This year I was able to score a late ticket to Book Bonanza in Grapevine, Texas. This was the fourth book signing I have attended in the last 12 months and it was by far the largest. I heard it being compared to the Super Bowl of book signings and I can definitely understand why. With over 180 authors, multiple vendors, and more than 20 narrators it is big all by itself. When you consider over 1800 attendees, it makes it downright huge. I will be honest, I was a little intimidated. Yet it was something I wanted to experience and I was missing my book friends. So when I got a ticket, I bought a plane ticket, and off I went.
I love the charitable focus of Book Bonanza. Here is a little about the event:
What is Book Bonanza?
Book Bonanza is the creation of Author Colleen Hoover and her sisters, Lin Reynolds and Murphy Rae. They dreamed of an event where readers could meet their favorite authors and also raise money for charity. The first Book Bonanza was held in Denver, Colorado and raised over $50,000 for SafeHouse Denver. Over 140 authors signed and 2,200 people converged on the Denver Marriott Tech Center for a weekend of books, unicorns, food trucks and fun. Book Bonanza 2019 was held at the Gaylord Texan and raised over $75,000 for the following nonprofits: Akola Academy, Kulture City, To Write Love on Her Arms, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, The Wayfarer Foundation, and Shadow Ranch.
Who attends Book Bonanza?
Book Bonanza is for anyone who love to read and has a heart! Book Bonanza proceeds will benefit buildOn this year as we raise funds to build a school in Malawi. We believe in Good Deeds & Great Reads!
The schedule at Book Bonanza was packed almost from the moment I arrived. A book friend I met at Indies Invade Philly had offered to pick me up at the airport. Once we made it to the Gaylord Resort, I was able to drop my bags in her room while we had lunch and registered. By that time, I had met up with my roommate. Another reader, who I met at Holidays with the Belles in Dallas last fall, had reached out to me when she saw I got a ticket and offered to share her hotel room. It was so generous of her and staying on site of a book event is the best for meeting up with people and even running into folks away from the event.
Though the traditional day of service was canceled this year, several groups had meet ups on Thursday evening prior to the Dangerous Press party. I had been invited to an influencer meet an greet put on by Valentine PR and Greys Promotions. It was wonderful to meet people I have emailed with and see others who promote books. I was truly inspired by the young women who have taken to TikTok and I may have to figure out how to add that into my day.
Strategy is an important part of this weekend. Knowing which authors it was important for me to meet helped me focus my strategy for obtaining wristbands as well as mapping out my routes to meet authors. I put a few hours of effort into my plan. On day two, I refined my plan and focused on meeting authors I had not met before. I had a beautiful color coded map of priority meets, and then secondary new-to-me authors I wanted to meet after seeing them in the panels. Ironically, I lost my map between authors 2 & 3 for the day. I guess it was meant to be. I focused on empty lines and authors I remembered from my list. K.K. Allen assured me that I wasn't supposed to have a plan that day, and I think she was right.
I was able to attend several panels and I am so glad I did. I feel like I got to know not only some of my favorites better, but also got to know authors I had not read before. It made me add several to my already ridiculous TBR, but so be it. Authors like Daryl Banner, Kelly Elliot, LB Dunbar, Catherine Cowles, Ruth Cardello, and Nana Malone (to name a few) were all moved up my priority list because of the interactions of the authors on the panels.
Readers were allowed to line up in the next room two hours prior to the event. There were a lot of people and a concrete floor which made for a very loud environment. Because we were only about seven rows in, I was able to do well obtaining my wristbands. I used a lot of those. On day two, when I refocused on authors I had not met, I was able to share some of those with another reader who had not been able to obtain any wristbands and had not met several of my favorites. I was just thankful that they would be used. As I made my way through the event, I was able to see several authors. Many of them had been wrist banded, and some of those had no lines. For example, I did not get a wristband to see Anna Todd, yet I still met her because there was no line when I got to her table. Others, like Penelope Douglas and Penny Reid, had long lines through both days of the event. Even though I had wristbands for both of them, I made a choice not to stand in their lines and to instead use that time to meet many other authors without lines. As a result, I was able to meet and get signatures from 108 authors and 17 narrators over the course of the two days of the signing.
I didn't do a great job getting pictures of everyone but here are a few of my favorites. These four authors were on my MUST SEE list. I had met Max Monroe before, but I had a pre-order with them. Of all of the signing authors, they were also the only ones that I am a member of their ARC team. Jana Aston and Helena Hunting are some of my binge reading favorites. Karina Halle won me over several years ago with her Nordic Royals series. (She told me another book in that series is coming. Shhhhhhhh.)
Avery Flynn was on my MUST SEE list. I adore her writing and the banter in her books. Carrie Ann Ryan, Dylan Allen, and Corinne Michaels are all authors I admire and I have had their books on my TBR for too long without reading them. That will need to change soon.
Adriana Locke is one of my favorites and I was thrilled to finally meet her in person since she was another on my MUST SEE list. Molly McAdams has been on my kindle waiting patiently since last fall. (*sigh*). I own several T.K. Leigh books but at this point I have not read any of them. (I know. I know.) Red Phoenix was completely new to me. Her books intrigue me and her look is fabulous. It was a pleasure to meet her: she was friendly and kind to a reader who knew nothing about her.
