So it’s been a while since the first Epics Reads Day occur [practically a month ago, i know], but I am still thinking about how great it was! It was a sunny July Friday and I eagerly made my way downtown to the Harper Collins office. It was going to be a day full of bookish fun for sure. When I arrived there, I waited at the front lobby since I arrived super early. The front entrance was so pristine and also has a Starbucks inside which I truly appreciated! Below was the banner that welcomed us at the entrance.
We get the go to start heading up towards the event and I can feel the goosebumps of incitement approach. The glass doors opened and I honestly was not prepared with how much the staff at Harper Collins put together to make this event magical. We were welcomed in by extremely welcoming staff, large golden balloon that spelled out EPICS READS DAY!, bright blue book shimmy shirts, along with the first treat of the day, doughnuts and coffee [because why not]. This was all before entering the room where the event would actually occur. We entered the room and the first amazing thing we see is the bookstagram wall. This wall was built with the pages of books and came equipped with Polaroid cameras to take pictures and have a memento of the event. I chose a seat and waiting there was a glorious bag full of books that will later be signed by the attending authors.
We had some time to eat our breakfast doughnuts while starting up conversation using Epic Read’s book start conversation questions [which we also received in our bag!] . I have to say that they were pretty entertaining and something I can see using in the future. This breakfast break also gave time to go through the agenda, which was jam packed with great panels.
Panels
I could go on about how awesome each and every panel because they were. However, I would talk a bit about each and what I enjoyed most about them. Part of the day was dedicated to learning more about team Epic Reads. Their first panel was an introductory panel to the members of the team and their journey towards getting to where they are now in Epic Reads. I enjoyed most learning about the different paths of folks and how each knew one way or another they wanted to work or be in the publishing field. Their second panel focused more on what they do in their day to day function. Each member worked on different parts of the field and each member came with a different tenure which allowed for a different and unique perspective into the publishing work.
I’ve Got a Cover Crush
This panel was probably my favorite for many reasons. The panel focused on the book cover creation process. I have always been fascinated with how book covers come to life and what that process entails. WE focused on the creation of the novel Pride by Ibi Zoboi, which releases in October of this year. From mood boards to creating the first template to figuring out whether a cover will have an extra pop to make the cover magnificent, let’s just say that I was truly amazed by the work that goes into each and every cover.
Author Panels
The author panels were definitely a breath of fresh air. Each author discussed their upcoming work, remixing classic novels, world building and co-writing. Ibi Zoboi teased us with some info about Pride and its focus on gentrification which i find was both of the times and something you don’t reading YA novels. Kendare Blake spoke about the world building of her Three Dark Crowns series, what fandoms she enjoys and ending off with a game of fictional book couple Rip it or Ship it. Let’s just say there may have been some hearts broken. Last but not least, Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera discussed what it was like co-writing What if it’s Us and how dreadful it is that it ended. [those two are hilarious btw}. It was exiting to here their writing process and how they were able to collaborate so well together. They also discussed how many of their author friends they included both directly and indirectly in their story.
After all was said and done, we moved on to the signing portion. It was quick but great experience. Since there were only 100 people in the event, I didn’t feel rushed and managed to get all of my books signed. If I would rate Epic Reads Day, it would definitely be a 10/10 hands down. I hope to see this event come alive next year with new authors and exiting conversations.
The only way to end this post is with photos, so here you go!
A Bronx Latina Reads 