Anyone going to Bouchercon? - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T14:57:53Zhttp://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/537324:Topic:159790?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A160204&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHi Liz,
I noticed your name o…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-09-18:537324:Comment:1603832008-09-18T17:20:10.361ZJulie Lomoehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/julielomoe
Hi Liz,<br />
I noticed your name on that Thursday morning panel - too bad I won't arrive till Thursday night!<br />
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I vividly recall sharing a cab with you downtown from a MWA cocktail party to a mystery event at a downtown bookstore. The alcohol flowed freely, as I recall. That kind of event beats morning panels, IMHO. See you at the bar?
Hi Liz,<br />
I noticed your name on that Thursday morning panel - too bad I won't arrive till Thursday night!<br />
<br />
I vividly recall sharing a cab with you downtown from a MWA cocktail party to a mystery event at a downtown bookstore. The alcohol flowed freely, as I recall. That kind of event beats morning panels, IMHO. See you at the bar? This will be my first Boucher…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-09-18:537324:Comment:1603702008-09-18T14:23:40.528ZElizabeth Zelvinhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/lizzelvin
This will be my first Bouchercon. I've always heard the place to be was the bar too, and I was kind of dubious, since my mystery is about recovery and 12-step programs. But wouldn't you know? They put me on a Thursday morning panel on the role of alcohol in crime fiction, "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down." I guess I'd better go with the flow, huh?
This will be my first Bouchercon. I've always heard the place to be was the bar too, and I was kind of dubious, since my mystery is about recovery and 12-step programs. But wouldn't you know? They put me on a Thursday morning panel on the role of alcohol in crime fiction, "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down." I guess I'd better go with the flow, huh? The thing about Bouchercon an…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-09-17:537324:Comment:1602622008-09-17T14:37:55.082ZJon Jordanhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Crimespreeman
The thing about Bouchercon and even smaller conventions is that it's not about selling your boo so much as it's about selling yourself.<br />
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The sheer logistics make it impossible for people to buy all the books they want, but the trick is to plant seeds so these readers will buy your book later. The weekend isn't about booksales for that weekend but about future sales and growing a bigger fan base for you as an author, not just the latest book.<br />
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People talk about justifying the cost of going, but…
The thing about Bouchercon and even smaller conventions is that it's not about selling your boo so much as it's about selling yourself.<br />
<br />
The sheer logistics make it impossible for people to buy all the books they want, but the trick is to plant seeds so these readers will buy your book later. The weekend isn't about booksales for that weekend but about future sales and growing a bigger fan base for you as an author, not just the latest book.<br />
<br />
People talk about justifying the cost of going, but truthfully, the amount of books you would have to sell th cover the cost would be more than will be on hand anyway. If you get too wrapped up in booksales you'll end up making yourself crazy. There are so many things to get out of Bouchercon that it would be a shame to miss it because you are so worried about sales.<br />
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As far as pitching, I know there will be agents and editors around all weekend and while they are there on business, don't forget they are there to have fun too. If someone is having a good time talking with some folks that's probably not a good time to pitch something.<br />
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The main reason to go to Bouchercon is because you love the mystery genre.<br />
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And to see Sandra and Ayo and Christa.... I'm going to be there as well…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-09-17:537324:Comment:1602552008-09-17T13:30:56.849ZAyohttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Evedallas
I'm going to be there as well. This is only my second B'Con but I learnt from the first one that I attended (Chicago) that the place to be is the bar! There are a number of panels that I am planning on attending (I am also moderating one) but I am also conscious of the fact that I shall be spending time in the bar catching up with all my friends that I only generally get to keep in contact with online and renewing the friendships that I made in Chicago.<br />
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Jon Jordan note is spot on. Don't feel…
I'm going to be there as well. This is only my second B'Con but I learnt from the first one that I attended (Chicago) that the place to be is the bar! There are a number of panels that I am planning on attending (I am also moderating one) but I am also conscious of the fact that I shall be spending time in the bar catching up with all my friends that I only generally get to keep in contact with online and renewing the friendships that I made in Chicago.<br />
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Jon Jordan note is spot on. Don't feel upset about missing a couple of panels and just hanging out with friends. I am sure that you will enjoy B'Con. I was made very welcome when I went to Chicago. I'll be there and it'll be my…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-09-17:537324:Comment:1602042008-09-17T02:58:06.302ZChrista Fausthttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/faustfatale
I'll be there and it'll be my first B-Con, though not my first convention. I'll be on a couple of panels but I'm mostly just looking forward to hanging with old friends and meeting some new ones. I'll be easy to spot by my platinum hair, so if you see me, come over and say hi.
