| What I Learned at the Con, Part 5: Con Truth and Fiction |
[May. 12th, 2008|10:36 pm] |
Stinky people go to cons.
Possibly true? I was there for three days, and I encountered not one hygiene-deficient person. The con ran on different tracks, admittedly, and I didn't spend any time among the gamers. Not to say gamers are inherently stinky, but the gaming room was a 24hr affair, so I could imagine it getting a little foul. I heard jokes about the fabled 5-3-1 rule, but encountered no evidence.
Cons are for geeks, nerds, and dorks.
Semi-true. Plenty of geeks, both in the old-school sense and the more current "people who are deeply into their thing" sense. Some nerdiness was in evidence, which I feel moderately well-qualified to judge, being both an academic and a librarian. There were some bona fide dorks on hand, but what of it? I'll take a goofy love of SF any day over a goofy love of, say, football. It's worthy pointing out that a substantial proportion of people there looked like Joe Schmoe from the street who just happens to like SF.
Flesh on Parade.
Hmmm. I counted a grand total of two women wearing anything substantially more revealing than what you see at the mall, not counting a couple of the costumes that displayed period-appropriate amounts of cleavage. A few corsets, but some of those were relatively modest as well. What I liked most about the clothes was the vast variety, from faux-Celtical folks to yer irony-via-Hot Topic t-shirts people.
Rampant, horrid sexism holds sway at cons!
Nope. Maybe there are problems at some cons, or in specific situations, but I had my eye peeled and noticed little. Yes, there were some socially awkward attempts to impress women, and yes, occasional skeeviness. I defy you to go to a baseball, basketball, or football game and find less sexism there or at the after-parties. Ain't saying creepy shit doesn't happen, but dammit, it was better than society in general tends to be. I asked a couple women I met their opinion about the whole thing, and both opined that they thought it wasn't a factor these days, and that the SF community was generally very friendly and welcoming. No, maybe conversation with a random strange guy asking about sexism wasn't the most comfortable grounds for discussion, but they seemed straightforward.
The dealers will part you from your money.
True. I went planning to buy little, and there was just a lot of cool stuff. Things that you have to locate from individual suppliers online and pay $8 s/h, just there for the buying. Next time I'll bring more $$$.
The parties are the best part of it.
Maybe. I enjoyed the party I went to, but it wasn't the be-all, end-all of the con for me. I'm not an extrovert, and I got a lot more out of talking with people in small groups or one-on-one. My experience would have been different if I'd stayed at the hotel, I think, but that will have to wait for more money or a con where I have to travel in order to attend. Likewise, I don't have a host of con-cronies I'm used to seeing, nor was I meeting up with people from LJ, either of which would have made a difference.
You'll learn a lot about [X].
Yes and no. While I got many useful bits and pieces and made some contacts, what I learned by going was a fraction of what I learn from following blogs and online discussions. There's a real difference between meeting people online and in person, no doubt, but when it actually comes to learning things, well, if you can't go to a con, don't worry too much.
What I found useful was the depth of answers, from individuals and panels. I asked a question, for instance, about what the most useful worldbuilding tools were for writers, and the four members of the panel all said it came down to finding knowledgeable people or doing personal research -- riding horses yourself, v. reading a description. I'd expected something about Wikipedia or Google, but it ultimately came down to human resources.
And finally…
I had a good time, which I think is the most important part. One writer there observed that you don't have to attend cons if you don't want to go. They're enjoyable in their way, but not critical to success as a writer. I enjoyed RavenCon, and I'll be going to more cons in the future, but that's because I enjoyed it, not because I think they're essential to succeed (at least at this point in my nascent career). It's just nice to be able to spend time with people who share your interests.
Tune in next time for RavenCon vs. ALA Annual, about what the geeks have on the librarians, and vice versa. |
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| What I Learned at the Con, Part 4: Promotion, or, Go Fic Yourself |
[May. 7th, 2008|08:45 am] |
One of the neat things I heard about at RavenCon was some innovative marketing strategies. Mur Lafferty's promotional "street team" is a pretty cool idea, and a nice way of inducing people to promote your book. There was also discussion of a kind of promotion I hadn't heard much about before. In essence, it comes down to creating promotional materials for a book/story/show in the voice of one of the characters.
