By Vika

The American Book Center made a triumphant return to Heroes Dutch Comic Con (HDDC) this June, continuing our long-standing tradition of being a beloved fixture at this best-in-class event. Comics, manga, and science fiction & fantasy enthusiasts were treated to an exceptional selection at the ABC pop-up bookstore. Three days full of adventures, so, let’s have a closer look at what went down.

Over the weekend, author Johanna van Veen, who had been signing her queer, gothic novel My Darling Dreadful Thing, joined us at our Cozy Corner for an amazing Q&A, where she introduced her book and publishing process and answered questions. We also held a giveaway, with the winner receiving a signed copy of the book and getting to meet van Veen.

Among the many ABC highlights, one event that stood out for its literary passion was our BookTok panel: “How to Read More.” At the Cozy Corner, BookTokers Jaime (@hoarderreader) and Quirine (@quinthebooks) talked about their book-reading experiences. For the first time at DCC, we livestreamed on TikTok, so booklovers were able to join us from wherever they were!

Readers were eager to ask questions and participate in an open conversation about how to read more books. How many books do you read per year? How many books do you read at the same time? What genres? Do you crack a book spine? Do you finish each book you begin? And many more questions!

And how could I forget an important detail? Carla, ABC’s marketing manager, served as our moderator supreme for both talks on Saturday and Sunday.

Our team enjoyed every moment spent with the diverse DCC audience, whether it was casual chats about books, seeing amazing cosplays or interacting with guests.

The ABC would like to thank everyone who visited our booth, participated in our events and shared their love of reading. We look forward to continuing our DCC journey.

Until next time, keep reading! (And if you need some tips on how to do that, check out our TikTok feed here.)