The 22nd Annual Booklovers Convention, sponsored by Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine, will convene April 27-May 1, 2005, at the Millennium Hotel in downtown St. Louis, Missouri.
Brooklyn, NY (PRWEB) March 25, 2005 -- The 22nd Annual Booklovers Convention, sponsored by Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine, will convene April 27-May 1, 2005, at the Millennium Hotel in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. More than nine-hundred attendees are expected at the four day event. Published authors and aspiring writers can choose from 70 workshops. Daily outlandish parties provide great video opportunities, show closers, live shots, and feature stories. Many New York best-selling and local authors, like Karen Robards, Susan Kearney, L.A. Banks, Heather Graham, Laurell K. Hamilton, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Bobbi Smith and many others, are available for interviews.
April 27th--"Gateway to the West with a Riverboat Casino." Complete with costumes, a Ragtime band, and Victorian parlor furniture. Game tables and a wheel of chance will be manned by the pageant contestants dressed in white shirts with vests, bow ties and garters on their arms. The entrance to registration will look like a dock (with ropes, barrels, wood boxes, etc.). Attendees will have to walk a gang plank, flanked with guard rails and smoke stacks to enter the "Riverboat". 3-8pm. Ellora Cave's Fantasy party. 8pm-Midnight.
April 28th--Warriors and Warlords Mixer from 8:30-10am. Attendees in costume are available for an early morning live shots, photographs, or to be guests on your set. Masquerade Ball and Costume Competition from 8 pm-12:30. Great video for a show closer or VO.
April 29th--Parties continue with Publisher Avon Books' Bloody Mary Mixer from 8:30-10am. All-day program on How to Write a Best selling Vampire Romance led by the best in the genre. The American Red Cross will be on the premises accepting blood donations until the start of the Vampire Ball. "Out of this World" Science Fiction/Fantasy Mixer 5-7pm. "Land of OZ" Vampire Ball. 9pm-12:30pm
April 30th--Public Book Party Extravaganza. More than 250 New York Times, including local authors of Popular Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Erotica, Paranormal, and Contemporary Romance will be in attendance to sign their books. Cost is $5. 11am-3pm.
"Salute to Military Spouses Mixer"-- A military romance mixer will salute military spouses for their patriotism and given "goody bags" filled with books and promotional items. The founder of Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine will bus in 100 military spouses from two area bases. They will be treated to morning workshops led by authors who write military romances. The objective is to give them a day of "FUN" and a distraction from the danger their spouses are in. All proceeds from the many silent auctions will go to the nonprofit organization, Support Our Soldiers America, Inc., which provides much needed everyday supplies and comfort items to our soldiers overseas and those
recovering in military hospitals.
Mr. Romance Cover Model Competition-- Sixteen bodybuilders from across the country will strut their stuff for the ladies and contend for the 2005 title. The audience will be the judge. Top male cover models from popular romance novels, including John DeSalvo who has appeared on thousands of covers and is second popularity only to Fabio will be in attendance. This show is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. 5:30-7:30pm Dorchester Publishing's "Roaring 20s Party" 9pm-12:30pm
May 1st--"Hot Between the Sheets" Toga Party. 7-11pm
According to the Romance Writers of America, a professional association for 9,000 published and aspiring romance writers:
*Romance novel sales exceeded one billion dollars in 2003, with close to 2100 titles published.
*33% of the readers are single women while almost fifty percent are married.
*Nearly 49% of paperbacks sold in 2003 were romance.
*Book clubs make up to 18% of sales compared to mall bookstore sales at 33%.
*According to PublishersWeekly.com, Women buy 68% of all books.
Per Para Publishing:
*Two out of three romance readers don't plan to buy romance novels when they enter a retail outlet. They add novels to their purchase as they see them on display.
*57% or 29.1 million romance readers read between one and five romances per year.
Book lovers can register at the door, call 800-989-8816 ext. 10, or, visit http://www.romantictimes.com for more information.
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