I’ve been dealing with a lot of burn-out and weariness of late. After Left Coast last year, I just fell into if not an actual slough of despond, a sort of wet spot on the mattress of energy. I didn’t make it to Bouchercon, had a tough time getting stuff done. I’ve talked about it; It’s probably medication related 9mostly) and some aging. It’s probably not depression, I know enough to recognize the difference. Been there.

One thing I’ve done over and over (and OVER) since becoming a fan, especially a mystery fan, is to try to explain the convention world to people, especially mystery fans. More to the point, writers. Especially those writers who despise the word fan, or say they’re not a fan, or on behalf of fans, object to the word. I hate when people tell me what I don’t like being called, especially without asking me. I am not too fond of snobs who disdain the term “fan” with claims that “it comes form fanatic” and cite “fan magazines” when in fact it’s been in use for decades, and some very respectable people use it just fine thanks and what the hell else are we?

And as I’ve been a fan since the 1970s, that’s a lot of explaining. Explaining to the hotel folks hosting a science fiction convention that we might dress weird but we are respectful of property far more than that business conference last month that threw the couch into the swimming pool. That we might sit in the halls and sing, but we’re self-policing and see, we have radios, headsets, beepers and training. Explaining that we’re not all writers, no, but we’ll be hanging out and talking and drinking a lot. My very first convention was a Star Trek convention in New York City and I am happy to talk about it. Thank god for TV Guide which is how Edie and I learned of its existence. I discovered fandom and science fiction thanks to that Trek con. I learned organizing skills, I met people like me, and I made friends. Some of those friends I saw this past weekend at Potlatch in Seattle, a small book-oriented sf conventions. Some of the folks like Mike and Allen and Deb and Donya I’ve known for 30 years, since I moved to Oakland, and discovered sf fandom. I know people who have friendships that have lasted longer but part of it for jme is that I moved away from my home town early enough that those ties are gone and fandom beckoned, offering me a home.

I’ve mentioned working on conventions. After two Trek cons I realized that I was done being entertained and wanted in. I started working and never looked back. I did once count up and found that I really had spent time working on at least 50 sf and mystery conventions. And that was probably at least 10 years ago, so add a half dozen more. And still I explain. Because the convention world is an odd one, it’s not quite like anything else. There are zillions of events LIKE a convention but not. There are professional conferences and workshops that you’ve gone to for work or professional development. There are annual gatherings and association meetings that you go to and bring your spouse who gets a program of his own, so he’s not bored. There are reunions and parties and celebrations and events which require matching clothes or a skill or competition. They keep the hotels busy every weekend. But nothing is quiet like a mystery convention.

So yet again, I read something today where someone was complaining about how we convention organizers don’t understand how hard it is for writers to attend conventions? Why we would make it easier for the writers to come to conventions if we just understood. (Once again, the person was not differentiating between conventions and conferences, so maybe she means the higher priced spread, but since she didn’t I think she mighta meant both. Or maybe just conventions. But she did mention volunteer- run events which always means conventions and usually conferences.)

NO. No dammit I won’t. ‘Scuze me, but it is JUST AS HARD for fans to attend conventions and we don’t get the tax breaks that writers get. Those aren’t much but every time as a writer you go to a convention, workshop, signing, gathering, book club, conference, you are doing professional work and you are doing publicity. WE fans are NOT. We are buying plane tickets and getting hotel rooms and shuttles and food and memberships and we are spending money to do that just like you but that money is GONE. It is our pleasure to do it, yes. But some of us are doing that AND working our butts off when we get there. A good solid percentage of LCC 2007’s committee was from out of town. They had to GET to Seattle and THEN start working. UNPAID. All while doing everything everyone else did to get there. Others got up early on to moderate the panel you were on after spending hours working up questions, researching the panelists and reading up on the topic.

