Authors Area - TLA Annual Conference

What is the TLA Authors Area?

Located in the Exhibit Hall, the Authors Area is where attendees can meet their favorite authors and illustrator. Receive or purchase a copy of their book(s), meet them, ask questions, and have their your book autographed. Each signer will be in a dedicated aisle for a specific amount of time.

The Authors Area is open the entire time the exhibit hall is open. With hundreds of time slots available, make sure to set aside some time to meet the authors or illustrators. It’s a must-see spot during the conference!

Attendee getting booked signed with author in the TLA Authors Area

Wondering who is going to be signing during the upcoming conference? Keep checking back to find out all the exciting authors and illustrators who will be here!

TLA 2026 Exhibitors the deadline to submit your request to host an author signing will be available this fall. Please email Jaime Bare at TLA with any questions, or check the Exhibitor Portal for the link to the form.

Things to know about the Authors Area:

Each Author or Illustrator will have their own time slot to meet with the attendees and sign books.
Many of the signers’ publishers provide complimentary copies of the Author or Illustrator’s books for those in line, while others may be available for purchase usually at a show discount. For those with a fee, there will be a sign at the beginning of the line to clearly display the price. Please know that you do not need to purchase or take a book to meet the signer, but it is encouraged.
The Authors Area can be a “sneak-peak” for some of the new upcoming books by the Author/Illustrator that are just about to be released or have just been released.
There are a variety of signers covering a variety of topics and genres.
We ask that the attendees in line always be respectful of one another and those volunteering, by not cutting in line or saving spots for friends or colleagues.
It is not uncommon for the signers/publishers to run out of books, and we do encourage you to get there early if it is someone who is a “must meet” for you. However, if this does happen, we may cut off the line for the signers. We do apologize for this, but we want to make sure we are being respectful of everyone’s time including for the signer as well as the next signer for the aisle.
If a signer’s time is starting to run out, the line may be cut off to ensure the signer is able to meet with everyone who is in line. We apologize but there must be time between signers to clean, sanitize and prepare the station for the next signer.
There are volunteers within the area who are there to help you and answer questions you might have. We ask that you please be courteous as they are just like you, an attendee and colleague who is donating their time to help TLA to make the Annual Conference a great experience for everyone, especially you!