Roz MacLaren

YALC is one of my favourite literary events of year. But it can be overwhelming – particularly if it’s your first time going. Here are my top tips to get the most out of your YALC.

What to take

This is my list of YALC essentials:

• Comfy shoes. I cannot stress this enough. YALC is essentially a great square and you’ll need to walk around (can you walk around a square??) several times to see everything. I wore boots this year. I regret it. Don’t be like me. Bring trainers!
• Water. Hydration is key.
• Bags/totes/trolleys/suitcases/receptacles for books. I usually bring two suitcases – pretty easy for lugging on and off the tube.
• A printed map of the area. (See further down for map information). This isn’t super essential as there should be printed maps up on some of the screens for you to peruse if you need to, but it is quite handy to have.
• Phone charger/battery bank. Absolutely essential. My recommendation is to go with a battery bank as wall sockets seem to be in short supply at YALC. In other words, you won’t be able to charge your phone very easily.

Getting there

I’ve only ever gone on the train – which I’ve found to be pretty easy. You want the Kensington Olympia station, which will drop you off directly outside Olympia.

When you arrive, just remember “Comicon go left, YALC go right”. You’ll walk through the street and round the building to arrive in a kind of warehouse-like area. This is where you’ll get your bags checked and queue.

At any point, the friendly members of staff are there to point you in the right direction (as they have had to do with me many times.)

What to do first?

My top tip is follow the publishers’ social medias prior to the event. They’ll often give you advance warning of giveaways they plan to run. You can then make a list of anything you absolutely don’t want to miss.

Be sure to follow YALC’s socials as well! They’ll post the map in advance so you can figure out who will be where.

Again, if you haven’t been before, it will be quite hard to visualise. But once you’re there, it should make sense.

What is there to do at YALC?

Shop books at bargain prices

I’m led to believe it’s a prerequisite of attending YALC that all books for sale have to be discounted from their RRP. So snag a bargain! There are lots of stands by big name publishers, as well as Fairyloot, Kingdom Book Designs and more.

Speak to agents

The agents will be at the 1-2-1 desks. Don’t be like me and think you can just rock up and speak to one; you have to sign up first. There should be a clipboard with a schedule on it somewhere near the 1-2-1 desks. Find it, add your name and be sure to set an alarm so you don’t get distracted by books and miss your slot.

Book signing events

Prior to YALC, they’ll publish the list of attending authors. Bring along your books and get them signed by your favourite writers. In my experience, it’s always at the area pictured above and is quite easy to find. (I have never done this so can’t offer any meaningful advice so let’s swiftly move on).

Meet indie authors

The second ever Inspiring Indies zone was even bigger and better than last year.

Top reasons to come and see us:

• I can vouch for the fact that indie authors will be only too happy to sign and personalise your books.
• There probably won’t be a massive queue to speak to us.
• We write unconstrained by the fetters and whims of publishing trends. Which is basically a pretentious way of saying you might find something new and unexpected among our titles.
• You’ll get to see my sparkly Rosa Bloom jumpsuit in all its shimmering wonder. (Probably not the one in the picture. It’s getting a little threadbare. Or sequinbare.)

The iconic YALC sign

You need to get your picture taken on the red carpet by the YALC sign. And, right next to the sign, is where you can buy YALC totes and merchandise.

Panels and workshops

Check out the YALC timetable for details of panels and workshops. You have my sympathies if there’s a clash.

I’m already excited for YALC 2026. Will you be there?

It’s been an incredible first day at YALC!

From kicking off the day with a 6:30am start, I quickly set up camp in the Inspiring Indies zone and arranged my stall.

This year, I had four books to sell – and I was shocked and thrilled to sell out of Venom and Blaze before the afternoon was over! Fable and Legend, City and Shadow and January are all still available at the Inspiring Indies zone – so if you’re at YALC tomorrow, come and grab one. I should be floating around in the general area to sign one for you.

I was thrilled to share my slot with Marie Voinson, author of Us Against The Likes. Marie is just the loveliest person and her story about sisterhood and finding your place in the world is simply beautiful.

It really felt like being reunited with family. Some of the original Inspiring Indies from last year came back for more – including Kiera Nixon, Sara Sultane and John Tarrow. We were joined by lovely new faces, like Luke O’Connor, S. J. Clarke, Emma Whitehall, Alex Darkfell and Kestral Gaian.

My slot ended at 1pm, and then it was immediately over to the panel to discuss Breaking The Rules – The Rise Of The Indie YA Rebel. The room was packed (which was lovely but did nothing to assuage my deep discomfort at speaking in public!) and the answers from my fellow authors were fabulous. I learned so much just from listening to them. The intelligent questions from the audience were deeply insightful and made us think too – so it was one of the most rewarding panels I’ve been part of.

