The Sacramento Book Festival Committee is working behind the scenes to bring you the most exciting authors in the Sacramento area! We’re planning on hosting over 200 authors at the 2026 event. Here are some names you might have heard:
General Keynote Speaker:
Kim Stanley Robinson
Kim Stanley Robinson is a science fiction writer who has won the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards. He is the author of over twenty books, including the bestselling Mars trilogy and more recently New York 2140, Aurora, Shaman, Green Earth, 2312 (which was a New York Times bestseller nominated for all seven of the major science fiction awardsâa first for any book), and Ministry of for the Future (selected as one of Barack Obamaâs Favorite Books of 2020). In 2016, he was given the Heinlein Award for lifetime achievement in science fiction, and asteroid 72432 was named âKimrobinson.â In 2017, he was given the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society. He lives in Davis, California.
YA Keynote Speaker:
Wendelin Van Draanen
Wendelin Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers and teens. She is the author of the 18-book Edgar-winning Sammy Keyes mystery series, and wrote Flipped, which SLJ named a Top 100 Childrenâs Novel for the 21st Century and became a Warner Brothers feature film. Van Draanenâs latest novel is the YA thriller, The Steps (Holiday House 9/2025). âSecrets, lies, and danger abound in this clever, quirky thriller that explores the dark consequences of putting money before family or love.â Her stand-alone novel set in the Central Valley, The Peach Rebellion, explores the lives and loves of three young women post-WWII who join forces to change their community.
In addition, we are also featuring (among many others):
- Thriller: Allison Brennan, James Rollins, Simon Wood
- Mystery: Gigi Pandian, Faye Snowden
- Fantasy: Andrea Stewart, Gail Carriger
- Horror: Collin Armstrong
- Romance: Brenda Novak, Sheryl Lister
- Womenâs Fiction: Jasmin Iolani Hakes
- Cookbooks: Chef Rogelio Garcia, Benjy Egel
- Historical: Shelley Blanton-Stroud
- Childrenâs: JaNay Brown-Wood, Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson
- Young Adult and Middle Grade: Alex Brown, Linda Joy Singleton, Lisa Frenkel Riddiough
Are any of your favorites on the list? You can meet them and get your books signed!*
*You can bring a maximum of three books from home per author to be signed.