I'll be there and it'll be my first B-Con, though not my first convention. I'll be on a couple of panels but I'm mostly just looking forward to hanging with old friends and meeting some new ones. I'll be easy to spot by my platinum hair, so if you see me, come over and say hi. This is excellent advice, esp…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-09-17:537324:Comment:1602002008-09-17T02:46:31.466ZJulie Lomoehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/julielomoe
This is excellent advice, especially as it relates to a panel I was on this past Saturday at the NYS Museum in Albany. There were six of us, a moderator and five panelists from the local chapter of Sisters in Crime. The panel was excellent and people seemed to enjoy it, but we didn't sell a huge number of books. Perhaps we were talking about our own works too much. Then again, the event was free, and people may not have been primed to spend much.<br />
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One woman (who was using a walker) was carrying…
This is excellent advice, especially as it relates to a panel I was on this past Saturday at the NYS Museum in Albany. There were six of us, a moderator and five panelists from the local chapter of Sisters in Crime. The panel was excellent and people seemed to enjoy it, but we didn't sell a huge number of books. Perhaps we were talking about our own works too much. Then again, the event was free, and people may not have been primed to spend much.<br />
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One woman (who was using a walker) was carrying my book around, seemingly about to buy it, but then put it down. When I asked why, she replied that it was too much for her to carry at the time. So you never know. People misunderstand how you…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-09-16:537324:Comment:1601492008-09-16T18:50:00.934ZSandra Ruttanhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Sandramre
People misunderstand how you best sell books. If you're on a panel and the topic is African Mysteries and you take every opportunity to twist a question back to yourself ("well, you know, my protagonist doesn't live in Africa but she collects stuffed giraffes, and those are animals from Africa, so you'll all love my books!") it's boring as hell to listen to.<br />
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I spent a few years attending cons as a reader. If panelists were interesting and funny, I'd go buy their book. If all they did was talk…
People misunderstand how you best sell books. If you're on a panel and the topic is African Mysteries and you take every opportunity to twist a question back to yourself ("well, you know, my protagonist doesn't live in Africa but she collects stuffed giraffes, and those are animals from Africa, so you'll all love my books!") it's boring as hell to listen to.<br />
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I spent a few years attending cons as a reader. If panelists were interesting and funny, I'd go buy their book. If all they did was talk about themselves and ask me to buy their book, I tuned them out. I hear the same thing said by other readers constantly.<br />
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Case in point was the panel I was on a few years ago. One panelist actually begged people in the audience to come pick up their bookmarks afterwards. One mention we could have lived with, but he said talked about what a nice bookmark it was three or four times. After the panel someone walked up to me and introduced themselves and said, "X sold me on his book, and then he unsold me on his book."<br />
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As I said, unless a bookmark performs oral sex, it isn't that special. Or to rephrase, nobody pays the kind of money it takes to attend a con just to pick up a free bookmark. You'll never have an easier audience than at B'con - the readers have usually spent hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars attending because they LOVE mysteries! They want to discover new authors, or they'd be at home, reading the authors they already know about. Be polite, be funny, be informative and people will buy your book.<br />
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The panels with the highest attendance numbers aren't just the ones with "big" names - they're the ones where the panelists are entertaining. It isn't that people don't end up selling copies of their books - it's just that some mistake talking about it on panels as the way to do it.<br />
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One of my major pet peeves from a prior B'con was being backed into a corner by two authors wearing costumes who wanted to tell me about the moment they got inspired to write the book and all the nitty gritty details of the process. I have a real split personality and have to put on my social side for events like these, because they are demanding, but that kind of freaked me out. Angela, your advice is most w…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-09-16:537324:Comment:1601462008-09-16T18:03:55.002ZJulie Lomoehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/julielomoe
Angela, your advice is most welcome. I'd already highlighted the short story panel as the one I'm most likely to attend in that time slot.<br />
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I will do my best not to be shy, and I'm glad "pitching" is in style. I'll probably stress the visual side, wearing a t-shirt with my book cover (for which I did the illustration) and/or a weirdly bedecked hat.
Angela, your advice is most welcome. I'd already highlighted the short story panel as the one I'm most likely to attend in that time slot.<br />
<br />
I will do my best not to be shy, and I'm glad "pitching" is in style. I'll probably stress the visual side, wearing a t-shirt with my book cover (for which I did the illustration) and/or a weirdly bedecked hat. Thanks for your thoughtful re…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-09-16:537324:Comment:1601432008-09-16T17:59:36.906ZJulie Lomoehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/julielomoe
Thanks for your thoughtful reply, Sandra - it will help me keep things in perspective, although I question the statement that "Panelists are not supposed to sell their books at Bouchercon." Why on earth not? Discussing topics without blatant self-promotion is all well and good, but the urge to sell shouldn't be a shameful secret, IMHO.<br />
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I look forward to meeting you there - and to skipping some panels.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply, Sandra - it will help me keep things in perspective, although I question the statement that "Panelists are not supposed to sell their books at Bouchercon." Why on earth not? Discussing topics without blatant self-promotion is all well and good, but the urge to sell shouldn't be a shameful secret, IMHO.<br />
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I look forward to meeting you there - and to skipping some panels. Cons are just not practical f…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-09-15:537324:Comment:1600782008-09-15T20:17:10.360ZTom Cookehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/TomCooke
Cons are just not practical for me. I wouldn't be able to recoup the cost of the trip if I sold a book to a publisher at the price they pay new authors.
Cons are just not practical for me. I wouldn't be able to recoup the cost of the trip if I sold a book to a publisher at the price they pay new authors.