"The Fyre Fest of BookTok" — Breaking Down the Million Lives Book Festival Controversy

There’s a reason event planners exist — and why they charge what they do. They get the job done right. But when someone tries to cut corners and leave out this essential person, things tend to go downhill fast. Case in point is the Million Lives Book Festival, held in Baltimore, Md. on May 2 and 3, 2025.

Touted as a "black-tie ball" where attendees could meet and mingle with authors, the event had people showing up in elaborate gowns and formal wear.

However, it was far from anything that required such classy attire. Instead, it’s being compared to the Fyre Festival of book events, DashCon, and even that wild attempt someone took to recreate a scene from The Notebook for its 20th anniversary.

To make matters worse, the person behind the whole mess is an author herself. So what exactly happened? Let’s dive into the controversy.

The Million Lives Book Festival was supposed to be an event where book lovers and authors could come together, a chance for writers to promote themselves and their books, and an opportunity for readers to discover new titles.

Held at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor on May 2 and 3, the two-day event promised big things: a vendor hall, author panels, a content creation room, cosplay meetups and competitions, and a Lavender Ball, according to the flyer.

Tickets ranged from $50 to $250, with the most expensive option granting access to the Lavender Ball, which, according to TikToker @slantedshelf, turned out to be a sparsely decorated room featuring what looked like a single bag of dollar-store rose petals on the floor and a few books scattered across tables, to make up for the missing swag bags that were promised with a ticket purchase.

To be frank, it was more of an author hangout, at their expense. Multiple authors who paid to attend in hopes of gaining exposure and selling books say they were left in the negative. One woman claimed she lost nearly $3,000. Another reported losing close to $2,000. Author Kait Disney-Leugers (@authorkaitdisneyleugers on TikTok) said she barely made enough to cover her parking for the weekend.

Kait compared the entire experience to "the Fyre Festival of book events," saying she was told over 600 tickets were sold, yet added, "I did not see those people." She continued, "There were more authors at their booths than there were attendees, and I’m not exaggerating."

Other complaints included the event being held in a basement exhibit hall, no water provided, no attendee badges or swag bags, and authors having to find their own supposedly assigned tables. "They just told me to pick one," Kait said.

To make matters worse, the event organizer reportedly contacted Four Seasons Books about a potential collaboration, which the store declined. But when the shop followed up about the event, they were told that "mid-500" tickets had been sold and organizers were expecting between 600 and 800 attendees.

In a public Instagram statement, Four Seasons Books said they believed their name may have been used to imply affiliation with the event, possibly to help boost credibility.

The "Billy McFarland" of this event is reportedly an author herself who writes under the pen name Grace Willows, according to TikToker @chloyorkcity. Grace is said to have organized the event through Archer Events.

Grace issued a formal apology via the Archer Events TikTok page, admitting that the Lavender Ball was "not set up to standards."

She blamed it on setup issues and acknowledged, "It was not set up well." Grace also assured attendees that anyone requesting a refund could contact her directly. On May 5, 2025, Archer Events announced on Instagram that refunds would be issued for the event, with all payments expected to be processed by May 31.