Worldcon Lessons

Friday and Saturday nights, I dreamed I was back at Worldcon. The dreams were very vivid and felt like they took up the whole night. I would wake from one and drift into another. Like the bathroom breaks between the convention panels.

So in my dream, I'm schmoozing a lot of editors when I realize that none of the ones I'm kibitzing with, are ones that are relevant to my writing. For instance, the guy I was chatting with Friday night, was a school book editor and he was asking me where my desire to write textbooks came from. Naturally I made something up. I didn't want to offend the guy since he was being so nice to me. Maybe I'm just afraid my writing is that bad and I'm doomed to write non-stop boredom.

(Remember, none of this really happened.)

Anyway, I realize the real reason for all this insanity is that I was thinking about Worldcon at work on Friday because a good friend wants to hit Worldcon in Chicago next year. But, to be honest, I wasn't that impressed with this one. I felt some of the panels were weak to say the least, even though it was fun watching authors, editors, and agents chat about various topics. And while it was interesting seeing the costumes and quirkiness of fandom, I was there to work.

I assessed everything my writing group and I did during the whole convention and was wondering what we could have done more. This made me remember what Dave Wolverton/Farland said at our Writer's Death Camp. He told us, that when we go to these conventions, we should go sit in the hotel's bar and stay there. When the agents/editors come in to relax a bit, we strike up a conversation and talk about their work and the industry with them. Find out what they like and what they're looking for. Then if the opportunity presents itself, we pitch our book.

The convention itself hosts two types of great networking opportunities: the Kaffeeklatch and the Literary Beer. Both were held in noisy halls, where it was sometimes hard to hear. But at least, with six other people, you got a chance at some face time.

As I thought about the convention on the whole though, I wondered if we should have skipped some of the panels and been offering to take editors out to lunch or dinner. Chat over a soda and such. Or at least looked for extra opportunities to have conversations with them. My writing group doesn't come off as rabid dogs and I think we might have garnered extra time with the editors of our choice. But we're so new to 'cons,' that we didn't think outside the box. Looking at Shaun Ferrall's photos on the Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing site, that guy was everywhere. His superior ninja networking skills totally put us to shame. And he was only there for one day! He obviously knows how to optimize his time and made great contacts.

There were also three floors of parties going on at the Atlantis, and we only went to the floor with the Tor party. Granted, the Tor party is the one everyone must attend, but what did we miss on the other two floors? Would we have ran into Lee Harris (editor for Angry Robot) and had a nice chat? The world will never know... (Besides, we saw him pressed in the throng at the Tor party, but were too scared to strike up a conversation.)

Maybe Worldcon isn't about the workshop and is actually all about the networking. That's what I think Dave Wolverton was talking about when he mentioned sitting at the bar. Sure there's lots of interesting things to see, but you're there to meet people. To talk with the people in your 'field' and make friendships with them so that you have the connections to get your work looked at.

What it really boils down to, is that with one Worldcon under my belt, I'm not as intimidated by approaching the people I want to talk to. They're genuinely nice people looking for writers with great stories and personalities they can work with.

Will I go to another Worldcon? Maybe. There are a lot of cons around and some are more focused than others. It wouldn't hurt to explore my world. One thing is certain though: there will always be someone there to talk to about the industry and writing.

All That Swag

The Iron Throne Desk Chair

Any pirate loves his booty, so believe me, when I went to the Angry Robot panel at Worldcon and Lee Harris offered a pile of books up to the combined geek horde, I squealed like a little girl and hustled to the front of the room. I managed to snag one the copies of 'Slights' by Kaaron Warren based on the fact that it's suppose to be super scarey.

Thus started the geek in me looking for all that fan boy stuff.
Damn you, Lee Harris. (Call me!)

In addition to the initial Angry Robot swag, I managed to pick up three more books (one of them the Hugo nominated Feed, put out by Orbit Books), a bumper sticker, a t-shirt, a handout on blood splatter, publisher buttons and buttons from Game of Thrones on HBO. And don't even get me started on all the free munchies in the con suite.