One of the highlights of the weekend was meeting Kennedy Ryan. She was another MUST SEE author and we had an unexpectedly emotional moment when I met her. What a wonderful lady.
One of the things I love best about book signings is that authors attend as readers too. I was very excited to meet an author I ARC for and who I have been following from the beginning of her career. Harlow James was there as a reader and I got to have meals, drinks, and attend a panel with her. She was fabulous and I loved hanging out with her. This was taken at the Dangerous Press Fairy Tale Costume Gala on Thursday night. If you could not guess, I am "funky" Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Harlow is Miss Spelled.
Reconnecting with other readers I met at previous signings and meeting new reader friends is one of the best things about attending book signings. These are my people. I love running into people I have only "met" before on line and getting to know them better. Some of my book friends have become more of real friends than people I have known a long time. The love we share of reading and romance bonds us together like nothing else can.
So, apparently the ribbons are a big thing at Book Bonanza. I was able to collect enough that they reached the floor easily and made it tough to walk.
Since I was flying, I had to watch my book purchases. There was a FedEx shipping option, but I wanted to try to keep in in my suitcase and carry on if possible. I did, but just barely. Both my checked bag and my carry on weighed in at just under the 50 lb. limit. I also had a backpack that was stuffed full. Over the course of the weekend, my book cart handle finally bent more than it had in Philly. I abandoned it in the hotel when I packed, or I would not have been able to get everything in my suitcases. Now I need to consider a new book cart. Maybe I will get one I can sit on with a lid that doubles as a seat. That would be very convenient. My only concern is weight and space since I fly to most of these things.
I had only preordered five books. I took 3 from home and made book plates for 7 I had at home I wanted to get narrators to sign. I wasn't sure how the narrators would feel about this but they seemed to like the idea. While Zachary Webber was signing the three book plates I had for him, he commented that "it was a really f&c#!*g smart idea" to use the book plates. I also took a signing book. In the past I have had an art piece that I had signed. I knew there was no way I could get all the signatures on one board so I opted for a sketch/journal book instead. It worked out great. My plan is to put stickers and such from each of the authors who signed it on their pages.
There were a few books I knew I wanted to buy from author tables that I missed the preorder deadlines to get. I also knew there would be a few I picked up after connecting with authors during the signing. What I didn't really anticipate was the number of free books I would obtain. There were several in my swag bag which I picked up at registration. Many of those I was able to have signed. There were also extra books given out free at the end of the event. I was unable to get signed, but maybe next time. Ruth Cardello was giving away a free book at her table, so of course I took that. When I met Devney Perry/Willa Nash and raved about her Holiday Brothers series that we read in book club, she quickly signed and handed me a copy of my favorite from the series. Liv Morris gave me Daddy Issues after I told her how much I adored the characters in Bossy Nights but that I hadn't read book two yet. Terri E. Laine and M.E. Montgomery also gifted me novellas that I am dying to read.
I also brought home an enormous amount of swag.
This was a super fun weekend and I learned a lot in the process of attending such a big signing.
This year having preordered meals was a new option. It was economical and time efficient and it worked out very well for me. I know other readers who did not have the preordered meals that waited a long time to get their dinner. The quality of the food was good and it helps that I am not a picky eater because options were a little limited on the preordered meals.
The rush for wrist bands may not have been worth the stress in getting them. As I mentioned before, many wrist banded authors ended up not having big lines. Of course there were exceptions to that.
The panels were just as valuable to me as the signing. Getting to know new authors and watching the authors interact with each other was some of the best kind of fun.
The parties were very entertaining. There are some very creative people among us who went all-out with costumes or shared their talent during karaoke night.
The reader and author community takes care of each other. When Amy Daws had to leave a little early to go home for a family emergency, she made time to make sure readers with preorders were able to still meet her before she left. The outpouring of love toward her the next day after we all learned of her father's passing was immense and I hope she felt it. I would also like to note that I did not hear one person complain when she had to go early. We all supported her in that.
Some of the authors did pack up and take off a little early on day two, and that was a little disappointing. I wasn't the only one running around trying to get in those last few author meets before the end of the signing. I would like to thank B.B. Easton, Staci Hart, and Jiffy Kate for being among those who stayed till the very end to meet us as we ran around. I would also like to make a special mention Penny Reid who stayed an hour past the end of the signing to meet all the people in her line.
Most of the readers and all of the authors I met were kind and gracious. In a crowd that big, there are bound to be exceptions. My only really negative experience this weekend was when some readers sat behind me in a panel and rudely had a conversation and kept whispering to the point I could not hear the authors on the panel. There was also a reader in line who felt like it was her job to scream loudly at everyone else to shut up. Other than those two instances, I felt like the weekend was a very positive experience. The hotel is enormous and the staff were all very polite and professional. The event space was well used and easy to move around in despite the crowd. The preparation involved and the number of volunteers it takes to put on an event this size is incredible. There were also a lot of bathrooms and water stations and that was something I definitely appreciated.
Would I do it again? Absolutely! Though I am trying to convince my hubby that he needs to come and be my emotional support/pack husband in 2023.
What a wonderful experience!
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