YALC 2022 ������������

 

���Perhaps that is the best way to say it: printed books are magical.���

��� Jen Campbell

One week ago, at the Young Adult Literature Convention in London, there was definitely more than a little magic in the air ���. A shared love of stories and the characters that bring those stories to life is a powerful thing. Not to mention the piles of stunningly beautiful books���so much choice!���alongside book-related activities and creative merchandising. And finally, the real-life authors who came along to share their writing experiences, meet their readers, and sign hundreds and hundreds of books.

YALC 2022 was the first book event I've ever attended (and hopefully not the last!). I was there on Sunday 10th July with my two daughters, and today's blog post contains my top three takeaways from an amazing day.

1������ Books, books, books
I expected to leave with a few new books, but my TBR list is pretty long already, and there's a limit to how many books a person can carry, right? Well, I wildly underestimated how quickly *a few* would turn into *you're going to need a new bookshelf when you get home* ����
But I have no regrets. YALC is basically book heaven, and here are ten reasons why:

Everything is about books, and everyone you meet loves books


It's the biggest and best selection of YA books I've ever seen in one placePeople running the publishers' stands were really helpful with recommendations. They knew everything there was to know about the books on their tablesCover art ���� 


Book confessions at Harper Voyager (we had a lot of fun with these ���)


Readymade Bookstagram layout at Hodderscape


Lots and lots of competitions (treasure hunts, colouring, raffles...)Many of the books were signed by the authorBargain prices (think half price or less)Free proof copies

2������ Authors are awesome
A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post about Beauty and the Beast retellings and I discovered Brigid Kemmerer. Her books are awesome, and meeting her at YALC was one of the highlights of our day ����.

All of the authors we met were super friendly and patient. I guess it goes without saying that the chance to talk about your favourite characters with the person who actually created them is kind of amazing, but even so, it exceeded our expectations.

3������ A little planning goes a long way

We arrived early (8.15am when the official opening time was 9.00am), and I think that really helped. Not only did we avoid the queues, but the tickets for author signings were handed out right at the beginning of the event, and some of them disappeared very fast. Also, the timetable of panels and workshops is very full, so if you know which ones you want to attend before you get there, you can schedule the rest of your day around them. Then all you have to do is enjoy the experience ���. 

If you've found your way to my blog, you may know that I write a bit too, so I thought I'd close this post with a writing update. Averine's story (book four in Beyond Androva) is in progress, and I'm just figuring out the game of Truth or Dare that Kellan refers to in book three. Here's a small preview:

It tookall of my concentration to keep my expression neutral. I wasn���t going to makethis easy for him.
���I thinkthat���s another point to me,��� I said.
���What aboutmy question?���
���I���ll considerit,��� I said. ���Truth or Dare.���
Hestared at me for a moment. ���You���re really not going to answer?���
���No.���

Have you ever been to a book event like YALC? And if so, how do you manage your TBR list after discovering so many new books?! Thank you very much for visiting my blog today ����.