Various television shows do this right now. If you go to the website for How I Met Your Mother, for instance, you'll find blog posts ostensibly written by one of the characters on the show. How are individual authors doing it?
1) John Ringo's planning a website to coincide with the release of >The Last Centurion. The website will be presented as that of the novel's protagonist. Not a portion of the general release site, but the whole shebang, if what I heard is true. The novel is written as a series of blog posts, so the motif seems to fit. If other authors have done this, I haven't heard about it.
2) Jeri Smith-Ready is also doing something cool to accompany her Wicked Game. She's planning a series of podcasts featuring the kind of music each of her vampire DJs plays, with a presenter speaking in the manner/style of the vamp in question. I don't know how long these will be, but it sounds like a neat idea. I don't know if Jeri considers these podcasts to be part of a larger artistic project (a la Jeff VanderMeer's Ambergris multimedia presentation) or simply promotional, but either way it's a cool idea.
What makes these things different from other similar promotional or ancillary materials (e.g. immersive DVD menus)? I think it's that the promotional items in question are author creations that can presumably be appreciated in their own right. Theoretically, one could listen to and appreciate Jeri's podcasts without reading the book. Ditto a cool website. In fact, I think they'll expand the experience for the reader in something of the same way that fanfic does (albeit "fanfic" created by the author), or even be engrossing enough that they'll lead fence-sitters to buy the books. |
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| What I Learned at the Con, Part 3: Promotion, or, Meeting the People |
[May. 5th, 2008|08:19 am] |
["Con Truth and Fiction" has been delayed due to persistent questions about the nature of truth. -- Ed.]
Most people say it's a good idea to go to a con. These days most authors also have blogs, websites, etc. These are all useful for providing information, but I think there's something more that comes with actually meeting an author. Whether this is in person or online, I suspect extended contact with potential readers is probably some of the best publicity you can get.
Example 1: I'd seen David Coe (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) davidbcoe) mentioned here and there online, so he was part of that vast swarm of authors whose names I've heard, but of whom I'd heard little. One day at the book store I even picked up one of his books, then put it down because I had X dollars and had come to buy Book Y and Book Z, which already were more than I could afford. Richmond Public Library doesn't have any of his books,* so I just figured "one day."
At RavenCon I met him, really enjoyed talking with him, and now I find myself significantly more inclined to buy one of his books.** Further, I'd never heard of his first series of books (the LonTobyn Chronicle), which apparently mixes tech and magic and has themes that would have drawn me in... had I ever heard of it. Another benefit of a RavenCon-sized con is that I ran into him often enough to hear a fair bit about how and what he writes, which would presumably have been less likely at a big con.
Example 2: Jeri Smith-Ready (jer_bear711 was completely unknown to me before RavenCon. Never heard of her and--here comes the biggie--it's relatively unlikely I would have picked up one of her books. She wrote an epic fantasy series (the Crow books) that theoretically I might have picked up, but the cover art didn't speak to me when I saw it on the shelf the other day.
Her new book, Wicked Game, coming out May 13, is about heroine + vampire DJs fighting a corporate takeover of their radio station. Doesn't sound like my cup of tea--in fact, I would have dismissed it as Vampire Novel # 4582 in 0.27 seconds in the store--but I read a sample chapter and liked it, plus she was pleasant and articulate in conversation. Ergo, I'll give it a try. Because I met the author, I'm crossing over genre lines I don't usually cross.
Why am I more likely to read these books? An anthropologist or sociologist would have a more complicated answer to it, but my answer is that it's because I'm just more likely to remember them when I want to buy something new to read, and because it's neat to read books by authors with whom you've had some interaction.
The lesson for writers? Theoretically, that we should meet our readers, shakes hands and press the flesh. I suppose something the same could be said for just having an effective, interactive web presence. As one author said at the con, however, if you don't enjoy cons, it's going to show, and so you shouldn't necessarily make that your primary route of promotion. Speaking of promotion, I've now twice heard authors with a substantial track records say that spending substantial amounts of your advance on promotion is a waste, and that the best thing you can do to sell your work to keep writing.
Tune in next time for "Promotion, or, Go Fic Yourself," about a couple innovative strategies authors are using to promote their work.
