Detroit Bookfest is a curated festival. Each year, we aim to create a diverse, engaging mix of vendors, activities, and community organizations.

Detroit Bookfest is a curated festival. Each year, we aim to create a diverse, engaging mix of vendors, activities, and community organizations.

In general, the process is as-follows:

1. You begin by submitting a vendor application, which places you in our Vendor Database for current and future festival consideration.
2. Round 1 – At the start of our planning for each year, we send invitations select number of pre-approved vendors from our Vendor Database. These may be past vendors, or vendors we were not able to accommodate during previous years. The anticipated date for this is the R1/R2 Start Date listed in the Vendor Timeline below.
3. Payments from Round 1 vendors will be expected by R1 Payment Deadline listed in the Vendor Timeline below in order to confirm their spot.
4. Round 2 – These are new vendor applications that are considered ON TIME, allowing us adequate time to plan the festival. Round 2 begins at the R1/R2 Start Date listed in the Vendor Timeline below, and lasts until the R2 Apply Deadline listed in that same timeline.
6. Round 3 – These are new vendor applications received AFTER R2 Apply Deadline listed in the Vendor Timeline. These applications will still be accepted, but will be considered LATE; we may not be able to accommodate Round 3 applicants each year.
7. We will BEGIN notifying accepted Round 2 vendors after that R2 Apply Deadline listed in the Vendor Timeline below.
8. Payments from Round 2 vendors will be expected by R2 Payment Deadline listed in the Vendor Timeline below in order to confirm their spot.
9. Booth Assignments – We will begin notifying PAID Round 1 and Round 2 vendors of their booth assignment on the R1/R2 Assignment Notification date listed in the Vendor Timeline below.
10. We may begin accepting Round 3 vendors for any remaining spaces between the R1/R2 Assignment Notification and R3 Apply/Pay Deadline dates listed in the Vendor Timeline below. Prompt payment will be expected from Round 3 vendors in order to confirm spaces on a first paid, first reserved basis.
11. Vendors who have not been accepted this year will be notified after the R3 Apply/Pay Deadline passes, though they may be considered in subsequent festivals.

Please keep in mind that not being accepted in a given year is a reflection of space limitations and/or vendor category balance. It is not a reflection of your value as a vendor. We’ll keep you in mind for subsequent years!

Vendor fees are are assessed based on the number of tables you rent from us. Unless you are approved as a “Vehicle / Cart” vendor, you MUST rent a table for us in order to sell anything or participate in the event.

There is no fee to APPLY to be a vendor at one of our festivals. If accepted as an approved vendor, you will be sent an email including a payment link for you to pay according the below fee schedule. Your spot is not confirmed until payment had been received.

Detroit Bookfest 2026 Vendor Fees

These fees are purposely affordable to make the festival accessible to members of the general community. This is a part of our evolving, ongoing commitment to fostering authors, small businesses, and community organizations.

• Non-vehicle vendors will be provided 1, 2, or 4 tables in an assigned spot within the festival. That’s all! (no chairs, etc.)
• Vehicle-based vendors will be provided an appropriately-sized assigned parking location within the festival. That’s all! (no power hookup, etc.)

Tables are rectangular, approximately 2 feet wide, and may be either 6- or 8-feet long (depending on rental vendor’s stock), unfinished. Your table(s) should be labeled for you when you arrive for setup.

In order to be as fair as possible to all of our vendors, we are not pre-allocating specific locations to specific vendors moving forward. We understand that everyone wants to be in Shed 5, but that simply isn’t possible due to fire code regulations. As we plan the event, we are learning from past experiences and striving to make every spot feel like a “good” spot.

In order to make that happen, we need a holistic view of each year’s vendor lineup that comes fairly late in the process. This allows us to place marquee vendors (such as celebrity book signings) strategically throughout the festival; this plan draws the crowd circulation to all sheds and areas.

Please refer to our Vendor Timeline below for our target dates to set appropriate expectations.

This event is BYOC (Bring Your Own Chairs). Chairs will NOT be provided!

