An amazing edition of Romance Festival (FRI 2024) has just concluded under the stages of the Assago Forum. Sold out right from the start, with two new ticket entries due to the insistent request of those who were unable to get them immediately, the key event of a literary genre that now lives on its own, and has come out into the open with arrogance, is reconfirmed reaching an increase of 120% in the national turnover in just a few years. The times when talking about “Romance Novel” or “Romance” was like shooting yourself in the foot still seem far away. A context that as a twenty-year-old magazine we know well, given that years ago being considered “otaku” or “nerd” wasn’t exactly a compliment.
New year, new success…
It’s only been a year since last Milanese edition, but in this short period everything has transformed again, elevated and colored to become the best version of itself. The climate and warmth that authors and readers managed to establish between them was undeniably touching. Far from cold and impersonal signatures, it was more common for the authors to get up from their chairs to hug their fans, rather than asking them for it as a favor. And gadgets upon gadgets, one prettier, original but above all in line with the proposed book, to crown the contents or characters of the novel. Passing through the author’s stand Ileana Secci, I even won a chalk bear fishing for cards. Its peculiarity? It was produced by the author herself (with an exceptionally detailed mold) and still with that moist scent of the product that must be left to dry, a typical sign of its true artisanal origin. Details perhaps, but which denote respect for one’s readers, the desire to say something more even outside the novel, to create a further connection on a personal level.
An edition even richer in inclusiveness and customs. In 2023 we had already seen some authors or publishers with clothes that were not exactly “normal”, this year the pool of adherents to this idea has expanded, increasing the color and cheerful tones of the event, including matching unicorn headbands, she-devil dresses, kilts, historical dresses, lolitas or purple outfits complete with thick chain earrings. And yes, after years immersed in cosplay, it was truly exciting to see this combination of factors. What is more concrete, however, is the promiscuous presence of genders and ages, for a sector that is often considered the prerogative of women, because it is “romance novels”. Behind the tables there were authors perfectly mixed with the authors, as well as visitors with books to be signed for themselves and not as “bag carriers” for their girlfriends. It is undeniable that Romance has now cleared the rules, that it is no longer in the ghetto of the B series or dedicated only to dreamers. And the large and varied stand of romance novels dedicated to LGBTQ+ is clear proof of this. A stand, among other things, which was particularly visited and appreciated given the people who stopped to ask or buy.
Added to this is the “initiation” of children to romance. It wasn’t unusual to find the mother and daughter(s) duo behind the table. Of variable age, from adolescent to infant. This too is perhaps a negligible detail, yet it gives an even more beautiful image of this event, from the mothers’ confidence in bringing their children to a safe, cordial and friendly environment, to the hope that reading and writing will still have a future in Italy. , and they will be the creators.
The final confirmation of the data comes from the presence of Regional TG3 and SKY TG which provided a minimum of coverage, finally in quite pleasant and relaxed tones.
Two categorical NOs…
However, the behavior of some parents, especially fathers, is deplorable, as by accompanying their daughters to the FRI 2024 and empathizing too much with them, they became harassing (or worse, verbally violent) with the staff. A staff who, in addition to providing their presence for free, was mainly made up of young girls who, inevitably, could not keep the onslaught of the crowd at bay. If we then combine the fact that we always want to be smart, joining lines when it’s not our turn or pretending not to know the rules, it’s easy to understand that the clash is upon us. Then when a big man starts threatening to slap the patron of the FRI, Lydia Ottellijust because he was asked to clear the passage of visitors, there isn’t much to add.
Otherwise, the layout of the main table dedicated to signing copies is incorrect. By mixing the cunning with the unfortunate location of this station, joining the flood of visitors queuing for more books, the staff had to manage an indecent situation. The queues were moved to the right and left to keep passage free and not obstruct the emergency exit, the people in the queue jumped from one to the other for convenience, even if the section of numbers from 1 to 150 was called they stood in even those who were SIGNIFICANTLY taller queued. In the morning crowd, in clearing the passage, the authors found themselves attacked for a long period at the table and disputed, creating quite a bit of dizziness. Fortunately, the afternoon one, having purged the manic and toxic people, took place in an acceptable manner. Therefore, maximum solidarity with the staff for whom, even if it seemed they did not know how to manage the situation, they managed to do so in an appreciable way with the means available. Certainly for the next edition the placement of the tables in a less “critical” area should be rethought, and a more limited management of the numbers/bracelets to allow only one person to visit the author, without cramming two hundred people into a narrow corner. I don’t know if calling number by number could have been the right choice, certainly leaving the management of “whose turn it is” to crafty and arrogant people is a harmful choice for staff and authors.
