If you’re from the Philippines, then you would have heard about the Mafi/Riggs/Rossi signing at some point within the last month, right? Well, it happened yesterday! Honestly, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the event. I mean, it was totally awesome to see these three up close and meet some blogger friends, but there were so many things to rage about as well!
Registration was supposed to start at 10 in the morning and Dyan and I got there at around 9:30, and there was already a line of 500 people. Okay, no biggie. I only had 3 books to carry at that time (I purchased more in the event) so it wasn’t heavy or anything.
Trivia: Did you guys know the first girl to get there arrived at 1:54 in the morning? I salute you, lady.
The signing was supposed to start at 2 pm, so Dyan and I got seated around the stairs at around 1 pm to wait. And wait. And wait. The actual signing started at around 3:30. Well, that’s the Philippines for ya. There was this interview thing in which I didn’t hear anything because of the really bad sound system and everyone screaming every time and author says one sentence. I love other dedicated readers, really. But I would’ve even joined you if you screamed AFTER the interview. Thanks.
At #506, I got my books signed at, say, 5:30 or so? I was mentally screaming since I would finally get to talk to some awesome people. But it didn’t go the way I planned.
First I got to get Shatter Me and Unravel Me signed by Tahereh Mafi. I really wanted to say something about how much I hate Warner, but I don’t think that would be a good idea. So I stayed quiet and really regretted it after. And I was PISSED at the person who took our photo. Dude, the LIGHT. I can’t even see Mafi’s face and I look like a haggard. But we were only allowed ONE PHOTO EACH AUTHOR. NO RE-DOS. *flips table* *cries*
And then I got to meet Veronica Rossi, who was much more of a upbeat person, I think. She really tried to talk to each and every person who came up to her, and that was really nice, so I did get to chat with her a little bit. But still. THAT PHOTO. My face is huge.
Lastly, I got to meet Ransom Riggs, who was very, very tall. And handsome. (And, according to Dre @ Sporadic Reads, has gorgeous eyes. In which I agree.) Plus this is my only decent-ish-but-not-quite photo. I got to talk to him, but just a bit.
And of course I got to meet up with some bloggy friends. First photo from Irish @ Nocturnal Reader, and the second from Ella @ The Filipina Booknote. :)
My babies!:
But seriously. There are a bunch of things National Bookstore could improve in their future signings:
- The sound system sucked. I didn’t hear anything from the interview and could barely hear the numbers being called on for the signing.
- I really wanted to at least talk to the authors a bit. I wasn’t just there for the signatures, you know. I would’ve wanted my presence to be acknowledged.
- MORE CHAIRS, PLEASE. My back and butt ached by the time I got home. Not good.
- LET US RE-DO PHOTOS IF THEY LOOK LIKE SHIT, AND LET US TAKE A GROUP PHOTO IF THERE’S MORE THAN ONE AUTHOR. Please and thank you.
But the highlight of my day was basically when Jules @ Jules Bookshelf told me that Tahereh and Ransom were married. MARRIED. How could I not have known that?
Thanks for the awesome time, Dre, Kate, Jules, Nix, Ella and Irish! I kept thinking about The Grudge last night and it’s all your faults! But I really hope Faye can join us next time.
Anyway, it was both a good and bad experience (my body hurts and I don’t even want to stand–it was like a free work out), but now that I know what goes on in a book signing, I’ll be prepared for next time. (Jenny Han/Stephanie Perkins signing, anyone?)
Awwww, grats on getting your books signed, Aimee. I loved the photos, especially your selfies with the authors :P Come on, they weren’t that bad! You look so cute in them. I really hope we can meet again next time. I’ll definitely be there for Han’s signing!
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I look disgusting, haha! xD I really hope that I can go since Han might come in June/July and there might be school. *bites fingernails*
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It’s moments like these that I’m extremely jealous because I live in this stupid country where nothing bookish ever happens. Seriously. Maybe for cookbooks, selfhelp stuff and baby books but never good normal books. I want to live in the US =(
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Right? I wasn’t actually going to go but my blogger friends persuaded me to. I want to live in the US too!
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how could you not know they were married? :O but glad you do now, their youtube vids are funny.
anyway, very jelly that you got to meet up with some fellow bloggy peeps and got your books signed!
lovely post, hun! <33
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I guess since I’m not a huge fan of either and don’t follow them anywhere. o_o at least until yesterday, haha! I’ll definitely check out their vids.
Thanks, Mel!<3
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Awesome recap hun, it is so awesome that you got to meet many famous authors and other book bloggers! Sounds like the event wasn’t organised well though, which is a shame.
