The Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association's (MPIBA) 2025 FallCon takes place Sunday, October 5, through Wednesday, October 8, at the Renaissance Denver Hotel & Conference Center in Denver, Colo. Registration opens Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. followed by the Success Story Open Mic event at 4 (a new addition to FallCon), at which booksellers share success tales, and the Show Kick-Off Mix and Mingle from 6 to 8 at nearby Station 26 Brewing Co., which is sponsored by Shelf Awareness.
Monday begins with the Children's Author and Illustrator Keynote Breakfast from 8:30 to 10 a.m. featuring Shannon Hale, Sara Pennypacker, Brandon Mull, Theresa Howell, Tami Charles, Bryan Collier, and more. The galley and sample room opens at 10:30, the same time as the Pick of the Lists event, during which publishing reps have eight minutes each to present their top picks. The Featured Author Lunch: Memoirs & More: Celebrating Nonfiction runs from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. and includes Philip Connors, Rick Bass, Jazmine Ulloa, Devon O'Neil, Lindsay Linton Buk, and more. Pick of the Lists and other opportunities to meet with colleagues start again at 2. The colleague roundtable sessions will rotate through topics such as pop-up bookstores, bookstores with cafes, and used bookstores. The Exhibit Hall Opening Reception runs from 4:30 to 6:30 and is followed by Coloring and Conversation at 9 p.m., a low key event using pages from the forthcoming Coloring with Coco: Rest and Reflect by Andrea Ballo (Callisto).
The Valued Voices: Editors Buzz Keynote Breakfast kicks off Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. with presentations by editors from six publishers, including Matt Weiland (W.W. Norton), Rosemary Brosnan (HarperCollins/Heartdrum), Emi Ikkanda (Tiny Reparations Books), Safon Floyd (Sourcebooks/Callisto), Emily Bell (Astra House), and Kirsten Johanna Allen (Torrey House). The exhibit hall is open from 9:30 to noon and 1 to 4. The galley room is open from 10:30 to noon and 2 to 4. Periodically throughout the day in the exhibit hall foyer, the Ask an Expert table will be staffed by experts ready to answer questions on topics such as inventory management, marketing and social media, author events, and buying. The Smorgasbord of Authors Lunch goes from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. and includes 12 children's and adult authors. Fast Fiction Author Speed Dating with 14 authors begins at 4:15. The Literary Trivia Challenge runs from 5:45 to 6:45 (trivia teams will be randomly assigned).
Wednesday begins with the Morning Stories Fiction Keynote Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. with authors Nina McConigley, Terah Shelton Harris, David R. Slayton, Rebecca Thorne, Gabriel Tallent, Johnny Compton, and more. Concurrent education sessions run throughout the morning, early afternoon and during the ABA Education Lunch from 12:45 to 2 p.m. The show closes at 3:15 with the Last Booksellers Standing Raffle. The winner receives all the books from the Holiday Gift Guide Catalog display. Each bookseller attending education sessions on Wednesday gets one ticket and must be present during the drawing to claim the prize.