I also met the amazing team behind UKYA spotlight. Their non-profit organisation does so much to publicise UK YA authors and it was great to put faces to the names. I also learned it’s surprisingly hard to sign a T-shirt with a Sharpie…

Do it all again tomorrow

Sunday Panel – Indie Author Life

Join us for Indie Author Life: What They Don’t Tell You About Going Solo.

It’s on from 4-5pm.

Come and see me and:

• Kiera Nixon
• SJ Clarke
• John Tarrow

From 1:30 until 6pm, you’ll get the chance to meet John Tarrow (who is also participating in a workshop at 1pm), S. J. Clarke and Kestral Gaian.

The authors taking over the bookseller stand will be:

• John Tarrow 11-12
• Kerry Williams 12-1
• Becky Jones 1-2

I’ll also be floating around in the general vicinity of the Inspiring Indies zone – as well as circulating around the other amazing stands I didn’t get the chance to see on the first day. You’ll probably see me – I do an excellent impression of a human disco ball.

Are you coming tomorrow? Let me know in the comments!

The Young Adult Literature Convention is FOUR DAYS AWAY! I’ll be joining several other indie authors in our very own stand. This means you can:

• come and get your books signed and personalised
• participate in exciting giveaways
• snag epic merch
• meet indie authors in person and chat all things books

Tickets, please…

It’s not too late to grab your ticket for YALC.

I found getting tickets a little confusing, so here’s a few instructions which you can scroll past if you’re more tech savvy than I am!

• Click the link below. Don’t worry about the fact that it seems to take you to the London Comic Con website and not YALC (this threw me off at first!)
• Click ‘Get Tickets’.
• Scroll down the list of options until you get to YALC. You can choose to buy a Saturday ticket, a Sunday ticket or weekend entry (you need to scroll slightly further down to see this).
• Your YALC ticket will also gain you access to the London Comic Con, so it’s well worth doing. Also, David Tennant will be there. You can buy a ticket for a photoshoot with him.

Inspiring Indies zone

The Inspiring Indies zone is in the bottom left corner – so come and see us!

Here’s what you can expect:

Author appearances

Saturday morning

From 9am until 1pm on Saturday morning, I’ll have my own dedicated stand. This is the best time to come and chat to me, get your books signed, participate in my extra-special giveaways, snag some free merch and your exclusive opportunity to join my Street Team.

I’ll be accompanied by my lovely author friend, Marie Voinson. Marie is the author of Us Against The Likes, a gorgeous novel about the bond between sisters. Joining us will be fellow indie author, S. J. Clarke.

You’ll also get the chance to see some of the indie authors taking over the bookseller stand. Come and meet:

• Kiera Nixon 11-12
• Emma Whitehall 1-2

Saturday afternoon

The authors on the stand are Luke O’Connell, S. J. Clarke and Kestral Gain.

On the bookseller stand will be:

• Alex Darkfell 2-3
• Sara Sultane 3-4

Sunday morning

The authors appearing on the stand will be S. J. Clarke, Daniella Draven and Emma Whitehall. Catch up with them from 9am until 1pm.

John Tarrow will be on the bookseller stand.

Sunday afternoon

From 1:30 until 6pm, you’ll get the chance to meet John Tarrow (who is also participating in a workshop at 1pm), S. J. Clarke and Kestral Gaian.

The authors taking over the bookseller stand will be:

• John Tarrow 11-12
• Kerry Williams 12-1
• Becky Jones 1-2

The Inspiring Indie panels

Helen Lewis, Director of Literally PR, is going to chair two awesome panels. I’ll be participating in both of them, so here’s when you can come and see us. This is a very special chance to hear from real life indie authors about their experiences. I see this as a lovely chance to encourage aspiring authors to think about the direction they want to go in; not just for their books but for their careers.

Saturday Panel – Breaking The Rules

Join us for Breaking The Rules – The Rise Of The Indie YA Rebel.

It’s on from 1-2pm.

I’ll be joined by the following authors, including two familiar faces you might recognise from last year’s YALC:

• Kiera Nixon
• Kestral Gaian
• Luke O’Connell
• Sara Sultane

Sunday Panel – Indie Author Life

Join us for Indie Author Life: What They Don’t Tell You About Going Solo.

It’s on from 4-5pm.

Come and see me and:

• Kiera Nixon
• SJ Clarke
• John Tarrow

Roz MacLaren at YALC

I’ve got plans. Big ones.

I’ll be running a couple of fun competitions and giveaways.

You’ll also have an exclusive chance to join my Street Team and win yourself a phenomenal prize.

This is the perfect chance to shop all four of my books and get them signed and personalised.

Plus, you’ll be able to snag exclusive merch, including very special, limited-edition postcards with this gorgeous portrait of City and Shadow.

Will you be joining us at YALC? What are you most excited to see? Let me know in the comments.