As of July 23, author pitches are now closed.

We've an had extraordinary amount of interest in our Heartland Summer author events. Thank you! We received more than double the amount of pitches for the spots we have available.

The pandemic has shortened booksellers' timelines for making ordering decisions. To respect this situation, each of our author events features books coming out within a few weeks or months--and we chose NOT to place any 2021 authors in summer programming.

Due to the popularity of Heartland Summer, we're considering hosting a series of newly branded early 2021 author events to draw attention to Winter 2021 authors and connect them to our independent booksellers. Please stay tuned. 

Author Placement Opportunities

The chance to meet authors and learn about their forthcoming book is one of the major draws of Heartland.

​Heartland Summer is offering two main author placement opportunities as well as an interactive Exhibits Gallery and Rep Picks to collect and broadcast your promotional efforts. All events will be promoted heavily in our newsletters and supported by Edelweiss collections and ARC request forms.

Author placement is available to publishers who become an exhibitor or a Heartland sponsor. 

Meet the Authors: $200 per author
  • Each Meet the Author session features 10 authors presenting for 5 minutes each
  • Hosted on CrowdCast and recorded to share and reshare
  • Recordings and featured titles/authors will be included in the Heartland newsletter and on your exhibitor page
  • Event followed up with an ARC request form so you know where to target your mailings
  • Meet the Author digital events will take place throughout June, July, August, and September

Marquee Author Keynote: $1,000
  • ​Evening event featuring one marquee author
  • Gives publishers creative control to pair their author with an interviewer or additional guests
  • Hosted on CrowdCast and recorded to share and reshare
  • Recording and featured author(s) will be featured in the Heartland newsletter, on your exhibitor page, and in associations' social media
  • Event followed up with an ARC request form so you know where to target your mailings
  • Make a big splash with this standalone event

Heartland Book Club: $1,500
October 8, 7:00–8:00 pm CST
CLOSED. Selection to be announced soon.
Schedule
View the schedule below in calendar format

​Heartland Summer
  • Week 1: June 25, 7:00–8:00 pm CST, Marquee Author Feature
  • Week 2: July 9, 1:00–2:00 pm CST, Meet the Authors
  • Week 3: July 23, 7:00–8:00 pm CST, Marquee Author Feature
  • Week 4: August 13, 1:00–2:00 pm CST, Meet the Authors
  • Week 5: August 27, 7:00–8:00 pm CST, Marquee Author Feature
  • Week 6: September 10, 1:00–2:00 pm CST, Meet the Authors
  • Week 7: September 24, 7:00–8:00 pm CST, Marquee Author Feature

Heartland Grand Finale
  • Heartland Book Club: October 8, 7:00–8:00 pm CST
  • Heartland Booksellers Award: October 15, 7:00–8:00 pm CST
Picture
Isaac Fitzgerald, 2019 author emcee, shows off his forthcoming book

PITCH FORM REMOVED / PITCHES CLOSED

  • Pitch form. Click the button above to pitch the authors you would like to participate in our summer programming. In addition to our scheduled events, we'd like to remain flexible and creative, so share highly relevant and exciting programming ideas that may not fit perfectly into our promoted scheduled. We're committed to bringing our industry programming reflective of the times. 
  • ​Be strategic and judicious. We have far fewer spots online than we'd normally have in our in-person show. Plan your promo strategy carefully across 1) author spots 2) rep picks and 3) exhibits gallery.
  • Cultural representation: We are committed to promoting a balanced representation of authors from all cultural backgrounds. Please pitch a diverse list to increase your chances of having multiple author placements. ​
  • Galley request form. For all author events, we ask publishers to supply a galley request form. We will host the link on our website immediately, and also push it out directly to booksellers after each author event. List both paper and electronic options for booksellers to choose from, along with the address where to send it and whatever other bookseller information you'd find useful. 
  • Shopping indie. Ensure your authors provide indie e-commerce options on their website and social media. Their buy buttons need to include links to indie bookstore(s) of their choice and/or Bookshop.

​If you’d like to include a personal pitch, send it to Carrie Obry at carrie@midwestbooksellers.org. 
Moveable Feast authors 2019