Among the corridors…
As mentioned, each table was a little gem to discover. Between lights, quizzes, scratch cards, freebies, gadgets, bags and exuberant characters it was impossible to get bored. No annoying person who stopped you unnecessarily to push her or her friend’s book, lots of smiles, lots of laughter, lots of hugs and lots of dedications on books, FRI 2024 book or special notebooks prepared specifically. If it weren’t for the physiological tiredness, in addition to the queues, one could almost say that the 9 hours of opening flew by quickly chasing all the tables. If we have already mentioned the lucky catch, we have shown you the delicious composition of the coffee table Laura Roccawe can only point out other little gems that caught the eye of visitors.
Partly because she has now become one of the authors with whom I have the most contact, partly because of the coordinated stand in purple, unicorns and lights, that of Margherita Fray it quickly caught your eye as soon as you reached the outermost corner. There the new novel “Ludovico & Teodora” was lurking for the readers in an almost preview for the event. But even more curious was the sachet with the brochure below which made the female patrons get hyped, due to an obvious Macchiavellian spoiler on his next book currently being written.
Also this year fun, irreverent and fiery red, the “Chillies” they “inflamed” the pavilion, adding to the offer a nice bundle in a kilt who repeatedly amazed passing children with little magic tricks.
The author Linda Lercariwith whom we collaborated thanks to Delos Digitalwhich in addition to the attention of visitors, also attracted that of Sky thanks to her “double life” as a model employee and writer of erotic romances under a pseudonym.
My heroines
I have deliberately left aside the true heroines of this event, the young authors who are the highlights of the event who, at the aforementioned copy-signing table, welcomed the group of readers almost continuously (except for the lunch break) from 10am to 7pm. Assaulted by the “crowd” in in an indiscriminate and out of control manner, truly a flood of people, they withstood the flood of followers in an incredible way without ever getting upset. Always a smile printed on your face, always a hug, always a kind word, a little gift, a photo or a dedication. Sitting, standing, sitting, standing. Truly priceless professionalism. In our habit of authors or mangaka who give a maximum of 4 hours of availability while huffing and puffing, seeing these girls take on such a heavy burden makes them become great, responsible and mature women in our eyes. Yet then when it’s all over you see the tiredness in their eyes, still bright, still smiling. And perhaps even as happy as the people who came to see them. And they make you feel a little tender, as if they were your daughters and you feel proud because you understand that they are young people who have poured out every strength, tear and sweat into a devastating day. Yet they don’t want to give up.
It is the case of Ribes Halley, who I meet at the publisher’s stand while he is photographing what remains of the pile of books on the verge of being sold out. Yet he will have signed at least 600 based on the number of bracelets delivered. And when you ask her how she managed to resist, what the secret is, she answers you in a disarming way. With a tired but sincere smile, his eyes still shining. “When fans arrive to bring you little gifts, sweets or things you can eat, all the tiredness goes away. You see all those good things, you think you’ll be able to taste them and your strength comes back”
Or even more the case of Hazel Riley, who asks me to please make tighter shots on the shots so as not to appear directly. Yet she took over 1000 photos and as many dedications to all the fans. So I wait until 7pm until she has disposed of the last two people in the queue to ask her why. And even in this case I discover the big heart of this young author who has almost 35,000 followers on Instagram alone. We come to an agreement, because I really want to have her in her video with her sweetness and simplicity towards her readers. Yet even here you find a girl with crazy numbers for whom “visibility” is not important, she is an author not an influencer. In the period of appearing, an author with a dizzying following gives a lesson in humility to many people. And not with little style, considering how many little gifts you have reserved for every single reader.
And on a side note, this morning they replicated the copy signing at the Mondadori in Piazza Duomo.
I will then leave the task of showing you glimpses of this event to a small video on Youtube, but as far as I’m concerned, FRI 2024 really hit the jackpot this year!