The Business of Conventions
(or How to Get That Elusive Bang for Your Buck)

© Ron Collins

This is important.

My boss recently sent me to a four-day technical conference in Florida. He didn't agree to send me just so I could have fun in the sun. He didn't do it so I could see friends. He didn't do it to give me a break from my daily grind.

He sent me to Florida because it makes good financial sense for a business's employees to be well trained and up to date.

It's that simple.

Conferences are premium training opportunities. And since it's never too early for new writers to begin looking at themselves as businesses, that's the basic mind-set we should have as we approach science fiction conventions. So if you've just hung out your new writer's shingle, and you're thinking about going to conventions, what should you expect to learn? Where should you go, and how do you go about actually learning something while you're there?

Let's take look at these questions.

In the past three months, I've had the pleasure of working with several writers just starting out. They are all closet writers--people who scribble in notebooks, smile to themselves, and feel that wonderful freedom of release as they create their works. It is a glorious time in their development. But for now most of them are focused on "microwriting." They're worried about sentences and phrases and making their work sound good. In other words, they're trying to learn how to construct, how to "push a verb against a noun," as one established writer I know puts it.

If this is a skill you need to develop, a convention may well be the last place you want to go. Well, a creative writing course may really be the last place you want to go, but conventions are a close second. Nothing will teach you how to string words together better than planting your behind in a chair and doing the deed.

The caveat here is that there are conventions that hold writers' workshops with some people who really know the artistic and craft side of the business. If you find one, look at the people that are teaching and make your decision accordingly. Worldcon always has workshops, and there are some local conventions that do a fine job (for example, Tim Waggoner and Gary Braunbeck host a three-day workshop at Context that is one of the best I've attended).

But putting words on paper is only one part of the game, and it's not the part that conventions really shine at.

Conventions at their best teach us about the business. Conventions can help us learn the mechanics of this industry, things like how manuscripts get processed and how books and magazines are printed and distributed. They help us understand how money flows. Conventions help us understand markets and the people behind them. They allow us to discuss events with other people in the industry and let us obtain a truer read on the reality of the environment we're in. And, of course, conventions allow us to stumble upon the occasional opportunity.

To an inexperienced writer these elements of the business can be as intimidating as a tidal wave, yet they are important. They are the reasons a new writer should go to a convention.

So let's say you've decided to invest in training.

While every convention has its own personality you can look at the field in three groupings--regional events, the World Fantasy Convention (WFC), and the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon). Where you should focus your attention depends a lot on what you want to learn, what you want to accomplish as a business, and what resources (money and time) you have at your disposal.

Before you decide anything, you should know what you most want to improve or accomplish. Ask yourself what weaknesses you have. Be truthful--you don't have to share this with anyone.

Then look at your options and play Match Game.

I'll run through them here:

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Regional events are held in a single hotel and often attended by only a few hundred people. Guest lists are shorter than those of major conventions. Panels are more informal and intimate. It's a good bet that you'll be able to ask more questions here than you'll get in at a larger gathering.

If you're looking for one in your area, you might be best served by hitting the Internet first. I suggest a web ring (with a collection of 160+ sites) found at http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=sfcons;list.

The most important thing about regional conventions from a new writer's perspective is that the writers, editors, and agents that attend them are not there specifically to pursue their own immediate business interests. Instead, they attend these conventions to have fun, to help new people in the field, and to promote themselves or their books to readers--not necessarily in that order. This means they will be readily accessible and more likely to want to spend time with you.

Look for panels that address your weaknesses, but go to them without expecting anyone to stay on topic. Ask questions. Talk to people. Analyze what they say, why they said it, and how it applies to your business. Feel free to discard anything you don't like, but if you find yourself discarding the same "rule of thumb" several times, you might rethink your position a bit. Perhaps most important of all, you might arrange to have discussions in quiet settings (hint: most writers are suckers for the opportunity to educate new writers down in the bar), and acquire a fisherman's patience in making yourself available for lightning to strike.

For example, I remember Lisa and I were sitting on a couch at Context a few years ago. Context is a small convention located in Columbus, Ohio. I was a brand-new writer, and it was our very first convention. It was nearing midnight. The hotel lobby was empty.

