Whether your goal as an author is to be published by a traditional publisher, a hybrid press, or as a self-published project, a strong, persuasive book proposal is the essential business plan you need to give your book the greatest chance to be a bestseller. The workshop will offer an up-to-the-minute look at the complexities of the current publishing industry, including digital and audio publishing, social and influencer media, AI as tool and threat, and much more.

#1 New York Times bestselling author of the beloved Front Desk series, Kelly Yang, is back at Kepler’s with her provocative, fast-paced novel about two creative women—a young writer fighting to be heard and an older producer clinging to relevancy—and the age reversal treatment that intertwines both of their lives…

Award-winning author Devi S. Laskar joins us to talk about her extraordinary new novel, Midnight, at the War.

Dr. Tina Seelig is the bestselling author of What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20. She joins us with her new book, What I Wish I Knew About Luck, an engaging and practical guide to how to become lucky, based on her classes at Stanford and her hugely popular TED Talk.

Leading pain expert Dr. Rachel Zoffness joins us to discuss her new book, Tell Me Where It Hurts, which sets out to bridge the gap between medicine and psychology to get to the heart of understanding—and treating—pain.

Why do some books become classics?Three book buffs join us to explore why certain novels stand the test of time. Elizabeth Rosner is joined in lively conversation with veteran critic John McMurtrie (formerly of the San Francisco Chronicle) and fellow author Vanessa Hua about what makes certain novels resonate with readers over time. 

Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day at Kepler’s with an afternoon of bookish events. We’ll kick off the celebration at 2:00 with free literary trivia and, at 4:30, Laura Dave will take to the stage to talk about her bestselling novel The First Time I Saw Him with Pia Chatterjee.

The indefatigable and incomparable Rebecca Solnit returns to Kepler’s with The Beginning Comes After the End, described as an “urgent manifesto for our tumultuous time.”

USA Today bestselling author of Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, Jesse Q. Sutanto, joins us to discuss her fantastic new title Ms Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block.

What would the world look like if we couldn’t express outrage against the systems we disagree with or support the changes we seek? In Protest! Respect It Defend It Use It, lifelong activists Annie Leonard and André Carothers celebrate what collective action can achieve, and invite each of us to make a difference.

What happens when we prioritize competition over young people’s mental health? Mary Cain, one of the fastest runners of her generation, joins us to discuss her brutally honest memoir This Is Not About Running about elite youth sports gone wrong. 

Always wanted to become a travel writer, a nature poet, or teller of your family story? In collaboration with the Bay Area Book Festival, we are delighted to present three 50-minute writing workshops which will be led by one or more highly accomplished authors. You are welcome to sign up for all three workshops or just one.

Lindy West has become an inspiration to many through her book Shrill and TV adaptation of the same name. We are delighted to welcome her to Kepler’s to discuss her new memoir, Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane, in which she unpacks her last few tumultuous years, hits the road, rediscovers herself, and reinvents her marriage in the process.

Preeminent Martin Luther King, Jr., scholar Dr. Lerone A. Martin joins us with Young King, the origin story of the man, minister, and civil rights hero who would lead the nation and change the world.

Is AI dragging us into a utopian future or dragging us toward existential ruin? Josh Tyrangiel of The Atlantic makes the case for how artificial intelligence, in itself a neutral tool, can be used for good in the here and now.

Join us to celebrate Karen Nelson’s thrilling new novel, The Last Summer at Feather River which has been described as “a genuine page turner, driven by a galloping sense of suspense and delivered in deft and assured prose.”

Nobel Prize–⁠winning economist Alvin E. Roth reframes some of our fiercest moral debates as markets, offering a solution that protects the vulnerable while preserving people’s rights to pursue their own interests.

Free! Meet and hear from local authors Ellen Barker, Meg Donohue, Portia Elan, and Victoria Tatum.

From slush funds to yacht parties to fraud Theo Baker shares his account of the investigation that led to the resignation of Stanford's President.

Nothing to See Here bestselling author Kevin Wilson joins us with his raucous and moving new novel about an unexpected road trip across America that brings a family together.

Eric Ries, creator of The Lean Startup, shares how success can betray even the most principled organizations, and offers an incorruptible design plan for making the organization you’ll be proud to build.

Bestselling author Ruth Ozeki returns to Kepler’s with The Typing Lady, her riveting new short story collection. 

Join Kepler’s and Brooke Averick to celebrate the publication of PHOEBE BERMAN'S GONNA LOSE IT. Your ticket to the event guarantees a copy of Brooke's debut novel and a signed, Phoebe Berman cherry-designed bookplate. This is Brooke’s first ever tour so be ready for an amazing time!

James Ellroy joins us with Red Sheet, his most daring and subversive work of fiction to date.

Dave Eggers, the award-winning and bestselling author of The Circle, Hologram for the King, and The Eyes & the Impossible, returns to Kepler’s with Contrapposto, his sweeping new novel about friendship, love, and the lifelong pursuit of art. 

Enshittification author Cory Doctorow joins us with his short, provocative guide to AI: the good, bad, and stupid.

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, New York Times journalist Jesse Wegman joins us to tell the story of James Wilson, a Founding Father whose bold vision shaped American democracy but whose legacy was lost to scandal.