A four-day event that was supposed to be a book lover’s dream has been dubbed the “Fyre Festival of Books” after it descended into chaos and left one person with a black eye.
Led by Rebecca Yarros, a best-selling author, the Readers Take Denver festival at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center was billed as the ultimate event for bibliophiles, where fans could mingle with their favourite authors.
However, as the day unfolded, the event fell apart, leading one disillusioned visitor to compare it to Fyre, the fraudulent luxury music festival held on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma in 2017.
Attendees paid $300 to $375 (£239 to £299) for a ticket to an event where they were promised they could get books signed by best-selling authors who turned up in force to promote their writing.
Many also paid hundreds of dollars for travel to the event.
A timed ticketing system was supposed to ensure the event ran like clockwork, with readers having plenty of time to go from one booth to another to meet authors.
Instead, they spent hours queuing to have time with the writers, food ran out and pre-ordered books never arrived.