Physical Swag for a Virtual Festival

We were all planning to get back together in person for this year’s 20th anniversary National Book Festival, but the world got in the way. Fortunately, the Library staff and our authors, partners and sponsors were able to recreate much of the same excitement, fascinating talks and live author interactions through our Virtual Festival Platform. But there was something important missing: swag.

You know it, you want it, you can’t live without it — the freebies and buy-theres and other branded mementos of the day that you grab and cherish for some time after. (I still have every one of my festival STAFF tee-shirts from our 20-year history, even though I’m not quite sure I’d fit into the first 10 or so.)

So to enhance our virtual festival and give us a little taste of those big-crowded-room days, we’re offering 2020 versions of your favorite customized items designed to help make the 2020 festival memorable.

First, the 2020 National Book Festival poster is available for download from a poster gallery that includes every one of our posters from 2001-2020. You can print one or all 20 posters from that site. But if you prefer that big, glossy, suitable-for-framing version of this year’s poster, you can get one shipped to you with a donation of $25 or more to support the National Book Festival from either our official bookseller, Politics & Prose, or the Library of Congress donation page (make sure “National Book Festival” is selected).

Speaking of books, what better swag from a book festival than actual non-virtual, page-turning volumes? Instead of our big Book Sales area this year, the aforementioned official bookseller, Politics & Prose, is back with us again selling many of the books that our authors are discussing through the festival, via the Virtual Festival Platform and directly. To take up the slack from the long book-signing queues, many of the books will include a bookplate signed by the author mailed separately, while supplies last. (Details on the site.)

Another longtime festival favorite is our National Book Festival tote bag, courtesy of our longtime media partners at C-SPAN2 Book TV. I love these, but I’ve never been able to figure out why some people are just so passionate over them. It’s been the one thing people have been asking for, over and over, since we announced going virtual this year. C-SPAN couldn’t let you all down, so 2020 National Book Festival tote bags are available through the Library of Congress Shop site, while supplies last, as a gift with any purchase or free with shipping/handling.

Oh and about our Library Shop: That’s the place to go to pick up your 2020 Book Festival tee-shirt, a very trendy face mask, plus swag from previous festival years. And don’t forget, free tote bag!

The 2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival will celebrate its 20th birthday this year. You can get up-to-the-minute news, schedule updates and other important festival information by subscribing to this blog. The festival is made possible by the generosity of sponsors. You can support the festival, too, by making a gift now.