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Important information for anyone wishing to exhibit as an author or publisher at the Williamsburg Book Festival. Applications for the 2027 Festival are now Closed. As an exhibitor, you'll have the opportunity to connect with hundreds of passionate readers, showcase your books, and engage with a community that loves discovering new stories. Meet fellow authors and publishers, build meaningful connections, and enjoy a welcoming, celebratory atmosphere dedicated to the joy of books and reading. Get notified when applications for 2028 Open First name* Last name Email* Which application are you interested in?* Author Publisher Other Submit How to Apply Applications typically open August - September of the prior year. Fill Out Application Fill out a short form to help us get to know you as an author or publisher. We strive to include a variety of genres. Pay Application Fee Paying the $5 application fee ensures that our jurors only review those committed to attending if accepted. Mail or Drop off Book Authors must postmark or drop off their book by September 30th or they will be disqualified. Publishers do not need to send a book. Key Dates Aug. 1st, 2026 - Applications Open Sep. 30st, 2026 - Applications Close Nov. 30th, 2026 - Invitations sent to accepted applicants Dec. 31st, 2026 - Deadline to accept invitation to exhibit Jan. 31st, 2027 - Payment Deadline & last day to receive refund Feb. 27th 2027 - Williamsburg Book Festival Table Rates Half Table Ideal for an author with a single book to sell. 2 1/2 feet x 30 inches 1 chair $40 Full Table For authors selling multiple books. 5 feet by 30 inches 2 chairs $65 Publisher Table For Publishers Only. In designated publisher Space. 5 Feet by 30 Inches 2 Chairs $120 The Jurying Process Authors Each author will be juried by three separate reviewers. Reviewers are avid readers, former librarians, editors, or publishers selected for their familiarity with and appreciation of the specific genre the author selects on their application. If any Reviewer knows an author personally, they will recuse themselves, and another Reviewer will be assigned. Reviewers will be assessing books based on the quality of the writing, professionalism in the physical copy (consistency in formatting, fonts, margins, pagination, lack of grammatical errors), aesthetic appeal of the cover/illustrations, commercial appeal of the topic/theme/subject matter within the genre, and prior reviews. In edge cases where a tiebreaker is necessary, special consideration will be given to local and regional authors (VA, MD, DE, NC, & Washington DC) and authors currently underrepresented in the industry. Publishers The board collectively evaluates each publisher application. Preference is given to publishing houses that show commitment to authors and readers in their community above and beyond the motivation of profit. Still Have Questions? FAQs for Exhibitors

< Back N.M. Opperman N.M. Opperman is a candid writer with a thoughtful edge. While much of her writing experience has been rooted in poetry, she has worked across various genres throughout her life and career. She is an incomplete C2 spinal cord and traumatic brain injury survivor, the result of a car accident at the age of three. Her book series, Nanette’s Adventures, follows a young girl navigating childhood with unique challenges, inviting readers to discover how ordinary the extraordinary can be. Next

< Back Thomas Guay Thomas Guay is the author of Chesapeake Bound, a work of historical fiction set in the uneasy years just before the American Revolution. A former Capitol Hill reporter, Guay turned from modern politics to the eighteenth century, tracing why ordinary Londoners—pressed by poverty, prejudice, and a rigid class system—risked everything on a passage to colonial America. Set between 1763 and 1765, the novel follows indentured servants and sailors whose Atlantic voyage reveals hopes and dreams tested by deadly storms, hardship, and budding romance. Drawing on years as a historical guide at the Charles Carroll House in Annapolis, Guay brings daily colonial life vividly to the page. Next

< Back Melissa Face Melissa Face is the author of the award-winning collection I Love You More Than Coffee: Essays on Parenthood, published September 1, 2020 and I Love You More Than Coffee: A Guided Journal for Moms (September 13, 2022). Her writing has appeared in numerous local and national publications, including Richmond Family Magazine, Charlottesville Family Magazine, Tidewater Family Magazine, Scary Mommy, Motherscope, The Myrtle Beach Herald, Guideposts, Country Woman, Farm & Ranch Living, Prairie Times, Boomer Magazine, Sasee Magazine, Nine Lives: A Life in Ten Minutes Anthology, Parhelion Literary Magazine, and twenty-six volumes of Chicken Soup for the Soul. Next

< Back T.S. Arther Arther is a nonfiction writer straight out of Newport News Virginia by way of Milwaukee Wisconsin. She’s a three time graduate of Saint Leo University and has a masters in Creative Writing. Arther served ten years in the Army. She is married to a witty cable guy and has four boys. When she is not writing, she loves to compete in pageants, travel, and craft. Next

< Back Alicia Swain Alicia Swain (she/her) is the author of Steel Slides and Yellow Walls, a feminist poetry collection published by Belle Isle Books. Her work appears in several literary magazines and journals, including Roanoke Review, Vast Chasm, The Anti-Misogyny Club, and The Closed Eye Open. Her poem “Return Me to the Womb,” published in FLARE Magazine’s first issue, has been nominated for Best of the Net 2026. Swain studied English at Penn State University and Eastern Illinois University. She can be found on her website at aliciaswain.com and on most social media platforms as @aliciamswain. Next

< Back Loralee Clark Loralee Clark has a fourth chapbook forthcoming: Neolithic Imaginings: Mythical Explorations of the Unknown (Kelsay Press, 2026). Clark has been nominated for three 2026 Pushcart Prizes. She resides in Virginia. You can find her website at sites.google.com/view/loraleeclark and her Substack, which focuses on the process of creativity at nosuchthingasfailure.substack.com. Next

< Back Peter Stipe Peter Stipe worked fourteen years as a high school history teacher and track coach, and has also worked in corporate Human Resources. He has a BA degree in History from Boston University and a MEd from Tufts. Peter has published six books of Fiction. His most recent book, “Crossing the Lines” tracks the struggles of the wealthy and the working class in a fishing town in New England through the challenging lives of two of the local public high school’s students. A New Englander most of his life he now lives in Williamsburg, Virginia. Next

< Back S.K. Ehra S.K. Ehra is an author of fantasy, horror, and all that lies between. When not reading or writing, she can be found wandering the woods and, while skittish, is friendly when approached. Next

< Back Aminta Colón Aminta Colón wants to give children a message of love, and hope, and let them know that dreams can be accomplished. At the same time, let them know that life is challenging but they can overcome it with positive thinking. She wrote this story to let children and adults know that help comes at the right time. Next

< Back Michael Stephens Michael Stephens spent a career as an innovator, building new products for startups, small businesses, and large corporations - often without accidentally triggering an AI apocalypse. He’s now turned his creative energies to writing sci-fi comedies, “because the world needs more funny!” His work combines speculative ideas, satire, and characters doing their best in increasingly ridiculous situations. Michael is a firm believer that comedy and science fiction pair well, especially when things go absurdly wrong. He lives with his wife in Richmond, Virginia on a lil’ blue dot called Earth, within the Milky Way galaxy. Next

< Back Ron Peterson, Jr Ron Peterson, Jr is a bestselling author of five true crime books that explore some of Virginia’s most compelling mysteries. Three of his books have been adapted for television. He is a graduate of Radford University and makes his home in the historic downtown of Smithfield, Virginia. Next