You might wonder why I spend so much time going to science fiction conventions. Is it really worth the entrance fee, the driving, the exhaustion, to talk about science fiction all weekend long with various fellow-nerds?
I mean… YES. But there’s more to it than that.
Networking
If you want to be a speculative fiction author, of if you’re starting out as an author and want to grow your audience, there is no better place to network than a science fiction convention, preferably a small one. The big conventions, like WorldCon or Comic Con, are so full of big stars and large audiences that you’ll have a hard-to-impossible time networking. A smaller convention, like ConCoction, Columbus’ MarCon, or Pittsburgh’s Confluence, is ideal. You’ll not only get to meet the big guests of honor, you’ll get to have unhurried discussions with them.
AND, more importantly, unhurried discussions with smaller authors you have never heard of. The real networking isn’t at the front of the room, it’s in the seat next to you in the audience. Here you can form bonds with colleagues who are growing alongside you. It’s a lonely road, but you don’t have to walk it alone.
Career Support
There are panels on important topics, from craft issues like dialog to business advice like how to sell your fiction. I’ve learned so much at conventions like this, including big, glaring errors I was making in my query process.
And Concoction has Author’s Alley, a bookstore run by the convention staff to sell your books for you. Do you have any idea how great that is for small and indie authors? To be able to have someone else ‘man a table’ while you get to enjoy the convention, be on panels, and meet people? It’s like … a free upgrade to the big time. And Concoction visitors BUY. I made $100 in sales last year while I was off doing other things!
And they let authors stash their stuff in the author alley room! This was very handy for me last year, since I didn’t have a hotel room.
Also, like any other convention, you can volunteer to be on a panel, introducing yourself to an audience, talking about what you know, passing on your knowledge in the great circle of helping each other out. Talk about networking. I’ve made genuine friends sitting next to each other on a panel.
And someone in the audience just might buy your book because they liked what you had to say about how to write a fight scene.
Having Fun
If you aren’t trying to grow your audience or be a professional in the industry, well, conventions are also FUN. There are games, talks, performances, shopping and hanging out!
If you drink, Bar Fleet is there to provide you with a free buzz served by dedicated volunteers. They spread joy and dancing throughout the quadrant. (I mean, there’s usually a DJ, too, and I love to boogie.)
There’s always some form of dancing or karaoke at a convention. Only, you know, nerdy? Introverts get to do extrovert stuff in a safe space. Extroverts get to do their thing in pure weirdness.
ConCoction has one of the coolest game rooms I’ve ever seen, and every year they run a big board game identification contest called the Golden Meeple. I COVET THE GOLDEN MEEPLE. Some day I want one next to a Hugo on my mantlepiece. If you love board games, you cannot miss Concoction! If you have kids who like board games, there are plenty for them, too.
Free Stuff
I love free stuff. ConCoction will feed you – well worth the price of admission. Drop by the con suite at any time during the convention to grab a snack or a drink.
Then there’s the game room. Remember that game room? Well, they give away all the board games at the end of the convention. Playing games counts as a free ticket in the raffle for that game!
Yes, I played a game through 8 times in hopes of winning it – and I did!
Lastly, You Get to See Me
I will of course be at Concoction this weekend. Here is my schedule of events:
Friday 6pm: Author Showcase – this is where I’ll be sitting in the Author’s Alley to chat and sign books
Friday 9pm: panel: Structuring Your Story
(Saturday I go to the Akron book Festival, but I’ll be back at Concoction for the evening parties!)
Sunday Noon: Panel: Writing and Publishing Short Stories
Sunday 1pm: Panel: Building a better bad guy
Sunday 3pm: Hamsters workshop! My professional science fiction workshop decided to meet at the hotel, since we’re all going to the convention anyway. The public is welcome to hang out and watch us critique!