I know conventions involve work for writers but jesus, are you really going to tell me it’s horrible? Are you going to say it’s something you don’t want to do? Then I suggest you stay put, because we’ll notice how unhappy you are. You gotta find some pleasure in the event or you need to learn to stay home Most writers DO enjoy the conventions. They have as much fun as possible and often as much as we fans do. They get to have conversations and hear ideas, and meet new writers, and see old friends and go out to dinner, and meet an on-line acquaintance.

The article I read posted the question ”Do organizers realize what a financial burden they can be on writers?”

YES. WE DO. Are you kidding? Is this intended to insult us all or is it just the sign of someone who hasn’t a clue. I’m sorry but jesus come ON. We do not live in caves. This is one of the reasons we try to keep membership rates DOWN. LCC 2007 was committed to ensuring our membership would stay under $200. We fought hard for a hotel rate that, in Seattle, was extraordinary. We fed people. A LOT. More than required and in fact I still find it appalling that people think that the hospitality suite is there to provide 3 meals a day and were stuffing food into pockets. Taking advantage is crass. We held a reception and a banquet and ordered more and more and MORE food. And still people complained. Unless the convention description reads “all meals are provided”, do NOT assume that you may eat your 3v meals a daygratis free in the con suite. We provided a detailed restaurant guide which included just about every cheap place to eat in Seattle. AND how to get from/to the airport in a range of ways including the less expensive bus option. OF COURSE WE KNOW. Because we fans SHOULDER THE SAME DAMN FINANCIAL BURDEN. And then some. Some writers (not a lot I know) can occasionally get their publisher to help out, especially if they have a book being released about the time of a con. It used to be more common than an author would go on tour; that’s really been cut back and more authors are expected to shoulder the burden of their own publicity. IT IS NOT THE PURPOSE OR JOB OF A CONVENTION TO TAKE OVER THAT RESPONSIBILITY.

The author seems to resent that “many conferences expect authors to pay for registration.” Yeah, AND? Of course we do. Conventions are gatherings of people interested in mystery. The convention is not a two tier, two class system. Where does this person think our operating funds are to come from if people don’t pay for registration?

As for the person’s complaint that authors are invited to provide material for auction baskets, well, I don’t know that many cons that do “auction baskets” but my experience has been that more authors ASK to have stuff auctioned than we can provide space for. Authors attend conventions to promote their work. This is one way to do that. We always have done a fundraising auction and when we have asked for items, well at least LCC and Bcon, as far as I know, do not have to go begging for donations. But more to the point, when we’ve done so, we do far better on the NON-BOOK items at the auction because a) baksets are a pain to trael with b) people often own half the books in the basket and c) anyone can get a book. Not anyone can get something intangiel from an author, or unique. There is no, repeat, NO harm in saying “no I can’t”. We understand. We do not put you on a list. We know you are asked to donate stuff. The writer makes it sound as if we send two hulking guys to threaten writers if they don’t pony up a matched set of their work.

The author of the piece cites that authors must pay for groceries, housing, postage, email and travel. Not unlike NON-AUTHORS.

The author states that most of us who work on “conferences” “only work on ONE conference” and believes that this means we don’t understand “how many conferences expect writers to volunteer their time.”

Again, I says ‘scuze me? Why would I not understand that? For one thing, I ATTEND more than one convention a year, if possible. I read the magazines and websites and so I know how may there are. While many fans are readers and don' Fans who read author webpages that have schedules SEE where the author is going to be so of COURSE WE ARE AWARE THAT THERE ARE OTHER CONFERENCES. Why would we not be? So? ?????

Conventions are in different parts of the country, during different times of year. Some have themes that appeal to different readers of the genre. There aren’t but a dozen or so mystery conventions in the US, annually and the most established have been around for more than a dozen years and are divided by months. We all know you can’t make them all. Why would you think otherwise?

