for tables is not initially accepted, you may be placed on our Wait List in anticipation of possible cancellations. If you do not wish to be placed on the Wait List, please indicate this on your application. If accepted, dealers will be given refunds ONLY if their tables are resold.
Please Note the Following Restrictions:
- Readercon is a literary convention. Dealers in the Bookshop will be limited to booksellers and specialty-press publishers. Self-publishing authors or small-press publishers offering fewer than a half-dozen titles should consider making arrangements with a large(r) dealer to carry their titles. (See "A Note to Authors" section below.)
- Dealing from hotel rooms is not permitted. You must rent tables in the Bookshop.
- Dealers should inform us in advance if they wish to share tables. Further, dealers may not sublet space on their tables without asking and receiving permission to do so.
- Dealer displays may not exceed six and a half feet in height unless specifically exempted.
- Anything leaning or propped against a wall must be padded at points of contact. Nothing may be affixed to the walls by tape, staple, tack, nail, or any other means.
- If necessary, any audio or A/V equipment may be played quietly, but it is strongly recommended that headsets be used. If there are any complaints whatsoever regarding any sound-producing device, it will be muted or silenced at our discretion.
- Merchandise for sale must be lawful and legal in and of itself and not be in violation of any copyright, patent, or trademark. The sale of any bootleg or illegally imported video is specifically prohibited. The burden of proof of legitimacy is on the dealer.
A Note to Authors
Readercon does not have an author's alley. Individual authors who are able to meet the minimum amount of a half-dozen of their titles for sale may also apply for a table. Authors who do not meet the minimum alone but still wish to sell their books in the Bookshop may join forces and apply for a single table to sell their books together (note that the primary author must have a Massachusetts tax ID number) or negotiate with another dealer to carry their books for sale instead.
In the latter case, we suggest asking Sally Kobee of Larry Smith, Bookseller if she plans to carry any of your books or would be willing to do so. Sally may be reached at sallykobee@hotmail.com.
The schedule:
May 15: Readercon will notify dealers if they've been accepted as a dealer for Readercon 34.
June 1: We open for Dealer registrations.
June 15th: Load-in instructions are sent to all registered dealers.
June15th: The list of Readercon 34 dealers with links to their websites is posted on the Readercon website.
July 16th: The Readercon bookshop opens for load in.
If you have any questions about the above, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at bookshop@readercon.org. If you have general questions about the convention, please check our website or write to info@readercon.org. Questions about the program can be directed to program@readercon.org.
See you in July 2025!
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