Black Cat Books & Oddities bring Big Ohio Book Con back with more than 150 authors

MEDINA — After bringing in about 4,000 people during the inaugural event, Black Cat Books & Oddities will host the Big Ohio Book Con for the second year, bringing more than 150 authors to Medina June 5-7. The Big Ohio Book Con is a convention that unites book lovers and authors through a schedule of panel discussions, book-themed activities, book sales, and author signings. Black Cat Books & Oddities co-owner Alicia Frazier said there will be 29 headlining authors in attendance, along with more than 100 independent authors in a wide range of genres. Headlining authors include No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo, New York Times and international bestselling author Mai Corland, and New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst. The full list of authors was announced on Sunday. There will be more than 50 vendors with bookish merchandise, themed apparel and home decor, and sweet treats and snacks. With an expected growth in attendees, Black Cat Books & Oddities has expanded the Big Ohio Book Con across several venues, including the Medina County Community Center, 735 Lafayette Road, and Williams on the Lake, 787 Lafayette Road. Last year's Big Ohio Book Con was held over two days at the Medina County Community Center. Panels were held in one section of the building, while all the vendors and authors were in the other. "With 4,000 attendees showing up, that was about double what we thought would," Frazier said. "We had already outgrown that space in year one." When considering space for their year's event, Frazier said they considered taking it up to downtown Cleveland at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. While the convention center's space would be bigger, Frazier said they didn't want to move the event because they wanted to keep the dollars local and bring people to Medina. Black Cat Books & Oddities met with the Medina County Convention and Visitors Bureau staff, who helped figure out dates the bookstore could rent out both the Medina County Community Center and Williams on the Lake. With there being several locations, there will be a free shuttle provided to all attendees, Frazier said. General admission tickets, which include breakout panels and activities, are $25 for one day or $35 for the full weekend. The general admission schedule is at tinyurl.com/rkaww37d. Attendees can add Main Stage panel seating for $20 each and attend the VIP cocktail party on June 5 for $75, which will all be held at Williams on the Lake. Learn more about the add-on panels and events at tinyurl.com/2pnbhe3y. "The hope for us is always to keep bringing great events to our city, that keeps dollars local," Frazier said. "Things like this not only help the bookstore, they help all of the small businesses around us and it helps to put Medina on the map." Tickets are on sale at www.BigOhioBookCon.com through May 5 with early pricing. General admission tickets will be available at the door for $5 more per ticket. No add-on event tickets will be sold at the door. Contact reporter Sara Crawford at (330) 721-4063 or scrawford@medina-gazette.com.