• A buddy, to cover your vendor spot should you need to step away.
• A chair or 2 for you and your buddy.
• Tablecloth or covering to cover unfinished rental table(s).
• Outdoor Vendors: 10’x10′ pop-up tent/canopy, side panels, footplates, weights, sandbags.
• Merchandise display stands.
• Business cards, promo cards, flyers, or pamphlets about your business.
• Cash Box, and cash/coins to make change.
• Mobile payment applications / devices (Square, Apple Pay, etc.) and backup power sources.
• STURDY boxes or bins to hold your merchandise, and a dolly or cart to transport merchandise from your vehicle to the your assigned spot.
• Additional merchandise inventory, which may be stored in boxes underneath your table until needed.

Below is a partial list of merchandise and activities that have been accepted to previous festivals.

Take a look at our list of All Vendor Categories for inspiration. We also make space for community organizations and non-book/record-related businesses on a per case basis.

The day of event schedule is listed below.

Vendor Setup / Teardown Times

Yes, vendors keep 100% of the proceeds from whatever they sell.

• We recommend keeping your money in a cash box, cigar box, shoe box, small fireproof safe, etc.
• We recommend that you bring enough small bills and coins to make change for cash-based transactions.
• We recommend having a credit card reader on your smartphone for credit card transactions.
• We recommend the buddy system! Bring a buddy or two to sit with you at your table, and oversee your booth during restroom, food, or shopping breaks.

Please DO NOT leave your table, and your money, unattended at any time.

We are not responsible for any losses due to unattended tables.

Yes, Eastern Market has a private armed security force who patrol the grounds 24-hours a day. However, that security force cannot be at all places at all time, and they are primarily focused on the overall health and safety of the crowd and environment/surroundings.

Neither Detroit Bookfest nor Eastern Market are responsible for any lost, stolen, damaged or otherwise mishandled or misplaced property. As a vendor, you are 100% responsible for your belongings, merchandise, and money.

Yes, Eastern Market provides wi-fi for its vendors, with security information that rotates quarterly. Please check in at the festival’s Info/Welcome Center on the day of the event for current wi-fi details.

We cannot be held responsible for technical challenges or performance issues with that wi-fi. If your business relies on internet access for credit card processing or other needs, please be prepared to use your mobile network as a fallback.

Yes, there are 2 ATM/banking options available within the festival area, as depicted on our vendor map.

• There is a Flagstar Bank ATM on the north exterior wall of Shed 5.
• There is a Chase Bank branch (M-F 9am-5pm) across Russell street from Shed 5, also with an ATM.

If you are not a customer of either bank, please be aware that you may be subject to transaction fees. Please note that neither of these 2 options allow you to purchase small bills or coins to make change on a Saturday or Sunday festival.

Yes, a DJ will be spinning in Shed 5 during main festival hours.

Additional DJs or performers may be providing music in other sheds.

Yes, most food trucks and trailers will be located on Alfred street, between Russell and Riopelle streets (between Shed 4 and Shed 5), but some may be located elsewhere. Beer sales may be available for those aged 21 and over, depending on vendor selection process.

Smaller food vendors, such as bakeries, may be assigned regular vendor booths located throughout the festival.

Eastern Market features several restroom facilities throughout the festival area. These are are monitored and cleaned throughout the festival by Eastern Market’s staff.

Based on the 2025 festival experiences, we are investigating possibly augmenting these restrooms with porta-potties to ease wait times. However, we currently lack funding, and nothing has been confirmed.

If you are interested in sponsoring these porta-potties, please email sponsor@detroitbookfest.com.

We strive to curate the festival’s vendor lineup to keep it fresh and exciting each year. We strive for a healthy mix of familiar and new vendors. Pre-approval invitations may be extended to past vendors at the sole discretion of the festival organizers; there are no discounts for being a repeat vendor.

For this reason, and a variety of other unpredictabilities, there is NO GUARANTEE that you will be re-approved in this or subsequent years as a repeat vendor.