A new year means new things to fall in love with in the book community! We at Bookstr love when new authors make a debut or when publishers release new covers for classics. This upcoming year already has so much in store for the book community. Whether you like cozying up at home with a new read, attending bookish conventions, or finding community with fellow book lovers, 2025 is the year for you! We have already experienced so many adaptations, new writers, and fun new additions to the calendar in 2024.
Now, with 2025 sneaking up on us, here are nine bookish things to be excited for!
Once Upon a Con
This even will be held for the first time in 2025 in National Harbor, Maryland, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. Once Upon a Con is an immersive tribute to the beloved genre of fantasy. All readers and fans are called to join workshops, panels, parties, and contests!
Check out events like Author Alley, where fantasy authors meet and greet fans. These authors include Chelsey Ann Tompkins, author of A Conduit of Light, and Dorian Moore, author of Battle of Loinnir. The event will also host a masquerade ball, known as The Starfall Masquerade, which encourages attendees to dress in their best high fantasy formal wear to party all night. Like most events at the convention, the masquerade will have a party open to everyone and an 18+ rave later in the night.
If you’re like me and are head-over-heels for this event, get your tickets now! VIP tickets are already sold out. The official dates are August 14-17th. Overall, the event looks to die for! Absolutely incredible times and events that make August 2025 feel too far away. Though the con is open to those of all ages, some events and shows are exclusively 18+, so keep that in mind when planning your attendance.
The Bookwarm Ball
The Bookwarm Ball is set to return next year, after its inaugural ball in 2023! The event will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, at the Indiana Roof Ballroom on August 9th.
The ball encourages attendees to put on their fantastical garments and high fantasy wear to celebrate throughout the night. The event will also have food, specialty drinks, and tons of music! Merging the vibes of whimsical fantasy with the modern world, the music takes from both and plays a blend of classical and modern beats.
In 2023, the event had a photobooth and photographers throughout the night. The 2025 event is promising the same and more, with a new theme — Summer Solstice — so be sure to dress accordingly. The event will even have authors present! As well as bookish vendors. Click the link to buy tickets; make sure to plan in advance.
Imaginarium Festival
Held on June 6th and 7th of next year, Imaginarium Festival is a book festival held in Washington, D.C. The event will host over 80 authors and vendors for a day of bookish fun. As an event that blends the air of an arts festival and a writers’ convention, the Imaginarium Festival brings together not only readers and writers but creators and artists. The festival makes space for all things bookish and does so with love for the community.
Some of the writers planning to attend are Thea Guanzon, Jasmine Walt, Amber V. Nicole, and Annait LJ. These creative minds have brought us novels like, A Monsoon Rising, The Vampire’s Bargain, The Book of Azrael, and Silent Sounds. Alongside the authors, there will be vendors with bookish product, ranging from sculptors to subscription box owners to illustrators!
You can attend Lit Talks as well, which will hold book signings with authors like next year’s special guest, fantasy author Tomi Adeyemi. You will need tickets to attend as seating will be on a first come, first served basis, so be sure to get your tickets soon.
New Releases from Beloved Authors
Many beloved writers are coming out with new books in the upcoming year. Two of the new releases I’m most excited for are:
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
Ali Hazelwood, author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain, will be releasing her newest book in 2025. Deep End follows a college-age romance between a competitive driver and a swimmer. Release Date: February 2025.
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
R.F. Kuang will also be releasing a new book in the upcoming year! Her newest book, Katabasis, has a plot that is so Kuang — from the academic rivals to the greater themes that crash upon them. Set in Cambridge, the book follows two rivals as they dive into hell to save their souls.
Release Date: August 2025.
Adaptations
Every year promises a new set of book-to-screen adaptations that bring readers to the theaters. As a fan of both, the idea of being able to see my favorite stories on screen makes for a great experience. Watching how the art is interpreted from the page onto the TV creates a fascinating story. And 2025 already has a collection of both films and television shows set to release, including The Electric State, Mickey 7, and The Hunting Wives.
Las Vegas Writers Conference
Coming in April of 2025, the Las Vegas Writers Conference will transform The Orleans Hotel into a hotspot for writers and creators. The event goes beyond training and tips for the craft; it also dives into the business side of writing. The conference hosts writing panels alongside talks from publishers and pitch workshops. The point of the event is not only to sharpen your writing ability but also to bring your dreams of being a published writer to fruition.
This upcoming year, the conference will host writers Amanda Skenandore (Between Earth and Sky), Randall Platt (Liberty’s Christmas), and James Rollins (Map of Bones). With these talented individuals are the skilled industry minds of agents, publishers, coaches, etc. The workshops and the panels provide an all-encompassing approach to everything writing and publishing, from polishing your first page to building your network.
Romantically Yours Book Convention
If you love everything romance, this convention is for you — and it’s finally making its mark on the convention scene. From August 21-23, 2025, Romantically Yours will bring together all the beloved romance writers in your TBR list and all the bookish events readers love. The convention will be held in Orlando, Florida.
I’m so excited that a space for this genre is being made. Romance novels can be dismissed as silly or sappy, and finally now there is a place where this genre will be honored! Writers consist of Heather Garvin (Take What You Can), Katy Michele (Back To You), and Katrina Jackson (The Hitman).
In terms of events, the convention will have a day at the Disney parks as well as nightly events to bring together and celebrate lovers of this genre. Tickets are available now. Purchase them quickly before they sell out!
New Authors
A new year also brings new writers! Nothing is more exciting than diving into an original tale from a debut author.
Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours
Blending elements of mystery and the supernatural in this YA novel, Desamours tells the story of a young black woman who must solve the case of her friend’s death before she meets the same fate.
Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice by Cynthia Timoti
When a viral proposal pushes Ellie to another side of the country, she tries to embrace her new life as a baker but finds herself intertwined in a fake relationship. Timoti’s debut romcom is perfectly sweet and definitely a book to look forward to in the new year.
New Reading Goals
With every year that rolls around, a new year presents new stories, new opportunities, and new reading goals. Maybe the reading goal takes the shape of trying to read 25 books in 2025. Maybe you want to chip away at your TBR list. Maybe you want to join a book club. Whatever the goal is, 2025 is a fresh start to not only kick off these goals but embrace them.
Whatever it is you’re looking forward to this upcoming year, hopefully these were added to your list! Be sure to share your reading goals for 2025 with us on our socials!
If the holiday season has you in a gift-giving mindset, check out our picks for bookish gift ideas.
The Bookstr team has some great recommendations for you, all you have to do is check out our list on Bookshop.
