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Book Festival Jobs (NOW HIRING)

AMN Healthcare

General Surgery Physician

Las Cruces, NM · On-site

$1.7K - $1.8K/wk

Fans of the literary and performing arts flock to the city throughout the year to partake in its many festivals and events, including the Border Book Festival and the Day of the Dead Festival.

AMN Healthcare

Urology Physician

Las Cruces, NM

$2.4K - $2.6K/wk

Fans of the literary and performing arts flock to the city throughout the year to partake in its many festivals and events, including the Border Book Festival and the Day of the Dead Festival.

AMN Healthcare

Urology Physician

Las Cruces, NM · On-site

$2.4K - $2.6K/wk

Fans of the literary and performing arts flock to the city throughout the year to partake in its many festivals and events, including the Border Book Festival and the Day of the Dead Festival.

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Book Festival information

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$10

$24

$64

How much do book festival jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 17, 2026, the average hourly pay for book festival in the United States is $24.62, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.35 and $24.04 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Book Festival job?

A Book Festival job involves working at a literary event that celebrates books, authors, and reading. Roles can include event coordination, author assistance, ticketing, sales, marketing, and logistics. Responsibilities vary depending on the position but typically involve ensuring the smooth operation of festival activities. These jobs are often temporary or seasonal, depending on the festival’s duration. Book Festival jobs provide valuable experience in event planning, publishing, and community engagement.

What are the main responsibilities of a Book Festival Organizer on a day-to-day basis?

As a Book Festival Organizer, your daily responsibilities typically include coordinating logistics, communicating with authors and publishers, managing event schedules, and overseeing marketing and promotional efforts. You’ll often work closely with a team to secure venues, arrange accommodations, and ensure all technical and staffing needs are met. Collaboration with community partners, local businesses, and volunteers is also common, as is troubleshooting issues to keep the festival running smoothly. This role thrives in a fast-paced environment, offering variety and opportunities to network with professionals across the literary and event planning industries.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Book Festival position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Book Festival Organizer, you need excellent event planning experience, strong organization skills, and ideally a background in literary or cultural programming. Familiarity with project management software, event registration systems, and budgeting tools is often required. Exceptional communication, multitasking, and relationship-building skills are vital for coordinating authors, vendors, and volunteers. These abilities are crucial for delivering a seamless, engaging event that appeals to attendees and stakeholders alike.

More about Book Festival jobs
What cities are hiring for Book Festival jobs? Cities with the most Book Festival job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Book Festival jobs? The most popular types of Book Festival jobs are:
What states have the most Book Festival jobs? States with the most job openings for Book Festival jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Book Festival jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Book Festival jobs are:
Book Festival jobs near you
Infographic showing various Book Festival job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $51,214 per year, or $24.6 per hour.
Manager - Festival Of The Book

Manager - Festival Of The Book

University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 7 days ago

University Of Virginia rating

7.9

Company rating: 7.9 out of 10

Based on 35 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

182nd of 555 rated colleges and universities

Job description

Manager, Virginia Festival of the Book
Virginia Humanities is the state humanities council, dedicated to helping Virginians share their stories and connect through history, culture, and ideas. The Virginia Center for the Book-part of Virginia Humanities-serves as the Commonwealth's affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book and fosters statewide literary culture, reading, and community engagement through year-round programming, partnerships, and the annual Virginia Festival of the Book.
Position Summary
The Manager of the Virginia Festival of the Book supports and reports to the Director of the Virginia Center for the Book in developing and delivering high quality literary programming to the Virginia Festival of the Book and other Festival lead-up initiatives including statewide events throughout the year, as well as the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. This role requires strong communication skills, project management abilities, statewide relationship building, and familiarity with the publishing ecosystem. The Manager organizes key projects and activities related to the Festival, including logistics, assisting with managing partnerships and statewide engagement, and implementing programs. The Manager also represents the Center independently at select statewide events and meetings and contributes to overall Virginia Humanities initiatives.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Program Development
  • Collaborate with the Center for the Book Director, Virginia Humanities' staff, and other stakeholders to curate authors and programs for the Festival as well as year-round Center for the Book events.
  • Assist the director in creating and scheduling panel discussions and programs based on book themes or other literary ties for Festival events.
  • Manage venues, AV, and other logistics for the Festival other year-round lead up events.
  • With the director and other Virginia Humanities staff, determine interlocutors to interview authors and special guests.
  • Oversee author needs such as hotel bookings, comp tickets, and participation in special events.
  • Stay informed on publishing developments via Publishers Weekly , Publishers Marketplace , and related industry sources.

