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USA Today
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Fyre Fest of book festivals'? Baltimore's 'A Million Books Festival' draws criticism
'Fyre Fest of book festivals'? Baltimore's 'A Million Books Festival' draws criticism Show Caption Hide Caption Social media slams Million Lives Book Festival Attendees and authors of a Million Lives Book Festival in Baltimore took to social media after they witnessed the lackluster event. A Million Lives Book Festival? More like "A Million Lies," according to some attendees. A romantasy book festival recently held in Baltimore has left some attendees feeling like they experienced the book version of infamous Fyre Festival. Romantasy is a fiction subgenre combining fantasy and romance. The event, held at the Baltimore Convention Center May 2 and May 3, was advertised as the "perfect event to make more bookish friends." Archer Management promised prospective attendees and authors a magical evening complete with a vendor hall, panels, a content creation room, a cosplay competition and a ball. But according to various testimonials posted to TikTok over the weekend, the "A Million Lives Book Festival" was anything but. Disgruntled attendees, many of them authors, said they felt cheated by event organizers, who failed to deliver on most, if not all fronts. Numerous authors, including writer Perci Jay, have spoken up about the things they saw at "A Million Lives Book Festival" on social media, pointing to a lack of clear communication, materials like chairs or water and access to certain billed amenities over the course of the festival. "It felt like Fyre Fest of book festivals. It was advertised as something really awesome and the actual execution of it was horrible," fantasy romance author Kate Disney-Leugers said in a TikTok detailing her experience. "This is my cautionary tale to you, in that, do not ever do this event, go to this event because you'll be ripped off." Here's what we know. Lavender Romance Ball was also an 'absolute mess,' author says Aside from the low turnout and lack of profit, attendees, including authors, said they were especially disappointed by the ball. "I know all of you have seen the ball at this point, but everyone was so shocked about the lack of anything at this ball that no one talked about what actually happened at the ball," Jay said. The venue where the Lavender Romance Ball was slated to take place was bare, with very little decor or sound system. Banquet-esque tables, sparsely decorated with foam rose petals and books, and chairs could also be seen in the conference room. Guests were welcome to feast on a selection of desserts set up at a table but were expected to pay additional amount if they wanted a drink. (Guests who attended the ball paid $250 for a ticket that included access to the event.) "When the ball is discount ballin," one attendee wrote in the caption of a TikTok posted May 4. A convention center security guard dubbed "Speaker Steve" came through for the group, who were milling around in silence by playing music from a speaker he brought from home. Another unsung hero in the situation, according to Jay, was dark fantasy romance author Kalista Neith, who allegedly confronted event organizer Grace Archeron about what an "absolute mess" the ball was and asked her to issue refunds immediately. Archeron's apology video, posted May 4, was filmed about 30 minutes into the ball at the Neith's request, not out of the "goodness of her heart," according to Jay. The latest 'Fyre Festival'? A Denver book expo that drove Rebecca Yarros away Event organizer extends apology, offers refunds Archeron issued a formal apology, not about "A Million Lives Book Festival" as a whole but rather about the Lavender Romance Ball because it was "not set up to standards." "There were a lot of issues with getting set up and it was not set up well," Archeron says in the video. "I want to apologize. If you would like a refund, please contact me and I will issue a refund immediately." Archeron provided an update to attendees who requested a refund on May 6, writing in an Instagram post that they "are currently processing funds as fast as we can." "All refunds will be processed by May 31st," the post reads. "We thank and appreciate you for your patience!" Archer Management did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
CBS News
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Authors say they were misled by Baltimore book festival as event organizers promise refunds
This past weekend, a book festival in downtown Baltimore promised to be the perfect event for book lovers, but instead, it's being described as one of the worst events people have seen. Accounts describing the A Million Lives Book Festival have gone viral on social media, especially on TikTok. Authors and vendors WJZ spoke to say they feel misled by event organizers, and they say the event didn't feel put together at all. The event, put on by Archer Management, was held on May 2 and May 3. Authors feel lied to Stephanie Combs's weekend at the Baltimore Convention Center was supposed to be a big one. The Maryland-based romantic fantasy author has been independently publishing books since 2023. The A Million Lives Book Festival was going to be her first one attending as an author. "That is one of my dreams, bucket goal lists," Combs said. "I wanna be invited as an author to an event like this. Where I get to meet readers and get to connect with other authors." Leading up to the festival, Combs said communication from organizers was sparse. She and other authors say there weren't clear directions on how to enter and bring their products into the center. There was even some confusion about whether authors and vendors would have their own tables. However, Combs said she remained optimistic because she was informed that between 500 to 600 tickets were sold for the event. On the first day, Combs estimates, around 20 to 30 people showed up. On the second day, close to 100 showed up. Panels for the festival also didn't have chairs or tables in their rooms, forcing people to sit on the floor. The festival closed out with the Lavender Romance Ball, which some paid $250 to attend. The event looked more like a high school cafeteria. "As an author, I felt bad for inviting my readers to this event because they were promised this amazing, wonderful, fantasy-themed ball, and I felt like they didn't really get what they paid for," Combs said. Archer Management posted a statement on social media Monday apologizing for how the festival went. "We are currently processing refunds as fast as we can. All refunds will be processed by May 31," the statement reads. Archer Management hasn't responded to requests for comment. Vendors take financial hit Author Perci Jay flew in from Texas to attend. Her videos about A Million Lives have garnered more than five million views on TikTok. She said authors, especially new ones, can take on a big financial burden because of these events. "Some of us went into debt to come to this event. Some of us took on expenses -- mitigating the risk of what we were promised -- and had to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, shipping unsold product back home," Jay said. Jay said she spent time at the festival encouraging new authors to keep going to these events. Combs said this hasn't deterred her completely, but she's going to be cautious with brand-new events like this one. "I know there's gonna be things that go wrong, it happens at every event, and I can be completely forgiving of that," Combs said. "It felt like in this case there were just a lot of excuses." It's unclear if Archer Management will help cover any other costs that authors and vendors had related to the festival.