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It was awesome meeting them. I hope the next events I go to are better organized. :/
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OH you should google the pics of Tahereh and Ransom’s wedding. THEY HAD IT IN A LIBRARY AND IT IS BEAUTIFUL. I think it’s awesome that two YA authors got married. XD *ahem* Anyway…it’s a pity some of the light is awful in those photos. But, dude, I would LOVE to see ANY authors. I’ve never even had the chance to see an author live before. It would rock. x) Although, heck, I’d never point out what I didn’t like about their books, just, you know, ’cause that would be kind of depressing to hear in person. But yeah. I’d LOVE to go to a book signing! So glad you blogged about it. :))
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I did! I totally stalked them yesterday! <33 SO CUTE! This was my first time so I was super shy and hardly said anything! I regret not telling Tahereh that I loved Adam, haha! Thanks, Cait! :D
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Aww, sorry to hear about all the crap you had to deal with Aimee! But it’s so awesome that you got to meet them, although very abruptly! Thanks for the awesome recap! You look so lovely, but the lighting was definitely bad. :( And omg, kudos to the girl that arrived at 1 in the morning. WTF.
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Even bad experiences are experiences, hehe! I think it’s cause of the giant lights on stage, haha! I even dropped my books. :/ RIGHT? I heard she brought a blanket and camped out.
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YES. THE GRUDGE. MYGAD.
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Stahp. xD I watched the third and didn’t understand anything. I just screamed the whole time.
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Lovely books! I’m maybe just the slightest bit jelly. And sorry that not everything went well – especially the fact about your body aching afterwards. Ugh, standing is the worsttt. But still, going to see those authors is so cool! I missed the Jenny Han signing near me so you’ll have to tell me about yours if you go!! :)
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Lol! I sat down actually, but on STONE STEPS they hurt! </3 Some peeps were lying down and I felt so bad for them, haha! I really hope I get to go to Jenny Han's signing. :)
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What an awesome opportunity!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
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I know right!
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That absolutely sucked about the wait and the Sound System! And the hell with those photographs?! It sounds to me like the people screaming every five seconds were a bit disrespectful. I suppose at least you got to talk to the authors decently (ish) and got some more books signed so not totally terrible? I wish I could meet these authors!
Katrina @ Chased By My Imagination
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I totally get why their fangirling. I mean, we don’t get a lot of authors there. But I wish they would’ve waited until after the whole interview and I would’ve GLADLY joined them in their screaming. It wasn’t terrible. <3
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One day I will go to a book signing! It is one of my bookish goal :) It looks like you had tons of fun! I loved the Rossi series :) Thanks for stopping by My Haul!
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It was one of mine, too! Luckily my bloggy friends talked me into it. <3
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Oh wow, I am green and excited or you all at the same time. Enjoy all of your signed books! It looks like you all had an awesome time!
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Haha! It was half/half for me as well. Thanks, Kim! <3
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I totally understand the body hurting thing! When I went to that book festival a few weeks ago, I had to take TWO DAYS to recover; my legs and back hurt so much. But it’s all worth it! I’ve heard from a few bloggers that attended this event that the sound system sucked; I suggest reading Shannelle’s post here – http://theartofescapism.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/veronica-ransom-and-tahereh-in-manila-2014/
I guess she was pretty close up and was able to take extensive notes on everything the authors said!
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My legs were fine since I didn’t do any walking, haha! It’s my arms and back that have gone through hell. D: Yes, I read Shannelle’s post and am super thankful for it! <3
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You scored big! I love group signings but I agree if there are alot of people its really hard for the event to be coordinated effectively. You still look like you had a blast!
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Big, definitely! I got 7 books signed but I believe the ones who came in late were only allowed 4. :( I did have fun, Tabitha! <3
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Haha…I didn’t know that Tahereh and Ransom were married either, so you’re not alone! ;)
Anyways, it looked like you had a ton of fun! It’s always great to meet other bloggers / authors and discuss books! Although it’s a shame that the sound system was so horrible… :(
And those pictures are AWESOME! I don’t know why you’re worrying…LOL!
Thanks for sharing Aimee! Looks like you had a great time! <3
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LOL! I fangirled over it for ages. Ransom was so sweet to her. <3 (Where can I get a guy like that?)
Hahaha! They're all pretty blurry so I know I won't be printing them. -_-
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This looks like it was sooooo much fun! I am hoping for a fun book signing to come to my town soon.
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Good luck, Angie! I believe we’re having Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins here as well! <3
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Damn, who the hell took that bloody photo? If it’s 1 photo only with no retries, the least they can do is take a good one. I’m really sorry that it wasnt a fully pleasant experience for you (but I’m really jealous that you got to meet everybody), I’m glad you’re sharing your honest opinion of the experience though! And seriously, NBS probably made a killing with book sales for this event, the least they can do is invest on a decent sound system!
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Exactly! But everyone was rushing and it was so stupid. I wish you could come too Amir! We can’t wait for you to come back and have a get-together. Right? It was a big business day for them, lol.
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The highlight of my day was those 1-min stop with the authors. I really didn’t care about the people hassling me to hurry. I got my comments and questions in, especially with Rossi. She was super nice! And the next highlight is spending time you, guys! Until our next get together!
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Ha! I didn’t get to talk to them. I wish I weren’t this shy. I’m actually taking some public speaking class in May so hopefully that’ll boost my confidence for our next signing! <3
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Talk to me MORE! But I do hope it helps, Aimee. You should speak more because you do have a smart mind, I’m sure you have smart things to talk about :)
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I may not look like it, but I LOVE public speaking. xD We should definitely talk more. ;)
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But you are talkative online, though :P
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Ha! xD
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I’m so jealous! I’ve never been to a big author signing :( only two little ones. I wish there was something like this near me!
