Writing Excuses Season 3 Episode 10: The Dos and Don’ts of Attending Cons
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Aug 3, 2009
Learn the dos and don'ts of attending writing conventions, including tips on networking, professionalism, and engaging with established professionals. Hear anecdotes and celebrity encounters, and get advice on maximizing opportunities at events like the World Science Fiction Convention.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Approach Heroes Professionally
Avoid being overbearing or fanboyish when meeting your heroes at conventions.
Approach them professionally and respect their time for meaningful conversations.
question_answer ANECDOTE
How Professionalism Opens Doors
Howard tells how a professional, polite approach to Steve Jackson led to a valuable conversation and publishing deal.
Contrast with another fan's fanboy approach that made Steve Jackson disengage immediately.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Start With Panel Recommendations
Ask editors about the panels they recommend attending to gain insight and build connections.
Use this opening to start conversations in less intimidating ways.
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Last week we discussed what kinds of events that you, the aspiring author, should be attending. This week we cover what you should and shouldn't be doing there. And we start with some don'ts. The word of the day? "Booth Barnacle." If last week's 'cast was a little long-winded, this one is downright rambling, coming in at a hefty nineteen minutes and thirty-eight seconds. Oh, the anecdotes! If you thought we were name-dropping last week (Phil Foglio, Kevin J. Anderson, and Lawrence Schoen) this week we throw around names like Larry Niven, Steve Jackson, John Ringo, and Tom Doherty. We sure hope you can learn from our meandering, celebrity-brushing reminiscences. And speaking of celebrity-brushing, brush up against us this week in Montreal at the World Science Fiction Convention! The Writing Excuses Panel is on Friday from 2:00pm to 3:30pm in P-513C, and will feature all three of your Writing Excuses hosts with as-yet-unnannounced special guests from the world of publishing, editing, and of course authoring genre fiction. And again, on the topic of celebrity-brushing and networking in general: one piece of linkage you introverts (and you untrained extroverts) absolutely MUST have - "Networking 201: How to Work a Room," by Diana Rowland. The long-awaited writing prompt (last week we just gave you the first half) is... a man arrives at a convention with something important in his pocket. It is an entire universe... and it has not been peace-bonded. This week's episode of Writing Excuses is brought to you by the bad accents of Dan and Howard as they pitch Dungeon Crawlers Radio.
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