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* Yet. Do you order books at the library that you want to read? I never did before being a librarian, but now that I know just how useful it is to have input, I suggest things on at least a monthly basis.
** For most of my life I've been blessed with ready access to 70-80% of books I wanted from the library. When I started grad school, suddenly I had access to consortial borrowing groups (multiple libraries in a state) and that number rose to 90%+. When I was actually living in Seattle proper, I could get 90-95% of what I wanted from the university or public library. When that didn't suffice, there were used bookstores. Realistically, I had access to all books I wanted in some form or another. Richmond has various virtues, but cheap/free access to all desired books is not one of them. |
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| What I Learned at the Con, Part 2: A Rainbow of Authors |
[May. 1st, 2008|08:18 am] |
RavenCon 2008 featured authors writing everything from dark fantasy to paranormal romance to science fantasy to epic fantasy to space opera. They ranged from the unpublished to the underpublished to the self-published to the POD-published to the midlist to genuine big names. You know what? All the authors I met were willing to chat, and some were extremely generous with their time.
My experience online has been that authors are generally pleasant. I won't name names, but my friendslist is filled with chatty, sociable authors who don't think too highly of themselves to talk with readers. Still, I went into the con with trepidation, largely because of the bad authors. You know the ones: mean, grabby, drunk, disdainful, misanthropic. To my great pleasure, I encountered none of that. If there were any verbal daggers, none of them were waved around while I was present.
Now, this isn't to say I didn't see friction between authors! On that score, I saw snide comments and brief spats, as well as a few authors who were visibly irritated when others talked too long on panels, or said things with which they didn't agree.
Starting at a small con had advantages, though it had some strange effects as well. As in any pond, the little were made bigger and the big became... not what you might expect. C. S. Friedman was the Writer Guest of Honor, and yet she seemed pleasant and approachable. Katherine Kurtz, a genuine living legend of fantasy, shared stories about the joys and frustrations of her long career as an author.
The final thing I was reminded of is that there are hundreds of F/SF authors out there, thousands if you include writers at all level of development, and it's difficult to know about all of them. Case in point: John Ringo. Previous to last week, I'd never heard of the man, which perhaps isn't surprising, given how little military SF I read. Then I saw OH JOHN RINGO NO. Then I got to the con and heard many people mention him. "I love his books." "I saw John Ringo just the other day." "He's a hack." "What would John Ringo do?" There's plenty to learn about authors at a con, both those present and those who aren't.
Tune in next time for "Con Truth and Fiction," about my experience with the truisms one hears about cons. |
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| What I Learned at the Con, Part 1: Go to a Con |
[Apr. 29th, 2008|08:50 am] |
This past weekend I attended RavenCon, and it was a hell of a lot of fun. By the lights of Dragon*Con or World Fantasy, it's pretty small, a comfortable size for one's first con. I made a few connections with local new writers, spent plenty of time chatting with author guests, and even met a fellow local librarian. It was a warm, friendly experience with not an unpleasant thing about it.*
Some of what I expected to find at the con proved true; some didn't. I learned far more than I expected, and in ways I wouldn't have expected. If anyone reading this wants to write F/SF and hasn't been to one, go to a con. You won't be wasting your time or hard-earned dough. My only wish is that I'd started going ten years ago.
Why didn't I go in the past?
Fear of not being taken seriously as a writer**
Fear of acting like a pompous new author
Fear that I would suddenly transmute into Comic Book Guy
Fear I'd have a hard time talking to people
Fear I'd be miserable
None of that happened, so far as I can tell.
The only fear with a shred of truth was this: many people at the con have known each other for decades, and they go to catch up with each other. So, yeah, I didn't have deep conversations with everyone (and made a point not to bug old friends in mid-reunion), but there were more than enough people eager to talk. Frankly I was glad to have breaks to sit in a corner and read while recharging my socializing batteries.
Tune in next time for "A Rainbow of Authors," about the pleasures and oddities of meeting authors in person.
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* Unless you count minor outlay in the dealer's room. At least I didn't spend $100 non-existent dollars on a cool Stephen Hickman print I coveted.
** For context, if you're not one of my regular readers, I'm a new author with a few publication credits who's trying to "break in" to big time markets. |
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