2. Partnerships & Community Engagement
  • Help build and sustain partnerships with nonprofits, publishers, bookstores, community groups, and statewide literary collaborators.
  • Manage offsite and onsite sales with booksellers for all Center for the Book events.

3. Submission & Selection Management
  • Oversee the annual book submissions process for authors and publicists, including outreach and ensuring submission completeness.
  • With the director, conduct initial review of all submissions and oversee managing review committees and evaluations.

4. Communications & Media Coordination
  • Manage bulk and individualized author, moderator, and special guest communications, including media requests for author interviews.
  • Assist with identifying authors to feature in Virginia Humanities or Center for the Book interviews; conduct or assign interviews as needed.
  • Create e-newsletters and coordinate with VH Communications team for social media posts

5. Data, Reporting & Evaluation
  • Deliver post program reports to publishers and publicists, including attendance, bookseller data, and other metrics.
  • Plan and implement strategies for collecting survey, participant, and event evaluation data to measure and report the Center for the Book's metrics and impact.
  • Support and refine internal program databases.

6. Statewide Outreach & Public Representation
  • Support the director in representing the Center independently at statewide events, meetings, and community engagements to expand Festival visibility and partnerships.
  • Assist with conducting statewide outreach-virtually and in person-to strengthen relationships across the Commonwealth and bring attention to the Festival.

7. Volunteer Coordination
  • Oversee recruiting, scheduling, training, and supporting volunteers, interns, and event ambassadors, as well as all volunteer communications.

8. Program Administration, Budget Support & Technology
  • Oversee budget tracking, program expenditures, and documentation.
  • Work with VH finance team to ensure all payments are made in a timely fashion.
  • Maintain organized, accurate program records, evaluation materials, and administrative documentation.
  • Learn and effectively use agency technology platforms, including CVENT and other event management, communication, and data systems.

Required Qualifications
Education
  • Bachelor's degree

Experience
  • 3 years experience in one or more of the following:
  • Literary programming, book festivals, or cultural event planning
  • Publishing (editorial, publicity, author relations)
  • Public library or statewide humanities based program work
  • Nonprofit program management or community partnership development

Preferred:
  • Bachelors or higher degree in Library & Information Science, Literature, English, Creative Writing, Public Humanities, Communications, or a related field.
  • Deep understanding of the current publishing and literary landscape and a thorough knowledge of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, including youth literature.
  • Experience developing partnerships with libraries, educators, and literacy organizations.
  • Experience coordinating statewide initiatives or representing an organization publicly.

Additional Requirements
  • Strong communication and organizational skills. Comfort with public speaking and communicating with audiences of varied sizes.
  • Ability to be flexible, adaptive, and solution-oriented when facing setbacks or quickly-changing program needs.
  • Some frequency of weekends will be required for events and special projects fall-spring. In addition, must be available for the Virginia Festival of the Book each spring and National Book Festival each August or September.
  • Valid driver's license (due to statewide travel)
  • Must be able to lift up to 40 pounds.

To Apply:
External applicants Apply here. Internal applicants may search for R0085095 and apply for jobs on the UVA Internal Careers website .
Complete an application online with the following required documents:
  • CV/Resume
  • Cover letter
  • A Writing Sample Using the Below Prompt:

Create a hypothetical Virginia Festival of the Book panel discussion involving three books that have been published or that are coming out in 2026 or 2027. Write a program description and title in the style of the event descriptions on the 2026 Virginia Festival of the Book Schedule , located at vabook.org.
Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission.
Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.
References will be completed via UVA's standardized process Skill Survey. A total of five references will be requested via SkillSurvey during the final phase of the interview process.
This position reports to Virginia Humanities' Director, Center for the Book. Compensation Range: $65,000 - $70,000 commensurate with education and experience.
This is an Exempt level, benefited position. This position is a restricted position and is dependent
upon project need, availability of funding, and performance.
Working Conditions
Virginia Humanities maintains a hybrid work environment, with offices based in Charlottesville and regular in-person needs in town. The role also requires statewide travel and evening/weekend work, especially fall through spring.
Job Profile
J2168 - Events and Venues Professional 2
Career Stream and Level
Professional-P2
The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA's commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment .

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About University of Virginia

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The University of Virginia is distinctive among institutions of higher education. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University sustains the ideal of developing, through education, leaders who are well-prepared to shape the future of the nation.

Industry

Colleges, universities, and professional schools

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Charlottesville, VA, US

Year founded

1819

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