Roz MacLaren

Nine authors, hundreds of visitors and more than £1200 of book sales later, the new #InspiringIndies zone at the Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) has been praised as a “resounding success” by all involved.

Throughout the two days (16-17 November) in Olympia, London, there was a hugely positive vibe around the new #InspiringIndies zone created by leading book marketing and author branding agency LitPR.

There was something for every reader, with nine authors doing ‘meet and greets’, many of whom got to sell and sign their books for the first time, plenty of giveaways and goodies for readers, hundreds of book sales, two industry arena discussions starring some of the authors demystifying the indie publishing journey, lots of selfies and plenty of laughs.

Helen Lewis, founder of LitPR and creator of the #InspiringIndies zone at YALC, said: “At LitPR we are on a mission to level the playing field between indie and trad publishing from the perspective of marketing, sales, branding, promotion, and events opportunities by 2030. YALC has always been an inclusive, fun event in publishing, and it made sense that we’d work together to create an inclusive, fun #InspiringIndies zone for their 10th year. However, I had no idea that it would be so well received, not just by authors but by the YALCies! We had people running over saying they were so happy to see us there, that they’d come to see us first because they love indie authors, and there was so much positive feedback. What really stunned me though was the amount of book sales we made for our indies. I had no expectations other than from a brand building perspective, but to see the books flying off the proverbial shelf and then excited readers lining up to get them signed, made me so proud. It shows that there really is a space for indies at mainstream publishing events – and a demand for indies’ creativity, passion and beautiful books.”

Zoe Finch at YALC said: “YALC’s aim has always been to champion YA Books in all forms and by opening up the programme to include indie authors this means that we can provide our audience even more content and support this growing area of the publishing world. We are proud to have partnered with LitPR on this and are pleased that both the indie authors and attendees who visited the #InspiringIndies zone had an amazing experience.”

Kiera Nixon, author of The Dream Maker, said: “It was truly a fantastic weekend. A great introduction to direct sales and brand awareness, and much to consider and amend going forward. One of my main reasons for participating was to learn more about who my readership are and will be, and I spoke to lots of young people who are everything I put pen to paper for, so I’m in the right space.”

Marie Voinson, author of Us Against The Likes, said: “Signing and personalising copies of my book for the very first time was one of my top moments at YALC. Also, talking about my books to complete strangers and hearing them say “Oh, this sounds good!” was such a thrill. It’s so heartwarming to see that people are curious about your work. Some of them even went to buy a copy straightaway! That felt like a dream. Making an author appearance, signing books, where so many of my favourite authors are doing just the same a couple steps away from me… Simply incredible.”

Roz MacLaren, author of Venom and Blaze, said: “My three favourite moments of #InsiringIndies at YALC were: Finding a community, getting out of my comfort zone, and getting advice and tips from others in the industry. I felt at home and connected with everyone around me. I’m a natural introvert so I expected to be overwhelmed by all the people, but everyone felt like someone I could gel with. I regularly try and challenge myself to do new things; I’d never been on a panel, done public speaking or been an author at a literature convention and doing all three this weekend felt like a huge win and confidence boost.”

Roxan Burley, author of Bloodstream of Moonlight and Bond of Eternity, said: “Being an indie author at YALC’s Inspiring Indies Zone has been an incredible journey of stepping out of my comfort zone. It’s more than just signing books for the first time—it’s about coming together with other authors to build a community, where we share our struggles, triumphs, and everything in between. The real magic happens when I engaged with readers, sharing my book with them for the first time. It’s a reminder that, as an indie author, we may start alone, but we’re never truly on our own.”

John Tarrow, author of The Stranger’s Guide To Talliston and The Stranger’s Door To Talliston, said: “One of my highlights of the weekend was connecting with new readers and hearing their stories: how they read, where and why. It’s always wonderful to watch the amazement in a reader’s eye when they discover that the YA adventure novel they are holding is inspired by a real house and gardens – and they can step inside the chapters of the book for real!”

April Grace, author of The Steel Princess and Songbird Heir, said: “One of my favourite moments at YALC was when a lovely reader wanted to pose with me for a selfie and said she’d put it into a little scrapbook next to my signature! I enjoyed doing the panel talks on both days with all the other lovely indie authors, and making some amazing new author friends.”