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It was my first time! I hope you attend something like this soon <3
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Omigod. I had no idea. Tahereh Mafi and Ransom Riggs are MARRIED???? Seriously? How did I not know this? OMIGOD. And again! Aaaaa. You’re so lucky they came where you live. I don’t see anything like this happening over at India. Yay international bloggers!
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SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS! XD It was a huge opportunity. I was so glad we had them over! Hopefully you guys’ll have some big events too! <3
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wow that’s nice, it looks like you had a wonderful time! I’m so jealous! It’s so nice. Thanks for sharing your pictures. I didn’t know they were married either.
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Lol! I guess I’m not alone. :)
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We need to meet up next time! You already know that it wasn’t what I hoped for but it was still a memorable experience!
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We should definitely meet up next time, Mitchii, with Shanelle and Hazel too! <3
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Oh wow, I would have been so overwhelmed by all the people waiting to get their books signed! It’s too bad there were glitches in how the event was run, but it’s great to see so many people were enthusiastic about those authors (even if they could have kept it to themselves while the authors were talking. :D) It’s great that you go to meet the other bloggers too! It’s such a fantastic perk to actually meet the people you talk to online! :) Now I’m looking forward to your post on the Perkins/Han event!
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It was my first time, but I was expecting a huge crowd, haha! It was definitely lovely meeting some fellow book bloggers. I really want to go to both Han’s & Perkins’ events! <33
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Awe it sounds like you had so much fun and i only wish i could have been there! I love all those authors and your so lucky to have met them, especially tahereh mafi!
Lily
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I bet most of the people there were in it for Tahereh Mafi, lol!
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This looks like it was so much fun!! I am sl glad you had a great time and look at all those fabulous reads!!
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I have to get to them soon! <3
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I’ve never been to an event like this and sadly don’t see myself doing so in the future :[ It’s just because Canada is so large, and that the capital cities are all pretty far away. It’s cool you got the chance to attend one of these events though, even though there were some technical difficulties. Lol that one photo rule would kill me. I’d have my camera on video or something and end up totally screwed xD
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Ah, I see. I assumed most of the Canadian bloggers would be used to these sorts of events! Hahaha! At least you can take any parts of the video and make it a photo. :P
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What an incredible day, even if you all did go home with sore bottoms. I’m sure I’ve seen a few photos floating around blogs with a group of bloggers taking photos of all the authors together, so perhaps that was some sort of group thing. Up until two weeks ago, I had no idea they were married either. Considering that they often Tweet one another and write side by side, it still didn’t click that they were married. We’re both as dense as eachother :D
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It was for an exclusive blogger forum for the ones who’ve been attending and blogging for a long time already. No group photos for us signing noobs. D: Ha! They are so adorable together. I never actually followed them until the signing, so I had NO CLUE that they were married. ;D
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Ohhhh, I would’ve been mad too. All that and it (kind of) wasn’t worth the hassle.I mean, great, you got to see them and get books signed (and I know they’re on a limit per person to talk/sign/photo and whatever, but you’ve been waiting all that time and it didn’t start when it was supposed to, pffft. At least they could do was at least retake the photo, especially the Tahereh Mafi one because of the light :(. And shhh, you don’t look bad.)That girl though? 1:54? Damn, hero. I like my bed too much. You know, I never get when people scream when they’re talking (same with conventions) I mean, you’re there to listen, and you can’t listen if you’re screaming, and more importantly, no one else can hear either. So what’s the point? I’ve never actually been to a big signing, but I’m hoping (got some planning to do) to go to YALC in the UK in July, the line-up is huge, and it’s a weekend full of fun but ahhh I’m going to be anxious about the set-up. We’ll see how that goes down. Shame it wasn’t exactly as you expected or hoped, but hey the lovely books! <3
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Yes! I would’ve liked a short announcement of some sort at least, so that maybe I could’ve done something in that hour. Shopping, maybe? The people who take the photos don’t even look at them after they’re taken. :( RIGHT? I was just about to sleep at that time, lol. I like to be loud, but that’s when it’s MY TURN to talk, you know? *sigh* But I can’t blame anyone for fangirling. We all do it. I don’t know about YALC (I’m not updated on INTL events, haha!) but it sounds SUPER AWESOME and I really hope you have fun. <3
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I read Francine’s (from Always Lost in Books) recap and she had the same experience as you. It’s such a shame that the event wasn’t as organized as it could have been. I’m glad you got your books signed and that you got to meet them, and I hope you get the chance to do so again!
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Ahh it sounds like that was So busy which would definitely be a bit of a downer in terms of not being able to hear the interview and the “one photo “thing. But Tahereh and Ransom are SO sweet, and yay for Veronica trying to talk to all of the readers who waited :) I’m glad that you got to attend though and had fun overall, even though the lines and waiting must’ve been poopy.
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You did get a picture of Mafi. Just not the right face. :P but yeah, they should definitely check the photo first before giving back your camera/phone/etc. I really do hope their future events would be so much better. I so badly want to talk to Perkins!
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