A book lovers’ conference in Colorado is being ripped on social media after the event collapsed into a disappointing catastrophe that some dubbed “the Fyre Festival of books” — and that even left one bibliophile with a black eye.
Last month’s Readers Take Denver event was billed as a four-day reader’s paradise, filled with popular authors, signed copies of books and a community of like-minded bookworms.
Instead, the conference was spoiled by hours-long lines, a lack of security and missing pre-ordered books, according to published reports and social media posts by attendees.
“All we did was stand in line. It was total BS,” self-described “RTD survivor” Kelli Meyer told The Denver Post, calling the event the “Fyre Festival of books.”
“It was worse than Disney, and there wasn’t even a ride at the end.”
The April 18-21 event was the second iteration of the conference created by organizer Lisa Renee Jones, an author who has penned more than 100 books, the Denver Post said.
She successfully put on a smaller version of the get-together in 2023, and allegedly overpromised and underdelivered her mission to put on a bigger and better conference in 2024, critics said.
The disaster was reportedly so bad that Readers Take Denver has already canceled its plans for a 2025 event.
But Renne Jones told The Post that the allegations were “slander” that was instigated by a best-selling author with a case of diva syndrome.
The event organizer claimed “Iron Flame author Rebecca Yarros used social media as a weapon after the two butted heads about how her portion of the event schedule would shake out.
“When it comes to the events of this weekend, many have been mistreated,” Yarros wrote on Facebook the day after the event ended.
“Readers, on behalf of every author at the event. I’m sorry. It hasn’t been said to you enough, so let me say it again: I’m sorry. I’m so sorry you couldn’t get your preorders, couldn’t see the authors you wanted to.
“I’m sorry registration took hours, sorry food ran out, sorry security wasn’t tight enough at the night events, sorry some volunteers raised voices, sorry it was disorganized, sorry you felt frazzled, sorry you felt overwhelmed, sorry you did not get to bask in the overwhelming joy that spending 3 days in the book world should give you.”
Attendees shelled out between $300 and $375 to participate in the packed conference — which boasted meet-and-greets, panels, book signings and even movie screenings — under the impression they wouldn’t have to wait in lines, The Denver Post reported.
A timed ticketing system utilizing the WhatsApp messaging service was supposed to prevent waits to see favorite authors, meaning guests would visit as many booths as they wanted.
Renee Jones admitted that there was a myriad of issues with the venue, which caused lengthy registration lines, but claimed there was no other serious backups.
“I truly believe that had we had time to set up properly, had we had all the tables that we were supposed to have, that that would have gone much smoother,” Renee Jones said.
“Do I still think that we should have done electronic registration for this year? Yes … But I was nervous because we didn’t have time to fully develop an app. And I wanted it to be perfect because I didn’t want to have a bump. Everything I did, I tried to make it great.”
But some attendees claimed the event was more than frustrating — and came down to violence.
Sporting a black eye, she told her social media followers she was thrown to the ground with her head hitting the concrete when she became entangled in the mass convergence of the poorly orchestrated crowds.
Another TikToker added that she was also verbally assaulted up by staff members while suffering a medical emergency at the conference.
“I was having a hypoglycemic moment and was screamed at by staff to ‘get the f–k up off the floor!” she alleged. “There were so many horrific experiences between readers, vendors, authors, PAs, volunteers alike. This was not just a breakdown in communication, it is a systemic issue with this program.”
Renee Jones acknowledged the reports of violence, which she called “bumpy bumps,” but emphasized the aggression was under control, according to an email obtained by The Denver Post.
“In the case that someone has claimed a volunteer put hands on someone, I got security involved IMMEDIATELY,” Renee Jones wrote.
She also seemingly dispelled rumors of the chaos by sharing that many people brought her to tears with their praise for the event.
Next year’s event has already been canceled with Renee Jones saying dozens of authors pulled out over safety issues raised by the sweeping social media uproar
“All subsequent charges for payment plans have thus been suspended, and your ticket has been cancelled,” RTD said on its website.
