As a small independent book publisher in the Southeast, we’re always on the lookout for book festivals, author events, and literary gatherings happening in our region. My teammate Eli helped me round up a handful of these events across the area and today we're sharing our list of book festivals in the Southeast with you!
Of course, there are countless other literary festivals and book fairs happening across the country, but these are some of the ones right in our backyard (we're in Greenville, South Carolina). These are the kind of events we’d love to attend — and maybe even participate in one day!
Beyond this list, you can find children’s book festivals, young adult book festivals, zine conventions (more on that another time) and just about every type of book-related event you can imagine. Whatever your literary interests, chances are there’s a festival or convention that’s perfect for you. Here are some of our favorites in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee. Images shared are from each event's website or social media.
Front Paige Media Book Fairs
Location: Various Cities across the Southeast including Charlotte, Raleigh, Charleston, Greenville
Date: August through December
The Greenville, SC Book Fair is September 6, 2025
Carolina Mountains Literary Festival
(Mini Festival for 2025)
Location: Burnsville, NC
Date: September 6, 7pm
Decatur Book Festival
Location: Decatur, GA
Date: October 3-4, 2025
Southern Festival of Books
Location: Nashville, TN
Date: October 18-19, 2025
Charleston Literary Festival
Location: Charleston, SC
Date: November 7-16, 2025
Savannah Book Festival
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Date: February 5-8, 2026
Appalachian Wordfest
Location: Sevierville, TN
Date: February 26, 2026
Read Freely Book Festival
Location: Columbia, SC
Date: March 2026
And if that's not enough, here's some further reading you can do on book fairs and festivals in your area.
A great list of book festivals by state via Writers Digest, as well as Garden & Gun's take on the best literary festivals to attend in the fall.