Calling All Local Authors of Kids and Teen Books

# Be a Part of Jax Book Fest 2025

Jax Book Fest is a big, bold celebration of authors, authorship, and the written word—held annually at the Main Library in Downtown Jacksonville. This year, Jax Book Fest is being held over two Saturdays in September. The first weekend will focus on workshops for local writers; the second Saturday will be devoted to young readers and connecting them with books they'll love.

Join us at Jax Book Fest: Youth Readers' Day from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 20. 

Open Call for Local Authors

We are looking for local authors who have published books for children and/or teen readers. As one of our Jax Book Fest local authors, you'll meet new readers and have the opportunity sell and sign copies of your book(s) alongside New York Times bestselling author and U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Mac Barnett, and other authors of regional and national acclaim. 

# Author Selection Criteria

The primary, but not in totality, criteria for selection are:

• Preference will be given to authors local to Duval County, then surrounding counties. For the purposes of this event and our Local Author Collection, "local" includes authors living in:
  • Duval, Nassau, Clay, St. Johns, Baker, Union, and Bradford Counties in Florida, and Camden, Charlton, and Glynn Counties in Georgia
• Public demand and interest
• Critical reviews
• Presentation and readability
• The author’s or artist’s reputation and significance
• Reputation and standing of the publisher
• Availability of the information or material elsewhere
• Local or national significance of the author, artist or topic
• Compatibility of the e-material with our digital platforms or quality of the physical format
• The author must represent and warrant full ownership and/or legal rights to publish all material in the book(s), including artwork.

Waitlist

Rejected applicants may be placed on a waitlist. In the event that an accepted author is not able to attend the Jax Book Fest, authors on the waitlist will be notified. Should you not wish to be placed on the waitlist, please let us know.

# What to Expect as an Exhibitor

Details Regarding Setup

A six-foot rectangular table (and two chairs) will be provided to each author. Setup will take place from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on the first and second floor of the Main Library. You will be assigned a floor and table number and provided with a floor plan. Staff and/or volunteers will be on the floor and available to provide directions. Note: Exhibitors are responsible for tablecloths, signage, and other materials needed for an attractive booth space. We cannot guarantee access to electricity. Free public Wi-Fi is available but can be slow during big events.

Exhibitors may begin breaking down their booths at 1:55 p.m. Note: Library staff and volunteers will not be available to help set up or break down booths. Please plan accordingly.

What to Bring

Exhibitors are responsible for bringing, storing, and selling their own books and other materials. We recommend bringing at least 5 – 10 copies of your book(s). If you think you will sell more, bring more. You are also responsible for bringing your own cash and/or card readers for book sales. Note: The Library cannot make change for exhibitors and no banks located downtown are open on Saturday. 

Authors are strongly advised to bring a second person to speak to visitors and transact sales on your behalf if you wish to attend Lit Chat programs or other presentations during the Fest. Library staff and volunteers are not allowed to man tables or conduct transactions.

Parking at the Fest

Free street parking is available on Saturdays. Parking is also available in the garage at the corner of Main Street and 33 W. Duval Street. Note: During special events, there is a $5 cash charge for parking and there is no validation for Library customers.

# Jax Book Fest: Writer's Day

Join us for Jax Book Fest presents: "Writer's Day" from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 13, in the Conference Center at the Main Library. There will be over a dozen different workshops—lead by publishers, authors, and other industry insiders. Depending on which track(s) you choose, you'll have the chance to meet representatives from traditional, small, hybrid/subsidy, and indie publishing including Simon & Schuster, Indigo River Publishing, Kensington Publishing Corp. (Dafina), BiblioBoard (Pressbooks Public), and more (to be announced).

