I have only been to one other convention that has as much entertainment value as Penned Con. This was my first time attending and I was astounded by the organization and ease of participation considering the size of the event. Aside from signing only events, this was the biggest signing I have attended and it is partitioned into two days! There were two HUGE rooms with authors and more books than I could have ever hoped to read or buy. Readers have posted that they bought as many as 278+ books from the convention which is absolutely remarkable!
Unfortunately, as industry I will say there is little representation or inclusion. You are either a reader or an author and the two are quite segregated. This is perfectly fine, but was different than cons I have attended before. There were at least three other popular book cover designers in attendance, but promotion was very low key. There were vendor tables in the hall outside of the signings, but authors were usually at their tables and not "shopping" for services. Some did sneak away to shop for books. That being said, this was a great convention to attend as a reader and book lover. The authors I spoke with and know personally were all having a wonderful time, most are regulars to the convention. I believe author tables for 2019 sold out in less than a week!
I attended as a VIP reader and was thrilled with the parties and included perks. The Thursday night Murder Mystery Party was great fun with authors and volunteers as actors in a murder mystery that groups got to solve. Our group successfully solved the mystery, but I can admit I was not in agreement with who did it. Yes, I was wrong! Friday featured the signing, a couple panels, and a party that evening with a Lip Sync Battle. It was absolutely spectacular! All of the groups did amazing! The DJ was fantastic too! Saturday wrapped up the signing and ended with a Roaring 20’s Awards Party and dinner. Again, there was active participation by authors and VIP attendees and a feeling of contentment throughout.
My congratulations to all of the award winners and to the Action for Autism charity. Penned Con has raised thousands of dollars over the years for this wonderful organization and hopefully, can continue to do so. Please visit the AFA website above to learn more.
I also want to thank the Miles family for all of their hard work and dedication to make Penned Con a success year-after-year. Their commitment shows at the con and regardless of the stress of running a major event they always had smiles to give and time to answer questions. Thank you to the convention volunteers as well!
If you would like more information about Penned Con please visit this link: https://pennedcon.com
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