The Festival of Books? There’s an app for that

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This post has been updated. Please see the note below.

On Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Times launched a Festival of Books app, for iPhone, iPod touch and Android. The app, which can be downloaded now, is free.

The app has a complete festival schedule, which can be sorted by location. You can click on the title of a panel to see which writers are scheduled to appear, and then select each author’s name to see a biography and their most recent books.

By clicking on the green cross, you add that event to your own schedule -- which is accessed by the ‘my sched’ button in the top right. One thing the app doesn’t do is let you know if an event has already given out all of its tickets. Although it is often possible to get in on standby, be sure to check Eventbrite to see if the panel you want has been sold out, and plan accordingly.

You can also search by author -- so if you want to know when, say, Andrew Breitbart will be at the festival, go to authors/performers and search for his name. You’ll see a screen with his titles and bio, and then can continue to his panel info -- he’s at the Etc. Stage on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Because this is the first time the Festival of Books will be held on USC’s campus, the maps in the app will come in handy (at least, they will for me). There are separate maps of the festival itself, driving directions, and places to get food and drinks. The app can connect to the map on your phone and let you get directions to USC from wherever you are.

The data in the app is being updated in the last days before the Festival of Books, so be sure to let it push you new information as it becomes available.

For the Record, 11:26 a.m. April 27: An earlier version of this post listed a different location and time for Andrew Breitbart’s appearance. Breitbart will be at the Etc. Stage on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The location and time, which were changed late Wednesday morning, have also been updated in the Festival of Books app.

-- Carolyn Kellogg