Spend the day with us and you'll attend up to 3 or 4 breakout sessions (each lasting one hour). There will be a lunch break between the morning and afternoon workshops, opportunities to network with local writer's groups in between sessions, and scheduled tours of the Main Library where you can learn about other free writer's resources offered by the Special Collections Department including:

• How to access local newspapers, subject and bio files, atlases, and city directories
• Pro tips for making your books useful to researchers
• Using the Library’s digital images in your publication (copyright guidelines, use restrictions)
• Digitization equipment available for scanning your own images in the Memory Lab 

Plus, everyone is encouraged to stay from 4 to 5 p.m. for a special Lit Chat Interview with Tiya Miles in the Hicks Auditorium. She the author of five prizewinning works on the history of slavery and early American race relations including the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-winning book, All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake and her latest, Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith and Dreams of a Free People. Note: The author talk and the Writer's Lab with Tiya Miles are both made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation. 

More information and program registration links to come!

# More Opportunities for Authors

Donate your book to the Local Author Collection

Like Jax Book Fest itself, the purpose of the Local Author Collection is to help develop relationships between Jacksonville Public Library and local authors and to make your work more accessible to the reading public. The collection is housed at the Main Library but titles can also be found placed on hold through the Library's catalog and then picked up at a user's preferred library branch.

If you want to get your book in our physical collection, please visit:

• Donate to the Local Author Collection (if you are giving us a copy of your book)
• Market your Book to the Library (if you would like the Library to purchase your book)

Share Your E-Book with Readers in Florida

Did you know? Jacksonville Public Library partners with Library Journal and the Indie Author Project (IAP) to help readers discover local authors just like you through BiblioBoard Library. Once accepted to the Indie Florida Collection, your e-book will be available to readers across the state. Note: The best of these are awarded Library Journal’s IAP Select Award. 

Note: If your e-book is chosen for this nationwide collection, you can also opt into a usage-based royalty program, where your e-book is sold in curated collections via library e-book platforms such as OverDrive, The Palace Project, cloudLibrary, and Boundless by Baker and Taylor.

To get started...

1. Go to the IAP website to read the "terms of agreement"
2. Make sure your book is...
   1. An ePUB (strongly recommended) or PDF file
   2. In the English language
   3. An original work to which you own the rights
3. Click "Submit your work" and follow the prompts
4. Or submit directly from Pressbooks Public

The submission process takes about 5 minutes, and you are welcome to submit as many of your books as you would like.

Additional reading:

• Learn how to create your e-book at Self-Publishing your e-Book with the Library
• Find other Jax authors in the #ReadLocal Collection on BiblioBoard Library

Author Talks

Our Lit Chat programs give readers the chance to meet the writers that everyone's talking about - from New York Times bestsellers to debut and up-and-coming local authors. A Lit Chat Interview or Teen Lit Chat Interview (for readers, ages 12-18) is a 40-minute conversation between an author and interviewer. Check out past interviews on our YouTube playlist or "Completely Booked" podcast. 

For local and debut authors, a Lit Chat Author Talk may be the best fit. These are shorter, 15-minute presentations. We also offer a Junior Lit Chat Author Talk (for readers, ages 5-12). 

Note: All Lit Chat programs include 15-20 minutes of audience Q&A, followed by a book signing. We partner with a network of independent booksellers across the City of Jacksonville to ensure copies of your book(s) are available for sale on-site, during the program or event. 

If you would like to be considered for this series:

1. Carefully review the Jacksonville Public Library Library Programs for the Public Policy to ensure your program is a good fit for the Library
2. Complete the Suggest a Program Form

A staff member will follow up with you within one week of receiving your suggestion. If you have questions, please email jplprograms@coj.net.

Jax by Jax Literary Arts Festival

Jax by Jax is Jacksonville’s premier literary arts festival, dedicated to showcasing the vibrant local writing community. From poets to novelists, it's a space where local talent is celebrated and readers and writers can connect. In addition to free writing workshops, various writers take the stage to perform selections from their work, in short 15-minute sessions. 

Save the date: 

Jax by Jax XII will be held October 17-18, 2025, in the Conference Center at Main Library. 

To be a featured author, you must meet one of the following criteria:

• You were born in Jacksonville
• You live in Jacksonville
• You write about Jacksonville
• You use Jacksonville as a setting in your work

More information will be available soon. In the meantime, check out last year's blog.