If you’re part of the bookish community on the internet, chances are you’ve seen a post or fifty from people upset about BookCon, which hasn’t even happened yet. The discourse has reached ridiculous levels, and there’s a lot of misinformation floating around.

Before anyone jumps in the comments claiming ReedPop paid me off, no, they did not. I moderate at their events, but they do not pay me in any way, shape, or form. I pay for my own travel, lodging, and food, and have never received a dime from them. I’m kinda bummed I’m even defending a company in the first place, but there are too many people being too loud about things they don’t understand for me to sit quietly.

If you’re not up to speed and just popping in for the hot tea, here’s a little background information. ReedPop runs BookCon, and retired the event during the COVID-19 pandemic. More people started reading again during that time, and the company decided to bring back the show for 2026. They are testing the waters with a portion of the vendor floor space compared to the past and only hosting a two-day event.

People were upset it sold out quickly, so the ReedPop got additional space and sold more tickets, which also disappeared in mere moments. Some readers were upset about the lack of an influencer or press application, but in an era where everyone considers themselves an influencer because they have a Bookstagram or Booktok account, would you want to read 50,000 applications to pick maybe 20 worthwhile accounts? Didn’t think so. It makes sense that they would hand-select a few influencers and press that they know to be valid, and not put themselves through months of paperwork.

Now, we’re about a month away from the April event, and there’s yet another round of hissy fits happening. This time, it’s over reservations.

When the schedule first launched, after months of people demanding to see it, attendees were upset that they couldn’t book anything that overlapped in time. Some authors were slated for two-hour sessions, which ate into the possibilities of an attendee’s day. ReedPop heard the complaints and adjusted, shifting the signings into half-hour increments. But people still weren’t happy. Then, when it came time to make reservations for those signings, tickets went fast and people took to the internet to complain and demand refunds.

There are so many issues with this, so allow me to break down some back-end details for you. Most importantly, these authors doing signings are HUMAN BEINGS. You are not entitled to anything from them. Period. Some, like Rachel Reid, have physical limitations on what they can do. If you want them to continue being able to physically write the books you love, then treat their bodies with respect. Signing books for two hours at a time is exhausting and can damage wrists, which are kinda important for typing novels.

Authors know their pace, especially authors of the calibur that would require reservations. From my experience working in and around events, I can tell you that an average pace is an author signing three books per person for 60 people in an hour. That’s about a person a minute. An author I’ve worked with who is considered “quick” averages 75 people an hour, and I know of one author who capped her tickets at 40 an hour. Event organizers ask for that informaiton long before the reservations are made public, so they know what the author can handle and stay on schedule.

Yes, tickets are going fast because there aren’t that many. Let’s take the example of a quick author and her 75 signing tickets per hour. When you break that in half to appease timing demands, that makes each group smaller. Let’s round up and say ReedPop offered 40 tickets per hour for that author. The company said they held some for each ticket type (Premium VIP, VIP, and GA), so that’s about 12 tickets per group. Basic math shows us that yes, tickets will go in seconds when there are 20,000 people in the queue.

To those ranting about going to other conventions that haven’t done ticketing, I want you to evaluate the discrepancy between these two kinds of events. Most likely, you’re referring to some book-specific convention in a hotel ballroom where the authors are sitting at tables for hours on end. I’ve been to those myself and they are nothing like the level you will experience at BookCon. Several of those events have wristbands you get on-site for signings, so now you’ve dragged your books to another city and may or may not even get in the line. With advanced ticketing, which is happening at most major events, you know your odds before you go and can make better packing decisions.

I’ve seen so many complaints about the event being ‘oversold’ because someone didn’t get the tickets they wanted. That’s not how overselling works. I’m sure ReedPop would not sell more tickets than the number of people a fire marshall would allow in the space. They wouldn’t want the event shut down or to be fined. The Javits Center has plenty of space for people, from several panels at a time, to indie alley, to vendor booths, to publisher booths, to signings. Rants about it being oversold are unfounded.

Because people didn’t get what they want, there’s a loud crowd demanding refunds. It’s not going to happen. The tickets said from the get-go that it was non-refundable. Most authors weren’t announced at the time of ticket sales, nor were panel plans. Just because you didn’t get what you want doesn’t mean they owe you anything. Really, all you’re owed from a ticket is access to the event. You are not owed anyone’s time, energy, or product just for being there. You are not owed ARCs, signatures, or being in a specific event at a designated time. This all reeks of entitlement.

Entitlement has become a major issue in the book community lately, and it’s more apalling with every passing event. Publishers made changes to their giveaways after New York Comic Con because of the horrific, entitled behavior. Some people were straight up rude and aggressive over a free book you can get in a couple months anyways. I do not understand why so many people think that a couple thousand followers justifies bad behavior and getting everything they want. Some people weren’t told no enough as a child and it shows.

I understand it’s frustrating to sit through a queue and end up with nothing, but that is part of life. Ever tried to get tickets for a concert? Talk to a BTS, Taylor Swift, or Harry Styles fan and get back to me. It’s really not that serious. There will be standby lines available for all activities that needed a reservation, so hope isn’t lost; it just requires patience.

A lack of patience seems to be a major part of the equation. The demands for ReedPop to share ARC drop schedules immediately when they aren’t the ones responsible for planning them baffles me. No, publishers don’t have to tell you their plans months in advance. You can wait until the week-of like everyone else at every other event. It won’t kill you. The people complaining about not getting an email about the book clubs also doesn’t make sense. As of the time of this writing, the applications have barely been closed 18 hours. Do you really think the publishers have gone through thousands of applications and picked people already? The deadline was after business hours last night, so no. They are human. Give them time. Be patient.

There are plenty of disappointments in life, but BookCon shouldn’t be one of them. Believe me when I say, there is so much more to do than the handful of panels and signings that require a reservation. There’s a vast schedule full of other panels and signings with great authors that maybe you haven’t discovered yet but would love. Maybe there will be an ARC drop for a book you’re dying to read a the same time as a signing you missed. Maybe, you’ll meet your new best friend at a panel you weren’t initially planning to attend.

If you choose to focus on the downsides, disappointments, and missed opportunities, you will be miserable. Look for the good instead. I see a company that doesn’t have to make any changes at all constantly listening to complaints and trying to make improvements before the event even happens. That’s something to be grateful for.

Notice the blessings in disguse when you’re wandering around BookCon, and I promise, you’re going to leave with a full, happy heart.