“Romantasy” is a book genre that has been taking the world by storm. Titles like Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses are landing on many bookshelves. The genre blends both romance and fantasy, and has both men and women looking for the next big series. However, a fantasy romance novel festival in Maryland that was supposed to bring joy and excitement to the lives of fans ended up being nothing more than a total bust, and people are baffled.
The A Million Lives Book Festival is now being deemed the ‘Fyre Festival of BookTok.’ Fyre Festival was held in 2017 and was promoted as a luxury experience for fans of music. Its organizer was eventually sentenced to jail time for fraud. The romantasy festival, which promised attendees author panels, cosplay, and an enormous vendor hall, fell completely short of its mark. It only sold around 30 tickets!
Stephanie Combs, an attendee and author, took to social media to poke fun at the severe lack of fun. In the video, she and her friends can be seen walking through the hotel lobby in their perfectly curated ball gowns, prepared for the time of their lives. She posted, “When you’re going to a bookish fantasy-themed ball and this is what you get.” The author showed that there were horrifically empty tables everywhere and, worst of all, a lack of books.
Stephanie continued on in her oddly-hilarious TikTok post, “When you gotta laugh so you don’t cry. A million lives or a million lies? I was an attending author… at least we looked fantastic.” Another author, Perci Jay, purchased a $250 ticket that was supposed to include much more than it actually did. Did I mention food was not included? You had to purchase any food and drinks at a cash bar. And the music? It was “blasting” out of a tiny speaker, held by a security guard.
Authors who attended the event in Maryland were expecting to make some sales. They were told by organizers that over 600 tickets were sold for the event. As a result, authors turned to social media to blast the malnourished festival. Some didn’t make a single sale! Author Kait Disney-Leugers, stunned, shared, “I barely made enough to cover my f*****g parking for two days.”
Unfortunately, some promises that were not kept felt downright scammy. One author was told she would receive a hotel room covered in her ticket, but was later asked to pay for her own room at a totally different hotel. Grave Willows, the lead organizer of the event, attempted to apologize to authors and attendees. She said, “I am wanting to issue a formal apology. I do understand that the ball tonight was not set up to standard.”
Willows went on to say, “If you would like a refund, please contact me and I will issue a refund immediately.” That’s fine, but it’s the bare minimum. What about the fact that authors were put out in the first place? Imagine booking a trip to Maryland to attend a ‘romance novel festival’romantasy’ festival, in hopes of getting your book off the ground.
It can be downright difficult to make book sales, and there are many considerations to be made for those who want to participate in these types of events. With books gaining more popularity than ever on BookTok and other social media outlets, I hope that there are plenty of successful events for book lovers in the future.
