How Applications Work

We have 200 author tables available for Reader Nation 2026.

Applications will open in January 2026, with acceptances issued on a rolling basis beginning in March.

The majority of tables are reserved for Author Nation attendees, with early access offered to authors who have signed with us in previous years.

Genre Breakdown

To keep the event balanced and discovery-friendly for readers, we’re targeting a mix of authors across the following categories:

• Romance / Romantasy

• Sci-Fi / Post-Apoc 

• Mystery / Thriller / Suspense / Horror 

• Fantasy / LitRPG 

• Children’s / Middle Grade / YA 

• Nonfiction / Memoir / Poetry / Historical / Literary 

On your application, you’ll select the genre(s) you write in. If you’re comfortable being placed in any of your listed genres, please indicate that—it boosts your chances of securing a table if one category fills quickly. 

Table Format

This year, we are not offering half tables. Because our authors write across such a wide range of genres and audiences, pairing two individual authors at one table makes it difficult for us to create appropriate matches for everyone.

You’re welcome to apply as a co-writing team, but please keep in mind that each table includes two chairs only. Additional chairs for assistants won’t be available.

Scholarships

Table pricing remains the same as last year. We know a full table may be out of reach for some newer authors, so we’re offering 10 table scholarships (with the possibility of more through donations to our scholarship fund).

• 2 scholarships reserved for human narrators

• 8 scholarships reserved for authors, with a preference toward newer voices entering the space

If you’d like to be considered, simply fill out the scholarship box on your application.

(If you’re interested in contributing to the scholarship fund, please email us!)

End Caps & Booths

If you’d prefer:

• An End Cap (5 available — best for co-writing teams or groups of ~3), or

• A Booth (3 available — best for publishers or groups with ~6 authors signing)

…you can indicate this on your application. We’ll follow up with next steps and additional details.

Assistants

All signing authors may bring an assistant at no extra cost.