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Notes to editors: More press releases, author info, photos from the event etc, are here.

YALC is back on 15-16 November 2025 in Olympia London. To register your interest in participating in the #InspiringIndies zone please complete this form.

Helen Lewis, Founder of LitPR (www.literallypr.com) is available for media interviews and comment about the role of indie publishing in the wider book industry, marketing, events, author branding and PR. Each of the authors is available for media interviews and comments about their YALC experience, what it means to be an indie and more.

The amazing authors at the #InspiringIndies zone:

Everything seemed to conspire to get me to go to this year’s Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC). I already had the trip to London booked for the week before the convention, so it was simply a matter of staying for the weekend. When the chance came up to have a stand at the convention and join other independent authors, I knew I couldn’t turn it down. Here are my highlights from my London trip – and ten years of YALC.

Novel research

Two of my sci-fi standalone novels are set in London, so it made sense to use the trip for research purposes. One of my characters sees London for the very first time and these are the places she goes.

Getting to YALC

As this was my first time at YALC, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I opted to get to YALC by train. The venue has its own train station, called Kensington (Olympia) and getting there was quite easy. I would recommend downloading the Transport For London (TfL) app and using that to plan your journey – it makes life a lot easier. Also, shout out to the very helpful member of staff at the underground who saw me looking lost opposite a map and asked if I needed help! (I did.)

Once I got out at Kensington Olympia, I could see the venue immediately. For a big event like YALC and London Comicon, some of the roads were closed and there were helpful members of staff telling me exactly where to go and what to do. (Good job, as I ended up wandering the wrong way.)

As soon as I was in there, I got my bag checked in airport style security. I took a suitcase with me (containing all the items I needed to set up my stand). I also brought with me an empty water bottle, as I’d read you can get it filled up somewhere but I never located the place to fill it up. In the end, I got an eight pack of Highland Spring water bottles and drank them. I would definitely recommend bringing water with you in the first instance. The venue gets very hot (even for a chilly person like me!) and hydration is key.

The very first indie author zone at YALC

Thanks to the efforts of Helen at LiterallyPR, the tenth YALC was the first one to see a dedicated indie author zone. Independent authors from multiple countries came together to share their books and create their stalls. We had authors from the United States, France, Denmark, Scotland and England!

Having a stand was brilliant as it meant I had a base to leave bags and coats and somewhere to sit if I wanted ten minutes decompression. I would recommend, if you’re an introvert, that you take time to give yourself a breather. The venue is packed and can feel a little overwhelming. So find a quiet place for a snack and perhaps a read before you go back into the (very friendly) fray.

What I picked up

It wasn’t all about selling books. I also came back with three fabulous books and an incredible amount of merch from various amazing stalls.

I’ll do a more detailed blog post on all the merch I picked up later, but I will say setting it out for a photograph took absolutely ages!

The fun doesn’t stop

Just a reminder that our YALC debrief is happening tomorrow (Friday 22 November) at 12:00pm and there’s still time to get yourself a ticket. I’m not sure how many of us are going to make it, but we are excited to see you there!

And, of course, YALC itself will be happening again next year! The dates have already been announced; will you be coming this time?

The Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) spans two days – so Sunday saw me head back to Olympia again.

Getting back to YALC

My day started later this time (no 6am rise was needed as my hotel was just a fifteen-minute walk away from the venue!) I was also a lot more relaxed as I knew the lay of the land and where I was going.

After a stressful visit to Tesco where my Clubcard app refused to work until I’d updated it and restarted the phone, I made it to Olympia.

Meeting other vendors

As I had no stand today and my only commitment was attending the panel at 16:00, I wanted to use my day to meet and chat with the other exhibitors there. I worked my way down both sides of the enormous hall and had so many uplifting chats.

Everyone was so friendly and professional. I also got the chance to meet lots of presses, from the compact and niche to some of the Big Five. Everyone freely gave of their time to answer my questions and give me some top tips. I met with quite a few people on various editorial teams to ask their advice and talk all things publishing. I’d definitely recommend doing the same if you’re a writer and want to look towards getting traditionally published.

