At the beginning of September, I went to my first book signing convention. The Romance Authors and Readers Events are some of the biggest in the romance literature world. It’s such a big deal that they release the tickets months in advance and on the morning they’re released it’s like trying to get concert tickets.
I found out about RARE about a year ago. There were at least half a dozen authors scheduled to be there that I really liked. It was in Edinburgh, which is easy for me to get to on the train. So, I decided that when the tickets were released I’d attempt to get one. I did manage it, and I went to the event.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I had a really good time. For those of you who don’t know about these events, but would like to, read on.
RARE is huge. It takes place over several days in a conference or exhibition centre in a major city. (I know of London, Paris and Edinburgh, there might be more.) Hundreds of romance authors are there. They sit at tables with piles of books, pretty posters and lots of lovely things to give to their readers. They sign books that you buy or bring, but they’ll also sign non-book items if you ask nicely. As I’m a wheelchair user, carrying around piles of books is not practical for me. I also read almost exclusively on my eReader. So I asked authors to sign pretty pieces of paper that I will put into a scrapbook. Some people bring tote bags, canvases, posters etc. for authors to sign.
It’s very busy and can be a bit overwhelming at first. The event is well organised, with maps of where the the authors will be sat available in advance. There are plenty of places to relax and take a time-out. There is free water available. Staff and volunteers are everywhere and are very kind and helpful.
Part of the fun is meeting other romance readers. To facilitate meeting and chatting, quite a lot of people bring things to trade with other visitors. I didn’t know about this at the time. However, traders are very kind and will often give you an item even if you have nothing to swap with them. The most common items I saw were: bead bracelets, bookmarks and sweet treats. The latter were usually sourced from the hometown or country that the trader is from. A few more unusual items I saw were: tiny rubber ducks, squishy toys in the shape of Kawaii penises and crocheted flowers.
I wish I’d known about the trading in advance, but I do now, so I’ll be prepared next time. I’m going to ShiMMer 25, which is a reading event specifically for authors and fans of MM romance. It’s at the end of June next year, and I’ve already started making my trade items. You can see what I’m making in the picture here. (It's a teeny tiny replica of my book!)
I had a wonderful time at RARE, I made friends with authors and readers, and learnt a lot about the industry. I definitely want to go to more conventions, but I think in the future I’ll probably stick to those dedicated to the readers and writers of LGBTQ fiction. As well as ShiMMer next year, I’m also hoping to attend the Indie Pride Book Con in Manchester.
Who knows? Maybe one day, I’ll attend one of these events as an author. A girl can dream.
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