I prefer not to book two cons on two successive weekends. However I got in at Virginia’s Ravencon (the last weekend in April) this year, then I qualified for FantaSci the previous weekend; as it’s a Durham con, I couldn’t resist.
Being local turned out to have its downside. With Plushie needing all those eyedrops for his glaucoma, I wasn’t comfortable hanging out and around the con as I would normally. I confined myself to being there for panels and on Friday the stretch between them. Then Saturday, after my last panel I came home. A shame — I was finding it a low key, enjoyable con, and reconnected with several friends in the biz. I also screwed up and didn’t get a sale table for my books. Next year I will plan better and stay longer. And hopefully sell stuff. I’ll probably have more stories to tell about it.
Ravencon is 2.5 hours away so going home between panels wasn’t an issue. And I did reserve a sale table. But first, the photos:
My favorite cosplayer: Darth Barbie!
Like Con-Gregate last year, handselling proved very effective. I was close to one of the entrances to “Author Alley” which helped — steady foot traffic — and I have no qualms about calling on people to buy my wares. The purchasing pattern was different from last year, when Sex for Dinner, Death for Breakfast was the big hit. This time, nothing. I sold copies of Undead Sexist Cliches and several copies of Cyborgs, Santa Claus and Satan I purchased way back when. The winner, though, was Questionable Minds with eight copies sold. A lot of credit goes to Sam Collins’ eyecatching cover—
— but my writing gets some credit too. Several people read the back of the book, said they loved the premise and paid.
As if that wasn’t enough fun, I got several compliments for my comments as a panelist and a couple of people bought books based on that alone. Plus meeting various writer friends including Samantha Bryant and Venessa Giunta (whom I know online but haven’t met in the flesh before). I also had a good conversation with my neighbors, Paul DIckinson Russell, who had an author’s alley table for his first book (cover by Rana Gainer) and his buddy Lisa Hodorovych, a suspense author giving him advice on his first handselling experience.
The downside? I’ve had “get bookmarks or business cards” as a to-do item for a while and never gotten around to it. Big mistake: several people asked for one so they could find my books online later. I shall rectify that before my next con, which unfortunately won’t be until next year.
Much as I’d like to go to lots and lots of cons, I do have obligations at home — and I enjoy spending weekends with TYG and the pets. Plus I don’t sell enough books to cover my costs (at least not yet); they are deductible, of course, but there’s still a limit to how much I can afford. I’m looking forward to figuring it out.
Bonus image: Wisp looking plaintively at TYG while I was gone.
#SFWApro. All rights to cover images remain with current holders.
