Hey, has anyone here ever attended a book event? Any kind of book event: author signing, live podcast, book festival, or book convention? Every single time I think about the possibility of signing up for an event, there are two thoughts that go through my head: one, that would be so incredibly fun, and, two, omglotsofpeople/walking/money…scary. So. I’m conflicted.

Here’s the crux of it, I want to know if it’s worth all of the scary, you know? I read that there was an event out in Denver this year that was a complete disaster. There was no line control, so people waited for hours just to register, not to mention the book signings. There was a lack of communication, so people missed the author talks because rooms changed last minute and no one knew about it. There was lack of security; random people snuck into events and harassed the event goers. Like, bad stuff. Imagine spending your hard earned money on tickets and accommodations and this is what you get? But then again, there are tons of events that people love attending year after year that are well run.

Maybe it’s just one of those things that I need to bite the bullet and try. There are two events that I’m especially interested in. The first is Fated Mates Live in New York. This is a one-day event, run by Jen Prokop and Sarah MacLean, the hosts of the podcast Fated Mates. From what I understand, they basically do their podcast live on stage with author talks intermingled in their normal banter. Then there are book signings afterwards. It takes place at a historical hotel, so that seems like fun. I don’t know. It feels like a good way to dip my toe into it, since New York isn’t that far away from where I live and it’s only a one-day event – one evening, actually.

The other event is Apollycon in Washington DC. This is a multi-day convention held at a huge hotel/convention center. There are author talks, book signings, and social events. It’s hosted by Jennifer L. Armentrout, one of the first romance authors, who’s books got me into reading this genre. At the same time, though, it’s definitely high on the scary side, since it’s such a large event. It’s incredibly difficult to get tickets, so my thought was that I would do my best to queue up as soon as the event site becomes available and if I get tickets, then it’s meant to be. If not, it’s fine. One of my best friends lives in DC, so it would be fun to see her and it would give me a ton of content for this blog.

Anyway, if you all have attended a book event, let me know! Should I go? Is it worth it?