The 28th annual RT Booklovers’ Convention arrives in Los Angeles, April 6-10, 2011. This five-day extravaganza is the main event that celebrates the $10 billion a year publishing industry. Bestselling fiction authors and their fans — who on average read between 10 and 30 books a month — will attend workshops, parties and book signings at the convention at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown LA.

More than 400 authors will attend this year’s celebrations, including New York Times and USA Today bestsellers Dean Koontz, Catherine Coulter, Heather Graham, Jill Barnett, Gregg Hurwitz, Brenda Jackson, L.A. Banks, Stephanie Bond, Cherry Adair, Shana Abé, Rhys Bowen, Sabrina Jeffries, Karen Rose and Gail Carriger. Authors representing every genre, from historicals to thrillers, romance to paranormal, sci-fi to Christian fiction and graphic novels and comics will be in attendance. And Twilight fans won’t want to miss this year’s special Teen Day on Saturday, April 9, where they can meet the hottest young adult (YA) authors in the business, including Melissa Marr, Cassandra Clare, Kelley Armstrong, Ally Carter, Melissa de la Cruz, Alyson Noël and Richelle Mead.

The RT Booklovers’ Convention is a haven for die-hard fans of fiction and for published and aspiring authors who want to learn how to succeed in today’s fiction market. Attendees can choose from more than 100 workshops and meet agents and editors from top New York publishing houses who will be on site, searching for the next breakout writing sensation. Themed parties throughout the convention will entertain and delight. Why not visit the Soap Star Ice Cream Social where stars like Jacklyn Zeman (General Hospital), Eileen Davidson (Young and the Restless), Sheri Anderson (former head writer for Days of our Lives) and Carolyn Hennesy (General Hospital and Cougar Town) will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs. There’s also a Steampunk Social and the Intergalactic Bar & Grille for out-of-this-world fun. The nightly entertainment can only be described as “jaw dropping,” like when the costume Faery Ball takes flight.

Besides pumping millions of dollars into the local economy, the RT Booklovers’ Convention also donates books to support literacy. Additionally, they coordinate blood drives during their Saturday book fair. Last year, a record 2,000 locals attended the book fair, which is open to the public. The chance to hobnob with your favorite bestselling authors is an event you won’t want to miss out on, and neither will your readers!