Attending workshops

There were so many workshops I wanted to attend on Sunday. Fortunately, none of them clashed!

My top tip if you’re planning on attending a YALC workshop is set an alarm on your phone! It’s very easy when you’re there to lose track of time. I didn’t see a clock (there probably was a massive one – I just didn’t notice!) and when you’re in the middle of conversations, you’re not looking at your phone or watch. Several times, time got away from me and I nearly missed a workshop I’d been looking forward to!

Joining the second panel

Around five people came to the second panel, as opposed to around twenty-five on the first one. Sunday was definitely the quieter day. This meant the panel was a lot more conversational and intimate, and we were able to get through any and all questions the audience had.

After the panel, it was very late in the afternoon and everyone was starting to pack up and go home, so I did the same thing.

It’s hard to believe YALC is over. It felt so immersive, it was a bit strange to emerge outside into the real world. However, we’re keeping the convention vibes going a little longer. And you can too. Here’s how.

Post-YALC chat

LiterallyPR, the driving force behind the #InspiringIndies zone, are organising a post-YALC chat. It will be held online and anyone is welcome to register and join. We can’t wait to debrief.

Join us on Friday 22 November at 12:00pm.

Did you attend YALC this year? What was your favourite memory? If you didn’t make it, do you think you’d like to? Let me know in the comments.

The weekend saw me going out of my comfort zone at the Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC). I had my own stand in the #InspiringIndies zone and I went on two panels discussing all things indie author related – both firsts for me!

Here’s what I learned as an indie author with my very first stand at YALC.

State the obvious

I made this mistake and I won’t again. I would have sold a lot more books and received a lot more footfall at my stand if I had created a sign that said something like “Meet the author!” or “Get your book signed here!” I didn’t make it clear if I was a book seller, a book publisher, an author or something else entirely.

My advice would be have a clear, visible sign that allows people to quickly see who you are and what you’re doing. That way, they’ll know that they can come up to you, meet the person who wrote the books they’re looking at and get you to sign and personalise their book.

Turn one of your books over

You might be thinking “Why on earth would I put one of my books upside down?” But there are two reasons I chose to do this.

Firstly, people are tactile. They love to pick things up and touch them and turn them over. By placing one book cover-up and the other cover-down, it gave them a reason to pick up the book, turn it over, check it out and have a look.

Secondly, it meant the synopsis was clearly on show and could be easily read.

Soak up knowledge

Even though I’m a natural introvert, I went out my way to meet, greet and chat. This meant I could ask questions and get a tremendous amount of knowledge. For example, I met with a lovely author called Jacqueline Silvester who came over to my stand and generously shared her knowledge with me. She’d had a stand at YALC before and told me what had worked for her and what hadn’t. It gave me some really helpful insights into how to get the most from my two days there.

Take every opportunity

When I was sixteen, someone gave me the advice of “Take every opportunity.” It was many years before I figured out exactly what that meant and how I could apply it. Essentially, I take it to mean “Don’t let shyness/fear/self-doubt/worry stop you from grasping the opportunities that come your way.”

For example, even though I hate public speaking, I said “Yes” to going on a panel and discussing all things indie author related. I believe going out my comfort zone is good for me (even if it doesn’t feel that way!)

If you get the opportunity to get involved in something, other than your own stand, at YALC, take that chance. It might be a way to indirectly promote your author brand. It might help you make new friends. It might help you grow your community. You never know where a new opportunity might lead.

Film and photograph as much as you can

This is precious content you can use across your socials and blog – not just for the two days of YALC itself, but after that.

Use your socials to promote other people and tag them too. Photograph others’ stands and connect with them on their platforms. This helps you grow your community and gain brand visibility – and it gives them a plug too!

Be proactive

Another indie author who had a stand with me saw people waiting in line for author signings and approached them to give them some of her merch! I thought this was a great idea – not only did it give them something to read and stopped them being bored while they waited, it got her brand out there. She was proactive, polite and professional – and from what I saw got lots of lovely responses. Whether you want to be overt or subtle about promoting your brand, being proactive means you’ll find ways to maximise your two days at YALC.

If your an author who has been to YALC, what would your top tips be? Or, if you’re a reader who loves to attend, what would you like to see from an author’s stand?