Authors would be wise to go behind the numbers of this year’s BookCon to see why Chicago should be part of any book tour.

Reed Exhibitions, the organizer of BookCon as well as BookExpo America (which ran in Chicago May 11–13), reported that consumer attendance was 7,200 for the 1-day BookCon on May 14. The 2-day BookCon in New York in 2015 drew 18,000 attendees, and the first BookCon in 2014 attracted 10,000 readers over one day. However, attendees this year were more interested in the books, rather than just looking for celebrity authors, as was often the case at the past two NYC shows. Moreover, the audience in Chicago skewed slightly older and was more inclined to buy books.

Publishers reported that they ran out of their most popular free items – books, tote bags and T-shirts — quickly. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group said its signed copies of John Grisham’s The Litigators were gone in less than five minutes, and the same held true for the 10th-anniversary edition of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Galleys that went quickly included those of Carl Hiassen’s forthcoming novel Razor Girl and Nathan Hill’s The Nix. Abrams Books said its children’s titles sold “like hot cakes,” and that some adult titles also “sold briskly”. W.W. Norton & Company called the Chicago event “great”.

The biggest complaint from consumers, many of whom came from different parts of the country, was that BookCon wasn’t long enough.

What all of this should suggest to authors and publishers is that there is a hungry, healthy market of readers in the Midwest. Properly chosen venues and well-crafted publicity can pay back in strong book sales while building reader loyalty for authors who head to Chicago.

Because of the strong Midwest market, BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ will expand to a second venue next month. Authors and publishers are invited to check out BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ events in the greater Chicago area at the Book●ed website.