YALC

The weekend of the 12th-13th July 2014 saw the first ever YA book convention in the UK, the curator Malorie Blackman, author of Noughts and Crosses and Pigboy and many other authors including, New York Times Best Seller Rainbow Rowell, author of Fangirl and Eleanor and Park, teamed together to introduce a way of giving British YA readers a chance to meet authors, attend panels and talk to publishers.

The event was held in conjunction with London Film and Comic Con (which you can read my thoughts about here) and although the YALC section only got a corner in the massive convention centre it was clear that Showmasters, the organisers of LFCC, seriously underestimated the popularity of YALC. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a an annual convention for YA readers in the UK, after all the US has BEA (Book Expo America) among many others so I think its about time that the UK had a convention for ourselves.

I only attended the Saturday of the convention but I managed to get books signed by Rainbow Rowell, Lucy Saxon and Malorie Blackman, although I could have met many more my legs had given up on me by then. I also didn't get to see any of the panels because of either being in a queue or exploring the convention centre, however, next year, if there is another YALC convention, which only seems necessary after the huge success of this year, I will certainly make sure I attend at least one panel.

There was a huge array of books on sale from stands such as Books With Bite, Hot Key Books and Waterstones just to name a few, all offering tote bags and posters and books galore. I came away with four tote bags filled with books and a few were even signed! All of the sellers and publishers on the stands were incredibly friendly and excited to talk about books with you.

The books that I brought with me to be signed:

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Take Back the Skies by Lucy Saxon

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Books I brought at the convention:

Collectors edition of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (which I got signed)
Knife Edge by Malorie Blackman (which I got signed for a friend)
We Were Liars by E Lockhart
The Duff by Kody Keplinger
Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski
The Amulet of Samarkand (graphic novel) Adapted by Jonathan Stroud and Andrew Donkin
Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston
Slated by Terry Teri (which was pre signed)
Vivatera and Coniectrix by Candace J. Thomas (which was pre signed, I also got a free poster with the two books that was signed)

I think I was pretty restrained all things considered! I am very excited about all of these books and I am pleased to say that all of the authors that I met were incredibly friendly and seemed excited to meet their fans. It was amazing to be amongst other people who shared the same passion for books as myself. One thing is for certain, if there is a YALC next year, my name will be the first on that list!