Local Authors

At Jax Book Fest Youth Readers' Day, we've got an amazing lineup of New York Times bestselling authors and over 50 local authors scheduled to appear!

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

Jax Book Fest returns this year over two Saturdays at the Main Library, on September 13 & 20. This annual celebration brings together authors, readers, writers, and book lovers of all types.

We are looking for local authors who have published books for children and/or teen readers to participate in Jax Book Fest 2025: Young Reader's Day.

An annual showcase of Jacksonville’s thriving writing scene, JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival features local author readings, workshops, and a student showcase. Founded in 2014 by prolific local author Tim Gilmore and his wife, Florida State College at Jacksonville professor Jo Carlisle, this grassroots festival brings together local writers, their readers and supporters - all in an effort to ask the city to listen to its own literary voice. For its 11th year, JaxbyJax will make its return to the Main Library on Friday and Saturday, November 8-9, 2024. 

The Library's biggest celebration of authors, books, and writing is back! Jax Book Fest returns September 20-21 to the Main Library in downtown Jacksonville featuring a Lit Chat Interview with Gabrielle Zevin on Saturday, September 21 from 2 - 3 p.m. Gabrielle Zevin is a #1 New York Times bestselling novelist whose books have been translated into forty languages. Her tenth novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, was a New York Times bestseller, a Sunday Times bestseller, and a selection of the Tonight Show’s Fallon Book Club.

The Library's biggest celebration of authors, books, and writing is back! Jax Book Fest returns September 20-21 to the Main Library in downtown Jacksonville featuring a Teen Lit Chat Interview with Jason Reynolds, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many award-winning books, including Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely), Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (with Ibram X. Kendi), Stuntboy, in the Meantime (illustrated by Raúl the Third), and Ain’t Burned All the Bright (with artwork by Jason Griffin).

Jax Book Fest returns September 20-21 to the Main Library in downtown Jacksonville with the #1 New York Times bestselling creator of Big, Little Leaders, Little Dreamers, and Little Legends and the illustrator of Andrea Beaty's I Love You Like Yellow, Matthew Cherry’s Hair Love, and Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic’s Hello, Star, among others. She received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for Lupita Nyong’o’s Sulwe and is also a two-time recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children.

Are you an indie author looking for a chance to showcase your talent? The Indie Author Project Annual Contest is looking for the best indie-published e-book in seven genres. Submit your work before May 31, 2025 for your chance to win $2,500 and other amazing prizes!

Saturday, November 25, 2023, is Small Business Saturday – a day to celebrate and support small businesses, artists, local authors, and other creators! Of course, we hope you support local authors all year long! In addition to our annual Jax Book Fest which features dozens of local authors, we also invite local authors and creators to talk about (and sign) their books at Lit Chat Author Talks and Interview programs. While these events are free to attend, they are a great way for authors to find new readers and for readers to find new authors!