lagilman | go on, tell me where to go! ;-)

A totally unscientific and non-binding poll, to help me finalize my summer convention plans...

[Poll #945503]

And, just for the record, the Russian Vodka Room is an evil place, ginger-infused vodka is evil, and I was an innocent bystander. That's my story and nobody has video to disprove it.

Current Mood: wodka!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

dianora2.livejournal.com

Nothing compares to San Diego.

From:

lagilman

Only if I have something to actually do there... still waiting to hear back from my publisher.

From:

skidspoppe.livejournal.com

San Diego used to be fun...now it's just too huge! On Saturday afternoon you can barley even walk in the dealer's room.

From:

nick-kaufmann.livejournal.com

Is that the Russian Vodka Room in midtown Manhattan (originally made a typo - "madtown" Manhattan - so fitting)? I love that place. The fattest, juiciest olives I've ever had in a martini!

From:

debg.livejournal.com

Since the only actual location I see mentioned is San Diego - which is at the wrong end of the state to make me happy, although it's a nifty town - I am holding my peace until I see where some of these actually *are*.

From:

marinarusalka.livejournal.com

the Russian Vodka Room is an evil place, ginger-infused vodka is evil, and I was an innocent bystander

I believe the first two parts of that...

From:

alfreda89.livejournal.com

Thumbnail thoughts --

I've sort of gotten away from cons like NASFiC -- because of the numbers being so high. You probably could do just as well making contact with new fans by giving the convention a really hot bookmark for the gimmie table. But make the style in color and eye-catching.

ComicCon and DragonCon -- do you have any tie-in work with the comics industry? I think they could be useful, especially since there are less writers attending (at least DragonCon). I hear these cons are rather overwhelming, though. My introverted heart is saying "100,000 people?" But I've never attended. I've just heard it's overwhelming, but exciting, too. Both people I know who have gone more than once work in the con suite with Dealer friends, thus making them visible writers. I think one of them got a programming gig last year. Writing is the sad stepsister at these visual conventions...

Haven't you done ReaderCon before? I've heard good and bad about them.

There's always Conestoga in Oklahoma in July.

And of course ArmadilloCon is generally a great convention -- with a lot of writers and editors attending.

From:

neadods.livejournal.com

What's Readercon?

From:

lagilman

That's the one. A corner tabe, potatoes and smoked fish, and lots of vokda...

From:

lagilman

Boston (Readercon), St Louis (Nasfic, or the North American worldcon for those of us who can't afford to go to Japan), and Austin Texas, for 'Dillocon.

From:

lagilman

I've sort of gotten away from cons like NASFiC -- because of the numbers being so high. You probably could do just as well making contact with new fans by giving the convention a really hot bookmark for the gimmie table. But make the style in color and eye-catching.

WorldCon, for me, is easy. It used to be a no-brainer becaue my book came out then, and lots of readers. But it's so early this year, it throws off the rest of my schedule, and the book's coming out in June, so...

ComicCon and DragonCon -- do you have any tie-in work with the comics industry? Absoluely none. I keep getting told tht ComicCon is good even for u lowly original writers, but other than a signing at MG, I've yet to hear anyone tell me what I'd actually be able to DO. And the numbers are deeply offputting yeah. I've been to DragonCon and will only do it again if there's a reaslly good reason -- less the crowd than the weather, for me.

Haven't you done ReaderCon before? I've heard good and bad about them. Did it once, years ago, and came aay wth mixed feelings, yeah.

There's always Conestoga in Oklahoma in July. July is already packed. I need something in June!

And of course ArmadilloCon is generally a great convention -- with a lot of writers and editors attending.

Not that you're biased, or anything...

From:

lagilman

Sort of like World Fantasy for the fans. Or the anti-Dragoncon. Small, and purely the written word.

http://www.readercon.org/

It can be a great deal of fun, or painfully precious. I've encountered both.

From:

neadods.livejournal.com

Hmmm. Crapshoots can be difficult to gage.

From:

debg.livejournal.com

In that case, my realistic answer would be "San Diego with a couple of days to spare, and then here".

Two words: Wine Country.

From:

lagilman

Unfortunately, I have to think in terms of money/time spent on promotion for the new book before I can do vacation...

From:

lagilman

okay, so I wasn't innocent. But I was simply standing by....