"Should we call it a day?" Lisa said.

I shrugged and replied in the universally noncommittal fashion of the male species. "I don't know."

We sat there for a few moments. Lois McMaster Bujold, Mike Resnick, Dennis McKiernan, Tim Waggoner, and J. C. Pierce strolled into the lobby. They pulled up the couches around us and commenced a three-hour conversation about the state of the publishing business, thereby allowing me to ask all the questions I had prepared for just such an occasion. (Remember that part about identifying your weaknesses? This is why.)

I came away from that convention knowing a lot more about the field than I did going into it.

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WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION:

WFC is a big, important convention.

A new writer should be aware, though, that most of the professional people who attend the big, important events are there specifically to do their own business. This rule applies heavily to WFC, whose attendance is limited to something under a thousand people and is targeted primarily at people within the publishing industry. This means the people you want to see will be doing lunch and dinner and breakfast. It means that when they're having a quiet midafternoon discussion in the bar, it's likely a business session. Hence, Emily Post might say that crashing these is a no-no.

WFC will often spill over into two or more hotels and include a convention center. Its programming is far more business oriented than that of regional events and more focused than that of Worldcon. Given this convention's scope, a new writer will benefit by a thorough examination of the programming guide. Look for "state of the business" and "things to come" type panels. These are the meat and potatoes of the industry. If you've got material you want to pitch to editors, arrange in advance for a quiet meeting within their schedule. Chances are, an editor's premium time will be booked, so you may have to be flexible with your own schedule--but that's fine.

You cannot throw a stone at WFC without hitting a person who is established in the field. So take advantage of the moment, look at your weaknesses (remember those?), and network in accordance with them. If you're patient and comport yourself professionally, you'll certainly be able to speak to people who understand the business as well as anyone.

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WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION:

Worldcon is the epitome of the large, sprawling convention. It's far too big for a single hotel. Panels are held in a convention center as well as at each of the hotels, which can make for difficulty in planning your day and entail a good deal of walking in order to hit all the events you're interested in. In addition, several thousand people attend Worldcon, most from outside the publishing industry. You'll find gamers, media fans, and literary fans alike--and the programming will reflect this diversity of interests.

With all these things going on, you might think it would be difficult to accomplish anything amid the chaos. In reality, the Worldcon setup has some advantages over WFC's for the newest of writers, especially those who may feel uncomfortable introducing themselves to bigger name professionals.

Like at WFC, a new writer will find several programs and panels of business interest. These, as before, should be of prime importance and take precedence over panels that are geared more toward their entertainment value. Worldcon programming, though, is unique in that it generally includes a series of kaffeeklatsches or teas where established professionals--be they editor, writer, or agent--have informal hour-or-so-long conversations with a collection of ten or fifteen individuals. These are held in quiet locations suitable for good discussion, and may be the most valuable sessions in the world to a completely new writer trying to get a grip on what being a writer means. A word to the wise, however. Sign up for these as soon as you can because they fill up rapidly.

Another opportunity for new writers at Worldcon is publishers' parties. These won't appear in the program, but they are prevalent and a moderately determined new writer can generally ferret out their existence. While you should specifically avoid doing business at parties unless it is thrown directly at you, it's fun to get to know people for who they really are--which, I think, is one of the real side benefits of being involved in the community of writers.

Finally, one thing that both Worldcon and WFC have that local conventions don't is major award ceremonies. Yes, I'm one of those people who stay up all night on Oscar night, even though I've rarely seen any of the movies. I enjoy watching people be told that they've done something good, so consider me biased. But if you love writers and writing, it's hard not to have fun watching a collection of them gathering accolades.

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In the end, though, a job you can't have fun with isn't worth having. Attending conventions is hard work. It can be physically, emotionally, and intellectually draining. So, do the hard work, but remember to give yourself a reward for a job well done, too.

Been dying to hear the latest Farscape news? Then, by all means find a panel or a video room that's holding a discussion about Ben Browder and Claudia Black. Certain you know what the next Star Wars movie is going to be about? Don't hesitate to duck into a conversation with a collection of intense fans.

Just remember, the boss is always watching.

And she wants a solid return on her investment.