I’ve been going to science fiction conventions in one form or another since I was in high school. Back then, I dressed up in cheesy costumes I made myself and spent hours in the anime room. These days, I go to conventions as an author promoting my work. (Though I’m not above buying a steampunk leather vest or a quartz D 20 pendant in the dealer’s room.)
Stormtrooper Elvis rocked San Diego Comic Con in 2007
I’ve been scarce around blogland for the last week because I was in New York City for New York Comic Con, a huge celebration of comics, gaming, movies, TV, books, costumes, and everything science fiction and fantasy. This one isn’t quite as huge as its more famous cousin in San Diego, which draws 130,000 + warm bodies. I went to San Diego Comic Con in 2007. This was my first time at New York Comic Con, which is about half the size but just as crazy.
The cool thing about the two Comic Cons is they’re trade shows as much as conventions. Most of the publishers of comics and books of all sizes, as well as lots of game companies, movie studios, TV studios, and so on, come to show off their upcoming projects, and feature lots of freebees to entice would-be fans. This sets these cons apart and makes them a great place for an author to push their work on an eager public.
My publisher kept me busy for the two days I was at the con. Saturday, I arrived at 10 am, giving me enough time to see the lay of the land and find my publisher’s booth, where I was scheduled to sign books at 11 am. The cool thing about being here under my publisher’s auspices was having the space at the booth to do the signing, and also having a couple of boxes of my first book to give away to convention goers. For about an hour, I signed books and put them in the hands of a lot of people who hadn’t read them yet. First one’s free, and maybe a few of them will get hooked. It’s an amazingly effective promotional tool. But I’ve been doing this long enough that I had a few fans stop by with their own books, some of them with the complete series. I had enough time to be able to chat with most of them, which was also very cool. Writing is an isolated activity, and it still floors me to get out there and talk to actual people who’ve read my books.
At 1:30 pm I was on a panel discussion called “Sci Fi, Supernatural, and Fantasy Authors Roundtable” with about 10 other authors. Most conventions have panel discussions or presentations on just about every topic imaginable. We had an audience of about 500 — the room was packed. Despite the huge number of panelists, the moderator did a great job moving things along and giving everyone a chance to talk. Panels like this are great for fans to be able to come hear their favorite authors (or actors, artists, or any other creator) talk about their processes and thoughts. It’s great for panelists to be able to connect with people who haven’t encountered their work before. In this case, the panel was a success. On Sunday, I had several people come to my booth session specifically because they’d seen me on the panel and wanted to learn more.
I sign books at San Diego Comic Con in 2007
After the panel, I had an autographing session in the convention’s official autographing area. I was two tables down from Lou Ferrigno. How cool is that? I didn’t talk to him. He’s kind of intimidating.
Because I didn’t have anything scheduled for that evening, and because I was in New York City, I went to see Guys and Dolls on Broadway Saturday evening. Wherever I travel for a convention, I like to take a little time out to be a tourist and see the city where I’m staying.
Sunday, I had another signing at the Hachette Book Group booth at noon. Once again, I got to talk to a lot of readers and potential readers. I had a little more time to walk around the convention before I had to head out to the airport for my flight home.
Some authors are lucky enough to have their own support system at conventions in the form of family and friends. This time, I had my editor and a publicist from the publisher helping out, as well as support from the publisher’s booth (i.e. a place to stash my coat). Most of the time, I travel on my own and keep track of my own schedule and bottles of water. Since I’m the independent type, this usually works out. But I have to say, I really like having someone on hand during signings since I’m so focused on what I’m doing and the person standing in front of me that the building could burn down and I might not notice.
If you’re a writer and you want to go to a convention, what do you do? For the big ones, like the Comic Cons and Dragon Con in Atlanta, I recommend having the support of a publisher or cultivating a contact person at the con who deals with programming. These conventions are too big and unwieldy to just show up and expect to make any connections.
There are a few medium sized conventions mostly focused on the literary side of things that are great to go to if you’re an aspiring author or a published author looking to get your name out there. The World Science Fiction Convention, World Fantasy Convention, and World Horror Convention tend to be smaller and have lots of opportunities for face time with authors and editors and the like.
Smaller conventions, with attendance anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand people, happen almost every weekend all over the country. Many of them vary in focus: anime, gaming, costuming, or books. Here in Denver, StarFest is held in April and features Hollywood actors as its main guests; Mile Hi Con in October is all about books and authors. If you write science fiction and fantasy, these smaller literary conventions are a great way to meet published authors as well as up and comers, all of whom offer great support and advice.
I should point out that even if you’re a published author, you’ll be paying your own way — airfare, hotel, meals, etc. — to go to these conventions. I was lucky this time, and my publisher paid my airfare since my new book just came out and it was included in the promotional budget. But that’s the first time that’s happened. Remember, though, that most convention travel expenses are tax deductible. And that’s a whole other topic for another time.