From:

sfmarty.livejournal.com

You seem to get so much fun out of cons, so I said go to them all. Except, I agree with DebG. Come here. Arrange for a signing/reading at Borderlands to get the trip off of your taxes. I would love to see you again.

From:

alfreda89.livejournal.com

There's always Conestoga in Oklahoma in July. July is already packed. I need something in June!

And of course ArmadilloCon is generally a great convention -- with a lot of writers and editors attending.

Not that you're biased, or anything...

Well, my dear hope is to excavate the box room before August -- thus giving me TWO rooms to loan out during the convention. So it might be a cheaper con for you.

In June I'm doing two conventions -- SoonerCon (Definitely) and ApolloCon (I think). SoonerCon (June 8-10)is in OK City, and they are reviving a con that was closed down 5-10 years ago. It has all the good press of the name and people working with it, and none of the problems of "outsiders" showing up and upsetting the hotel staff.

BevHale lives there -- if you get your request in soon, you could probably have an air mattress (and sharing the bathroom with W & me). Tell me if it appeals, I'll find out who is confirmed at Chateau Hale et Moe.

ApolloCon is in Houston, TX on June 22-24. Some of the same people who do ArmadilloCon and did WFC. Was a very good convention last year. They're doing a chocolate taste-off... I'm a maybe on this one, depending on cash resources and whether W wants to go south to Fogo de Chao for dinner. If he attends, I will go for sure. Or if I can share a room with someone.

You know, you do not need to do a con every month. If these weren't short drives and with roommates, I wouldn't do them. Now, WFC, I have a ticket but no idea if W will be able to come, so probably looking for a non-smoking roommate who doesn't bring strange people back to the room at odd hours. (Gotta get SOME sleep!)

From:

onyxhawke.livejournal.com

Why are you going?
To Schmooze with pro's? Visit someplace new? Get exposed to fans? IIRC you're in NY somewhere.
one more to consider:
www.pi-con.org

From:

rwglaub.livejournal.com

Come on down to Balticon and shamelessly plus your books. I'll be happy to help...

From:

lagilman

I don't have to travel to shmooze with pros, I can do it in my living room. *grin*

This summer I have BURNING BRIDGES out to promote, and I want to give the entire series a kick in the sales. So June/July/August are the busy months.

I'm moving away from the usual NY/MJ/MA area conventions because they're my old (over)stomping grounds, plus I'll be doing signings there in June so the books will get store-time.

From:

lagilman

Balticon looks iffy, just because of deadlines, but Capclave's probably a lock...

From:

lagilman

You know, you do not need to do a con every month

BURNING BRIDGES is out in June. I'm on the PR-path. Once August rolls over and play dead, so will I.

From:

onyxhawke.livejournal.com

A bit early but: http://marcon.org/ (Supposed to be decent, on my list, but not anytime in the next two years.)
Also west coasterly: http://www.westercon60.org//index.php
And of course: http://www.inconjunction.org/ (I know a few people who've been here, mixed reports. Nothing horrific, but not spectacular.)
http://www.duckon.org/
http://libertycon.org/ (this one is fairly small about 300 - 400 bodies)
http://www.apollocon.org/

Good luck.

From:

alfreda89.livejournal.com

If you can afford it and focus it, by all means... May you not have the experience of setting up an autograpthing on a new book, and when you get there, they don't have any. Good memories about a PR trip? Not a lot of them...

From:

allaboutm-e.livejournal.com

You must come to Comic-Con 'cause we haven't seen you in way too long!

From:

lagilman

I'd love to, but I have to make sure the trip is worth the time and $$. Right now, lots of people are saying "it's worth it" but nobody's saying how.

From:

allaboutm-e.livejournal.com

I think it's really hard to define how it's worth it from a professional standpoint. Its a big @$$ convention, with lots of potential exposure, etc. but not necessarily sales to all 115,000 attendees, or even a significant portion thereof. And while I have personal reasons for wanting you to come, I'm not sure that's a persuasive arguement.

From:

lagilman

Oh, I'm not looking for a definition so much as I'm looking for "okay, Publisher X will have a presence you can piggyback on, in addition to whatever booksignings you can set up, and such-and-such activity is open to you to shmooze and get yourself seen/known..."

I don't want to spend time and money to go across the country and end up 'only' shmoozing with my friends (or even one single booksigning, as much fun as it might be) at the expense of promotional stuff I might have done elsewhere.