We do not assume that “writers are compensated by book sales at the conference” We don’t think about that. In fact, we don’t spend a lot of time poindering the details of an authors’ life. Do you think we don? We don’t know WHERE the money comes from when someone sends us a memberships check. WHY WOULD WE? Any more than we wonder why Fan A or Fan B or Fan C is getting the money. He has a high tech job, she won a lawsuit, they invested well. SO? What difference does this make? Is the author truly in such demand? Interesting because my experience with working on those say 65 conventions is that no one is invited. You wanna come, you send the money and join. Invitations go only to guests of honor. Why would we, who have lots to do (and remember, we are volunteering) (and often have jobs) think about “gee I wonder where X is getting the money to attend a convention.” It just isn’t something worth our limited time. Sorry.

The author of the piece seems to be saying that it is up to conference organizers to pay authors to attend. I don’t know what events she believes this should happen at. Maybe true conferences, and not conventions. WHICH ARE DIFFERENT goddamit and why can’t people see that? Because that does make a difference in the financial picture. Conferences are often subsidized by an organization or college, by a group that offers writer workshops and classes and critique sessions and agent meetings. THESE ARE NOT conventions, so maybe they have the money to pay authors to come. Conventions DO NOT. Somewhere around 30% of attendees at LCC 2007 were published authors, I believe. If the person writing this piece truly believes that authors should be paid to attend, let’s figure that would be on the backs of the non-writers, the fans. So let’s add another 1/3 of the cost to every membership so that someone who would have paid say $175, would now be sending us what, say $240 to attend a weekend mystery convention. I. DON’T. THINK. SO. Especially when we explain that they are subsidizing an author’s air fare so the author doesn’t have to pay for the trip and is getting payment from us to attend. That would go over real big. Oh yeah.

There is no suggestion in the piece of where the “fair compensation” of travel expenses or an honorarium is to come form. Perhaps this person believes we volunteers are somehow lying, that we aren’t volunteers but are on salary, or that we squirrel away the money (ALL convention expenses/books are available to the public) and that we really didn’t spend it on food, book bags, souvenirs, the program book, the pocket program, shipping. storage, the guest of honor expenses, the hotel set-up fees, signs and name badges and holders and printing of “name tents”, microphones, web fees, banking fees, and flyers. Saying that the cost of a conference should not be put on the authors – in fact claiming that “the brunt of the cost” falls on authors (who make up FAR less than 50% of the attendance seems not only unfair but uninformed since there is simply no truth that authors “carry “the conventions financially. But back to what really frosts me. WHERE IS THIS MONEY TO COME FROM? We’re to pay “travel expenses” for writers to come to our NOT-FOR-PROFIT volunteer run event? That we’ve worked on for 3 years. Where most people are fans and who paid their own travel expenses? If the author means to say that conferences should pay, I apologize heartily. It’s not something Iknow – the whole conference thing and ido believe that many of them to pay their speakers’ expenses. In which case, of course, this whole rant, and the piece that triggered it – is how we say mooooot.

WHY? I know. It’s going to be argued that “because without authors, there’s no point to a convention.” A) that’s simply not so and b) some authors WILL always come because they consider themselves part of the community and enjoy conventions. But that’s what I know the argument is. It seems a little arrogant.

People attend conventions because they want to. If you do not want to, then don’t attend. That means you. Everyone. Please do not tell someone who has been working for months and months to provide an event and hasn’t even submitted her phone bills for payment that she isn’t carrying her weight and that she should subsidize the author who will later be claiming airfare as a business expense. She’ll get up at 7 to attend that author’s panel, maybe buy her book or not. Maybe bring the name back to her book club. Or not. Maybe she didn't work for months, but did buy her membership early, voted on the award, sent in her banquet choice in time. What a great convention attendee. Maybe she bought a book. Maybe she went out shopping in the town. Maybe she put in an hour at registration, or straightened up the flyers on the freebie table or talked to a new-to-her author. Maybe she asked "how do you get to moderate a panel?" thinking she might try it next year. That person is as valuable a member of the community as the author, and she paid HER way. You should too.