Mark your calendars! The 2023 Louisiana Book Festival is scheduled for Saturday, October 28, and exhibitor registration opens on Monday, July 10. Links for online registration will be made available on this page at that time, as will registration forms for those paying by check or money order.

Festival Exhibitors

The Louisiana Book Festival is a celebration of readers, writers, and their books that is free and open to the public! It is a wonderful opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products and services to thousands of book lovers.

Please note! Authors who participate as exhibitors are distinct from those who are invited to participate in the festival as featured authors. If you register as an exhibitor, your location and listing will be in the exhibitor section of the website and program. For selection criteria for featured authors, please refer to the Selection Criteria page.

For a list of exhibitors at the 2022 Louisiana Book Festival, please go to the LBF 2022 Exhibitors page.

Interested in exhibiting?

The exhibitor spaces showcase authors, booksellers, publishers, scholarly programs, and other literary-related businesses and organizations.

If you are interested in receiving information about participating in the festival or being added to the exhibitor mailing list, please email the Exhibits Coordinator.

Exhibitor Spaces & Pricing

Please note! Pricing listed here is not guaranteed for 2023; all pricing is subject to change before registration officially opens.

Booth spaces are 10'x10' pipe-and-drape spaces located within exhibitor tents on N. 4th Street between the State Library of Louisiana and the Capitol Park Museum. Booth packages include one eight-foot draped table, two chairs, a sign, and a wastepaper bin. Discounted rates are available for nonprofit organizations with proof of nonprofit status (501(C)3 status certificate). Past pricing for booth spaces ranged from $400-450, depending on registration period.

Minibooth spaces are 8'x6' pipe-and-drape spaces located within exhibitor tents on N. 4th Street between the State Library of Louisiana and the Capitol Park Museum. Minibooth packages include one six-foot draped table, two chairs, a sign, and a wastepaper bin. Past pricing for minibooth spaces ranged from $275-325, depending on registration period.

Exhibitors' Row spaces are external tables located along the west walkway between Spanish Town Road and the State Capitol. Exhibitors' Row packages include one six-foot draped table, two chairs, a sign, and a wastepaper bin. Past pricing for Exhibitors' Row spaces ranged from $100-150, depending on registration period. Please note that these external tables are vulnerable to weather, hence the lower pricing.

Louisiana Sales Tax

Exhibitors who will be selling items need to register for a free Louisiana sales tax account number, even if you are from out of state. For information regarding fairs and festivals, please go to this Department of Revenue web page. For the Louisiana sales tax account number, you may apply for an account number online, or you can download the paper form. Please direct any questions to the contact given on the Department of Revenue Fairs and Festivals page; we cannot answer questions about their process, requirements, or how to apply for an account number!

FAQs

• Registration is from 7-9am and exhibitor operating hours are 9am-4pm.
• Exhibitors agree to occupy their spaces for the full day of the festival, until 4pm.

• We estimate attendance to be around 20,000.

• For the sign that we provide, you should put your name and/or the name of your book or business. Keep in mind the size is limited, so the more words you add, the smaller the font will be.
• You can bring your own sign as long as it fits within the footprint of your space.

• Check in at the appropriate registration tent as directed in email, to receive your registration packet and make sure we know you're here.
• We provide some dollies to transport items but they are in constant use so if you have a small one, consider bringing it.

• Casual but neat
• No inappropriate slogans or logos (as determined by the Louisiana Book Festival)
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Dress in layers (it tends to be cold in the morning then warms up as the day progresses)
• Sunglasses and possibly sunscreen and a hat in case you are seated in a sunny spot

• Lots of energy!
• A cell phone and/or tablet, for communication and calculating sales
• Phone numbers of all staff or volunteers working your space
• Change for cash sales
• A sufficient amount of your work to sell
• A camera to take pictures of your space for your newsletter/Facebook post/Instagram/mom
• An umbrella or shade is allowed as long as it does not penetrate the ground or extend into the walkway
• DO NOT bring a pop-up or canopy tent

• Greet each guest with a smile, even if you are with someone else.
• Show enthusiasm for your work and engage interested guests in conversation about it.
• Put up a neat and easy-to-read poster or display to show more about you and your work.
• Make sure any displays you bring fit within your allotted space.
• Arrange your materials in an appealing, clean, clutter-free space.

• Keep good records!
• Have contact information handy for follow-up sales or questions, on business cards and your receipts.
• Wrap items, if necessary.
• Pay city and parish taxes using the forms provided at registration.
• Register with the state of Louisiana for a state tax ID number.

• You cannot bring a pop-up tent or canopy for the tables along Exhibitors’ Row.
• You can bring a free-standing umbrella as long as it doesn’t extend into the walkway.
• You cannot bring anything that pierces the ground.
• Wi-Fi is not guaranteed along Exhibitor’s Row, if you are using something like Square® for sales.
• We provide complimentary bottled water to exhibitors throughout the day.
• Be a good neighbor! Be mindful of your fellow exhibitors and do your best to keep your noise level - your own and that surrounding your space - reasonable.
• On a related note, show patience and kindness to your fellow exhibitors as well as festival attendees!
• The festival is always scheduled on an LSU bye week so there are often other events happening in downtown Baton Rouge. Please check traffic before heading to the festival.
• Keep in mind that Exhibitors' Row tables are exterior, which means they are vulnerable to the weather. We do our best to make alternate arrangements in case of predicted rainy weather but we are limited in our options. Please be aware of this and understand that this is the nature of an exterior space.

More questions?

Please contact our Exhibits Coordinator at lbfexhibitor@state.lib.la.us.