The Chippewa Valley Book Festival began in 1999 under the auspices of the Literary Arts Committee of the Eau Claire Regional Arts Council. In 2000, the festival began hosting authors, and as of 2024 it has enabled over 330 writers to share their art and experiences with the Eau Claire community. They operate under this mission statement: “The Chippewa Valley Book Festival is an annual celebration of the written word and its impact on the human experience. Our mission is to encourage reading, writing, and engagement.” In every year since at least 2003, the festival has featured writers from the Upper Midwest, many of whom are natives of Wisconsin. It has placed special emphasis on celebrating local Eau Claire authors and uses events such as the Young Writers’ Showcase and readings of unpublished local work to celebrate lesser-known authors. Additionally, many of the authors from Eau Claire are also affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and particularly with the English Department.

Throughout the years, the festival has included a variety of programs for many audiences. They include writing workshops, a youth showcase, author visits to local schools, discussions, meals with authors, book signings, other workshops, readings, and panels. There are also occasionally theatrical or musical acts accompanying the author's presentations, demonstrating the diversity and flexibility of the festival.

Financially, the festival has been supported by individuals from across the Eau Claire area through donations, as well as sponsorships from larger institutions such as the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library. It also receives grants and larger donations from area organizations and foundations. The festival has welcomed several Wisconsin Poet Laureates, from 2004 onward. Beginning in the early 2010s, more nationally recognized writers were attracted to the festival, and in more recent years, the festival has even had international authors. Several Pulitzer Prize winners have attended, as well as recipients of other prestigious awards such as the Guggenheim Fellowship. The festival is committed to celebrating a wide variety of writers, from those honored at a national level to those whose works remain unpublished.

In 2019, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Foundation became the fiscal agent for the Chippewa Valley Book Festival, replacing the Eau Claire Regional Arts Council. 2020 was the only year since the festival’s beginning where the event did not occur, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed in 2021, with a mixture of virtual and in-person events. As of the 2024 festival, this format continues, albeit with larger numbers of in-person authors. Because of the availability of virtual platforms, the festival has been able to welcome authors from further afield, further diversifying its content. The Chippewa Valley Book Festival currently partners with the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and several other area schools and libraries. As of 2024, the current media partners of the festival are Volume One and Wisconsin Public Radio. As a result of these partnerships as well as other efforts, the festival is widely advertised around the Chippewa Valley area.