Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. “When the doors open,” a harried worker warns me, flashing an ominous look over my shoulder, “step to the side ..
. or you’ll be swarmed.” You’d think I was witnessing a revolution, or harvesting a beehive – but no, I’m attending a book launch.
The swarm is made up of nearly 200 mostly young women who’ve been queuing for hours as the sun sets outside Dymocks’ Sydney CBD headquarters on this mild September day, attracting the confused stares of suits heading home and the camera flashes of tourists fearful of missing a spectacle. There are tote bags emblazoned with quotes from treasured novels, DIY “I love my book boyfriend” hoodies and hair claw-clips decorated with love hearts. Wading into the crowd, I overhear a debate about the perennial question of our time: Do you prefer a charismatic motorbike rider or a socially awkward artist as your hero? Near the front of the line I meet Sarah Giles, 22, who has been waiting for nearly five hours.
She caught a bus and two trains (plus a stop-off for a Starbucks coffee) to attend the launch party of Daydream , the third novel in Hannah Grace’s Maple Hills college romance series. The university student has spent the hours reading Grace’s new novel, scrolling social media and meeting others in the line. “It’s fun to get involved,” she tells me, speaking a million miles an hour.
“I don’t really know any.