A festivalgoer wears a book-shaped backpack while attending the Texas Book Festival in downtown Austin. (Photo courtesy of Texas Book Festival)
The Texas Book Festival is turning 30 this year and will return to downtown Austin on November 8–9, with events in and around the Texas State Capitol. The weekend draws thousands for a mix of author talks, panel discussions, book signings, live cooking demos, kids’ programming, food trucks, and a marketplace of publishers, booksellers, and literary nonprofits from across the country.
This month, festival organizers announced a list of 18 authors who will be featured at this year’s event, including Goosebumps mastermind R.L. Stine, award-winning writer Bryan Washington, and Chelsea Handler, who’s headlining a special ticketed event.
The full lineup of more than 250 authors drops September 10, but this initial list signals the fest isn’t holding back as it marks its 30th anniversary. As always, the Festival is free to attend, though book-bundled tickets for select speakers go on sale in September.
“For thirty years, Texas Book Festival has brought together authors and readers in what has become one of the largest book events in the country,” said TBF Literary Director Hannah Gabel in a recent press release. “We remain committed to keeping literature accessible to all members of our community and look forward to another Festival Weekend that celebrates diverse stories and the freedom to read.”
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Author and illustrator Peter Brown is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, for his latest book, “The Wild Robot on the Island.” The title continues his bestselling middle grade series, which was adapted into an animated film by DreamWorks in 2024.
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Author and illustrator Jerry Craft is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with his new graphic novel, “J VS. K.” Craft is a Newbery Medal winner and creator of the bestselling series that includes “New Kid,” “Class Act,” and “School Trip.”
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Author Erin Entrada Kelly is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with her latest novel, “The Last Resort.” Kelly is a Newbery Medal winner and a New York Times bestselling author whose work has been translated into more than a dozen languages.
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Comedian and author Chelsea Handler is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with her new memoir, “I’ll Have What She’s Having.” Handler is a seven-time New York Times bestselling author known for her sharp wit and cultural commentary.
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Author Ali Hazelwood is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with her latest romance novel, “Mate.” Hazelwood is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of “Love, Theoretically” and “The Love Hypothesis.”
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Journalist and author Skip Hollandsworth is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with his new collection, “She Kills: The Murderous Socialite, the Cross-Dressing Bank Robber, and Other True Crime Tales.” Hollandsworth is an award-winning writer and executive editor at Texas Monthly, known for his true crime reporting.
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Author and historian Ibram X. Kendi is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with his latest work, “Malcolm Lives!” Kendi is a National Book Award winner and the New York Times bestselling author of “Stamped From the Beginning” and “How to Be an Antiracist.”
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Author Kiese Laymon is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with his new book, “City Summer, Country Summer.” Laymon is a MacArthur Fellow and winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction for his memoir “Heavy: An American Memoir.”
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Poet Ada Limón is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with her new collection, “Startlement: New and Selected Poems.” Limón is the 24th U.S. Poet Laureate and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for her book “The Carrying.”
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Author Patricia Lockwood is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with her new novel, “Will There Ever Be Another You.” Lockwood is the bestselling author of “No One Is Talking About This,” a Booker Prize finalist and winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize.
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Author Meg Medina is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with her latest book, “Graciela in the Abyss.” Medina is a Newbery Medal winner and former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
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Author Jason Reynolds is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with his new book, “Coach.” Reynolds is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, a MacArthur Fellow, and a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
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Author and dietitian Kylie Sakaida is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with her debut cookbook, “So Easy So Good: Delicious Recipes and Expert Tips for Balanced Eating.” Sakaida is a New York Times bestselling author and content creator known to millions on social media as @nutritionbykylie.
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Author Adam Silvera is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with his latest novel, “The Survivor Wants to Die at the End.” Silvera is the No. 1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of “They Both Die at the End” and “The First to Die at the End.”
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Author R.L. Stine is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with his new book, “The Last Sleepover.” Stine is the bestselling creator of the “Goosebumps” series, which has sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and inspired multiple shows and films.
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Author Nic Stone is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with her new novel, “Boom Town.” Stone is the author of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller “Dear Martin” and its sequel “Dear Justyce.” “Boom Town” is her first novel for adult readers.
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Author Bryan Washington is featured at the 2025 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with his latest novel, “Palaver.” Washington is the award-winning author of “Lot,” “Memorial,” and “Family Meal,” and a National Book Award 5 Under 35 honoree.
Among the authors announced:
Peter Brown (“The Wild Robot on the Island”)
Jerry Craft (“J VS. K”)
Erin Entrada Kelly (“The Last Resort”)
Chelsea Handler (“I’ll Have What She’s Having”)
Ali Hazelwood (“Mate”)
Skip Hollandsworth (“She Kills: The Murderous Socialite, the Cross-Dressing Bank Robber, and Other True Crime Tales”)
Ibram X. Kendi (“Malcolm Lives!”)
Kiese Laymon (“City Summer, Country Summer”)
Ada Limón (“Startlement: New and Selected Poems”)
Patricia Lockwood (“Will There Ever Be Another You”)
Meg Medina (“Graciela in the Abyss”)
Jason Reynolds (“Coach”)
Kylie Sakaida (“So Easy So Good: Delicious Recipes and Expert Tips for Balanced Eating”)
Adam Silvera (“The Survivor Wants to Die at the End”)
Andrew Ross Sorkin (“1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History—and How It Shattered a Nation”)
R.L. Stine (“The Last Sleepover”)
Nic Stone (“Boom Town”)
Bryan Washington (“Palaver”)
Visitors browse books at the BookPeople tent during the Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Bob Daemmrich)
Texas Book Festival’s literary programming
“In addition to our robust programs for adult readers, we will have a full schedule of events for kids, teens, and their families,” said Director of Youth Programs Michelle Hernandez. “We’re delighted to bring a slate of beloved children’s and young adult authors to this year’s Festival, as well as new and exciting voices in different genres. You can expect fun story times, panels featuring authors of novels and graphic novels, arts and crafts, author signings, food trucks, and so much more.”
The 2025 First Edition Literary Gala will be held Friday, November 7, at the Fairmont Austin. A black-tie dinner and reception featuring award-winning authors, the Gala is the Festival’s primary fundraiser, supporting its year-round literacy programs, public library grants, and its mission to keep the annual Festival free to the public.
Founded in 1995 by Laura Bush, Mary Margaret Farabee, and a team of volunteers, the Texas Book Festival has evolved into a major literary institution. Now three decades in, it’s still free, and still all about bringing books and readers together.
