YALC, the young adult literature convention, the event we book bloggers look forward to each year. This is based in London and hosts hundreds of book lovers each year on the top floor of ComicCon. Sadly 2020 sees a year without YALC thanks for COVID, but to reminisce on the YALCs of book lover’s past, I’m here with my top ten reasons as to why it makes my heart happy.
This year I’m lucky enough to be nominated for the UKYA Blogging Award for Best Established which is so exciting! Last year I won the award for Most Inspirational which was insane, so I feel even more touched to be nominated for another award this year. As part of the absent YALC celebrations, UKYABA has asked us nominees to get together and post out some YALC related blog posts. I wanted to write about why I think YALC is such a fantastic event, filled with so many memories.
1. Being surrounded by people who share my interests for a whole weekend!
One of the very best things about YALC is for three days you are in a giant room of people who all love books just as much as you. You can talk about your favourite characters and they’ll actually know who you’re going on about! It’s such a good feeling to be in this environment and it always makes me feel super proud to be involved in the book community.
The moment the lifts open at YALC and you’re met with a busy room of bustling bibliophiles, you can’t help but smile. That is always the first memory I think about when YALC approaches nearer.
2. Making new bookish friends
And of course, you don’t meet loads of bookish humans without picking up a few friends along the way. I have met some of my best friends at YALC. Some of them, people I’ve spoken to a lot online and some of them, people I just met whilst queueing for a book signing. I am a newly discovered extrovert so I love being able to natter away to people and make new friends whilst waiting in line or resting on the floor from a busy day of chasing after books.
3. The evening shenanigans with friends
I’m trying to work this into some sort of a relevant order, so once I have my bookish friends, I love being able to have fun exploring in the evenings. Sure this isn’t technically at YALC, but it’s one of my favourite parts of the weekend, so I’m going to mention it. I love that for three/four days I can feel a little bit like I’m back at uni. We can go out for dinner and drinks, spend time chilling in each other’s hotel rooms, laugh and joke around. I genuinely think the whole experience of YALC is just so good for my soul and makes me feel so full and happy!
4. The actual books themselves
Okay back on track with actual YALC related things now. The venue for YALC is essentially rows upon rows of publisher’s stands selling all sorts of books from YA fantasy to YA contemporary. It is a zone of reading, discovery and adventures. There are so many stories to choose from and discover and I always find myself picking up new types of stories at YALC.
5. Being able to form personal relationships with publishers
If you’re a book blogger and you’ve chatted over email to certain people in publishing houses, this is your chance to meet them in person. I love making a personal connection with publishers and being able to introduce myself properly, face to face. This also gives you a chance to chat with them about the books you’re interested in and find out about upcoming release you’ll be desperate to get your hands on.
6. Getting early releases (ARCs) of upcoming books
The format of how this happens changes every year, with a more common method being a raffle or email list competition. But you can bet most of the publishers at YALC will be hosting some sort of ARC giveaway or two over the weekend. Is there any better time to get more hyped about a book than when you and hundreds of other bloggers are all queueing desperate to win a copy?
In the past ARC competitions I’ve enjoyed have been:
- Trying to find bats hidden around the venue
- An Instagram photo competition featuring the book
- A dance contest (of sorts)
- A good old fashioned raffle
7. Meeting your favourite authors
Meeting the author that wrote the world that stole you away and captured your heart is always going to be a big moment. YALC is a hub of authors talking on panels, walking the floor and signing books. There are so many amazing authors booked in each year and it just gets better and better! I’ve queued for many hours to meet some of my favourites and it’s always worth it to thank them for their work and received a signature in my books.
Some of my favourite authors to meet have been:
- Victoria Schwab
- Samantha Shannon
- Laini Taylor
- Anna James
- Tomi Adeyemi
8. All the bookish merch!
I think I went a bit bookish merch nuts at my first ever YALC and came home with more totes that I will ever need and enough bookmarks and badges to last me a lifetime. I’ve tried to be more reserved now, but there are some really quality items at YALC each year. With stalls like FairyLoot and Illumicrate having box merch for sale and also other stalls selling candles and book sleeves, there’s a lot of choices to spoil yourself with!
9. Panels on all sorts of topics, featuring all sorts of authors
All throughout the YALC weekend, there are panels being hosted talking about writing techniques, characters, plot, all sorts! These are free to attend and happen every hour or so. This adds another dimension to the YALC experience and gives valuable insight into the techniques some of these writers use. I love the variety of these panels and how you can dip into the ones of the choosing and come out with an hours worth of knowledge you hadn’t thought about before.
10. Finally, the UKYA Blogging Awards
I couldn’t write a whole post in honour of UKYABA and YALC without mentioning the amazing awards that were hosted last year. At YALC 2019 I had the pleasure of talking on a panel about content creation and answering questions from you guys, which was honestly the best. I loved being able to share my knowledge and experience whilst also chatting with fellow bloggers on the panel too.
This was followed by the awards ceremony in the evening which was so excited. When my name was called for Most Inspirational I felt so overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. The whole experience left me buzzing all weekend and feeling full to the brim with happiness.
I’m sad we won’t get the experience of YALC this year, but I’m happy to have my memories to look back on and next year to look forward to. Bring on YALC 2021!
OMG I am in your first picture!!!! From the back in white with the white short and my old logo on the back! That’s too funny 🙂 And I agree with everything. I miss it so much this year!
I actually had no idea that an event of this scale existed for bloggers and it sounds absolutely amazing! I can see why you received the award for Most Inspirational – I already feel inspired to blog more and participate more in bookish events (both online and in-person). Hopefully, YALC will be held next year and I will be able to attend!
Great post!