Events

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.

I’m delighted to announce that I will be back at YALC this year!

The 2025 Young Adult Literature Convention is one of my favourite events of the year. It’s on over Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 November at its usual location in Olympia.

What will I be doing?

I’ll be part of the Inspiring Indies zone for the second year running. I had the honour of being one of the first ever Inspiring Indies authors at YALC. This year, I’m led to understand that the zone will be bigger and better than ever.

Author appearance. You’ll be able to find me at my own dedicated table on Saturday morning for around four hours, so come over, get your books signed, let’s take selfies together and discuss all things books. I’ll be running giveaways and accepting applications to join my Street Team, so don’t be shy.

Panel discussion. I’ll be a guest speaker on one of the daily In Conversation With… events. You can learn more about this on the official YALC programme.

By November, I will have four books out in the world and I plan to bring paperbacks of all of them with me. You’ll be able to snag your own copy and get them signed and personalised.

I think the main question to be asked around my YALC appearance is…

Will the iconic sparkly jumpsuit be making a reappearance? Or will I splurge on a new one? (Joking aside, my sequinned jumpsuit attracted so many lovely remarks that I might just have to wear it again as a YALC tradition!)

Will you be there? Let me know in the comments!

The first two books in my series, The Mirrordom Legends, will be on sale for 7-10 March. You’ll be able to snag the Kindle versions of Venom and Blaze and Fable and Legend at .99p each.

You’ll also be able to check out a bunch of other amazing books, all on sale, during the Indie Visible Events Spring Spectacular.

This is the first time Fable and Legend has ever been reduced, so now’s your chance to snag the book at a fantastic price.

Venom and Blaze

Fable and Legend

Fable and Legend only came out on 28 January of this year. While it’s not a direct continuation from Venom and Blaze, it follows the journey of one of the characters as she tries to find her family. I have a very soft spot for Fable and Legend as it features my favourite male protagonist from the entire series.

Ready for more Mirrordom?

Bewitched Blooms is a fundraiser anthology, coming out on 21 March and featuring a short story from me. My short story is called Omen and Myth and is a perfect continuation from Fable and Legend. Best of all, the fundraiser anthology is raising money for a friend of author, Briar Boleyn, as she battles cancer.

This book isn’t in the Spring Spectacular and is only going to be available on Amazon.

I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be appearing at the brand-new festival, Sgrìobh.

Sgrìobh

The book festival aims to celebrate Scotland’s languages and will take place on Friday 7 March and Saturday 8 March. I’ll only be attending on the Saturday, where I’ll have a small stall with some other amazing indie authors. The event takes place at Kilmuir on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

The Mirrordom Legends

I’ll be taking my first two books from The Mirrordom Legends series. These are based in Scotland and Skye inspired many of the landscapes. Venom and Blaze and Fable and Legend will both be available to buy – and you’ll be able to snag some free merch too.

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?