Now that I have recovered from my weekend adventure in Chicago, it's time to reflect on my very first BookCon experience.
This year, the BookCon lineup was pretty impressive, headlined by authors such as Alexandra Bracken, Leigh Bardugo, James Dashner, and so many more. McCormick Place was packed as thousands of people lined up to be a part of this massive gathering of book lovers, and my friend and I didn't really know what to expect when we arrived. It was a lot to take in as we got in line with hopes to meet our favorite authors and see all that BookCon had to offer.
I'm going to be totally honest about my experience, as there were things that I loved, but also things that left me feeling pretty disappointed. For anyone thinking of attending this event in the future, it will be helpful to have to have a realistic expectation and a better idea of what you're going to encounter. There are certainly some things I wish I would have known.
Let's start with the positive. Here's what I loved:
- It is always incredible to see the kind of following that young adult literature has. Seriously, there was an insane amount of people there, and it was awesome to see everyone so excited to meet the people who gave them their favorite characters and stories. Book lovers can always find something to bond over, whether it's a recent release or a beloved YA boy or a book that changed our lives. We're all here because we love the world of YA and we know how powerful it can be. As a writer, it was incredibly inspiring to be surrounded by passionate readers who have loyally supported this ever growing genre.
- We were able to meet Pierce Brown (author of the Red Rising trilogy) at his book signing, and it was by far the highlight of the day. Okay, yeah. He's absolutely adorable and that smile...well, anyways. He was so kind and gracious when meeting everyone, and made a point to spend time with every person who went through the line. My friend and I went up together, and he was just so easy to talk to and was more than willing to take pictures and listen to our rambling. We left his signing in a joyous daze. It was perfect.
- It can never be said that BookCon doesn't have a lot to offer. There was always something going on, with a diverse selection of panels and numerous in-booth signings along with the regular autograph sessions. It is impossible to get bored there with the enormous showroom filled with hundreds of different exhibitors. We were able to get deals on new books, pick up some arcs, and collect an ungodly amount of free tote bags. You could tell that all of the exhibitors were excited to be there and wanted to talk to you and get you involved.
- I just think it is really important that events like this exist. It's a chance for readers of any age to be in a place where you just can't help but feel a sense of belonging. I mean, there is a good chance that a lot of these people are just as introverted as I am, finding their solace and comfort within the pages of their books, and there's such a pure validation that comes with being in a room filled with a community like this one. It is a truly unique experience.
Okay. I have to get negative here for a second. Know that I'm not trying to bitch or throw any blame around. This is only what I observed as a first time attendee. Here is what I did not enjoy about BookCon:
- To be blunt, the event itself was a disorganized hot mess. From the moment we walked through the doors, there was no clear direction on where to go or what to do. I expected there to be a welcome table or staff or even a sign or two, but all we saw what a seemingly endless line filled with people who seemed to know something we didn't. Luckily, we ran into someone I knew, and she was able to give us some direction. But it didn't end there. Once we got through the line and got our wristbands for Pierce Brown's signing, there was no instruction whatsoever about what to do next. We ended up having to go all the way back to the end of the line in order to get in yet another line for the showroom. No one seemed to have a concrete answer to any of our questions, and we were entirely frustrated before the event even began. The showroom was equally disorganized, making it really difficult to navigate through. There were tons of lines, and some people didn't even know what they were waiting for.
- For the most part, the people working the event were extremely rude. I know that Chicago is very different from my Minnesota Nice home, but we were very taken aback by how impolite the staff was. We were yelled at and made to feel stupid when we were just trying to figure out what in the world we were supposed to do. It was just very unnecessary for us to be talked down to, especially since this in an event meant to celebrate storytelling and words. As far as I could see, all of the attendees were willing to follow direction (if there was any) and there was no reason for that kind of behavior.
- I think that everyone who pays to attend this event should have a chance to meet an author if they want to. We all had to wait in line to get wrist bands, which makes sense, but some people walked away with five or six wristbands while others weren't able to get any. There's nothing wrong with whole idea of first come, first served, but they could have made an effort to make things more fair.
- Lastly, it's important to understand that the author/reader relationship is very special, and also very different from a celebrity/fan relationship. I understand that this is an overwhelming situation and you can't just throw the authors into the crowd, but I felt as though some of the authors in attendance were put on an unnecessary pedestal. We're here because we love their work and want to be able to interact with them, and there were just so many limitations that kept us from doing that. We were turned away from getting a signed sample from Alexandra Bracken with no explanation from the staff. We just wanted to meet her and tell her how much we loved Liam, but we never got the chance. It just created a hindering separation between us and them, which is unfortunate because these authors were the main reason we were there.
Okay, enough complaining. Overall, I am very happy that I went and I appreciate the experience as a whole. If we go back, we'll have a much better idea of what to do and what to prepare for. You do have to put in a good amount of effort and patience into getting the most out of it, but it's definitely an adventure worth taking.