Now, I really went to Worldcon to work. Wanting to be a published author, I needed to network with editors and agents who could help me learn how to get published. I had a stack of business cards and a limited time to meet everyone I could, so I really couldn't spend a lot of time dilly-dallying on the fun stuff. But the people and things I did get to see, really made me geek out.

For instance, when we first walked in to register for the convention, we passed the food court. Sitting at one of the tables, right out in the open, was George R.R. Martin. Currently the most popular Fantasy writer in the market, I've read most of his stuff and find his work and career fascinating. Needless to say I was poking my friend and saying, "Dude! George Martin!"

There were other authors there whose work I enjoy, such as Dan Wells, Larry Correia and Howard Taylor. I even got to see Brandon Sanderson for the first time in the flesh (I was beginning to think he was the great white buffalo).

And lets not forget the man who shaped my sense of humor, Dr. Demento. Who would I be as an adult if I hadn't grow up with the Monster Mash or They're Coming To Take Me Away? Would I even have been nominated for class clown in high school if I hadn't heard Fish Heads or Dead Puppies?

So what I learned was that sometimes, even when you're crazy-busy with work, you have to take a moment and enjoy the things that make you who you are. That little burst of joy often may be the only thing that helps you get through another day.

And as Jimmy Durante sang,
"Don't you know that it's worth
Every treasure on earth
To be young at heart?
For, as rich as you are,
It's much better by far
To be young at heart
And, if you should survive
To a hundred and five,
Look at all you'll derive
Just by being alive!
Now, here is the best part:
You have a head start
If you are amongst the very young...
At heart"

Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash. Wherever you are.

Kaffeeklatsch... God Bless You!

Susan Chang at Tor's Room Party

The first thing Worldcon introduced me to is the Kaffeeklatsch. I know, I know... sounds kinda like a rude explicative, right? But kaffeeklatsch is brought to us from those wacky Germans, who also gave us Schadenfreude, and actually means coffee gossip.

Unlike the Literary Beer where you could share a brew (or any beverage) with the author, editor, artist, or agent of your choice, kaffeclatsch just lets you share a chat--sans any libations. Well... okay... the four editors I sat with were provided beverages by the Worldcon hosts.

While there were so many people we wanted to talk with, the three editors my writing group and I were most interested in meeting were: 

• Susan Chang - Tor Books YA Senior Editor
• Lou Anders - Pyr Editorial Director
• Lee Harris - Angry Robot Editor 

We also had a Literary Beer session (I think he actually had a Coke) with:
David Hartwell - Tor Books Senior Editor 

Three of our group at Worldcon (myself included) are in various stages of completion on YA (Young Adult) novels, so Susan Chang was someone we really wanted to meet. Since she's the only YA editor with Tor, I'm sure she's regularly bombarded with requests and questions. But taking it all in stride, she was very cordial and offered excellent advice for everyone at the table. She let us all give her our pitches and commented on the elements that most interested her. And, hey, she let a Tor fan boy and hopeful Tor author take a photo with her, so you know she's cool!

Lou Anders' energy was undeniable. I'm pretty sure his enthusiasm for the publishing industry could power Rhode Island if not the entire Eastern Seaboard. After hearing him in the Pyr Books presentation, I was dying to meet him and seeing little Pyr logos on the spines of my books. Super nice and very approachable, he also deserves a big, "Congrats!" for winning this years Hugo award for Best Editor, Long Form. Pyr's YA books have awesome covers too!

Lee Harris is a man I would love to work with. A genuinely nice guy who cares about his author's interests, Lee's work at Angry Robot is enough to make any writer sit up and take notice. Although he said they are currently not looking for YA titles, he did say to, "watch this space," giving me hope that one day he'll have one of my submissions on his desk. And when it really comes down to it, my YA may skirt the line a little like Dan Wells.

It would have been great to meet the legendary Tom Doherty and chat more with some of the other editors that came to Worldcon, but time was short and I'm a bit of a chicken. Besides, I'm pretty happy with having talked with the top three power houses I'd ultimately love to work with.