Organiser says sorry for fantasy book ball dubbed ‘new Willy Wonka Experience’

Organisers behind a Maryland event dubbed the ‘Frye Fest of BookTok’ by attendees have apologised.

A Million Lives Book Festival, held at the Baltimore Convention Centre over the weekend, was described as ‘the perfect event to make more bookish friends’.

Tickets started from $50 to as high as $250, which granted access to the ‘Lavender Romance Ball’.

‘This event will include a vendor hall, panels, a content creation room, fandom cosplay meet-ups, a cosplay competition and a ball,’ the festival website says.

Not quite, according to some attendees. Footage showed a near-empty grey room, as authors and readers alike donned fancy garments for the ball and walked around empty stands.

‘At least the Willy Wonka experience had decorations’

Some compared it to the infamous Willy Wonka Experience, a recreation of the classic that left said children in tears and parents phoning the police.

Others said it was akin to the Frye Festival, which was billed as a luxury music weekend in the Bahamas in 2017. When the ultra-elite ticket-holders arrived, however, they were greeted with no electricity, dirt fields, soggy tents and plastic chairs.

Perci Jay, a romance and fantasy author, told Metro she heard of the A Million Lives Festival through friends, many of whom said they would attend.

‘At least the Willy Wonka experience had decorations. At least Fyre Festival had food,’ she joked.

‘Attendees would have had a more fulfilling experience by exploring the streets of Baltimore for free, rather than paying between $50 to $250 to walk around an empty convention centre.’

She booked her flights from Texas to Baltimore and paid for her books, art, stickers, a $150 table fee and $250 to ‘sponsor’ the event, totalling $2,000.

Then Jay arrived. ‘Every time I thought the event couldn’t get worse, it did,’ The Bride of Lycaster author said.

‘From complete disorganisation, a lack of normal event amenities such as water, snacks, or Wi-Fi access, the absence of promised and paid for amenities such as the swag bags, and being told by the event’s coordinator that over 500 people were going to attend when only 80-100 actually did, I was completely shocked minute by minute.’

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‘This event ruined budding author careers’

The festival was organised by Archer Management, which is run by the author Grace Willows.

Perci stressed that everyone she met at the festival, from fellow authors and vendors to narrators and readers, were the most ‘wonderful people anyone could hope to know’.

‘Any enjoyment I got out of the event wasn’t because of the event, but rather in spite of it. It’s going to be an unforgettable experience, for sure,’ she added.

‘Most attending authors ended up taking a massive loss because of the unfulfilled promises of the event and were scrambling to find the funds to ship unsold products back home.

‘This was not a failed music festival for privileged people or a disappointing afternoon after a scary encounter with “The Unknown,” this event ruined budding author careers and may have put dozens of people out of business permanently.

‘Not only did the financial devastation damage debut authors’ careers, but the embarrassment of being associated with such a misleading and disastrous event tarnished their reputations.

Hope Davis, a fantasy author, said she felt ‘deceived’ by the event.

‘I did meet some amazing authors though, so while I took a huge loss at the event, I am going to try my best to stay positive,’ she posted on Threads.

‘Attendees and sponsors were promised “swag bags” and none were delivered.’

‘There were no decorations for the ball or signing. There wasn’t food as promised, nor did I see a cash bar at the ball as promised,’ she added.

Fantasy romance author Kris K Haines posted on TikTok today, saying that authors and vendors received an apologetic email from the organiser.

The organiser promised refunds by the ‘end of May’, Haines said, adding that the email said 603 tickets were sold and 140 people showed up.

On a Facebook group for attendees, which has 515 members, some said they had a ‘great time’.

‘Thank you for a wonderful time, this weekend was amazing and I had a lovely time at the ball,’ said Kate Springer. ‘Can’t wait for next time!’

Another posted: ‘Thanks for the wonderful time!’

In a video, Willows issued a ‘formal apology’ for the festival ‘not being up to standard’.

‘There were a lot of issues getting set up, and it was not set up well,’ she said. ‘I want to apologise.

‘If you would like your refund, please contact me and I will issue you a refund immediately.’

Archer Management has been approached for comment.

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