Swag: Unique May Be Overrated

There were tee shirts. I cannot say this ever sold a single book, but I really liked the notion of people wandering around advertising.

Sad truth: Shirts and printing = $$$
The materials were of mediocre quality and didn't last all that long.

I've not done another foray into wearable things. Mainly because of cash. Also, you can guess I did the shirts when I still had a house because it isn't like I could store boxes of shirts in multiple sizes aboard the boat. So. Space. Pain and suffering. Cost.

That said, the people who walked away with the shirts all seemed very pleased. I got photos from all over the country of people wearing them. THAT was fun.

For a couple of conferences, I needed swag to add to larger swag bags for Linnea Sinclair's Intergalactic Bar and Grill. Her advice? Blinky shit. She may have that phrase trademarked. I usually needed 200 - 300 of something. Thus, I'd turn to my favorite search engine and search on LED toys or glow in the dark toys. A huge array of websites offering all kinds of light-up novelty gizmos will pop up. Most of them price their items for buying in bulk. You'll find glow sticks, glow necklaces. Acrylic glasses with LEDs imbedded. Anything on this earth you could possibly want and a few you probably wouldn't. These things, because they were lumped together into a larger swag bag, usually needed to be labeled with my particulars. Generally, I affixed whatever goody I'd chosen to (moar swag alert!) bookmarks or cards.

Vistaprint did my bookmarks and book cards. The work is fine. The price point was good. The cards and bookmarks are STILL being given out. When someone asks me what I do, I invariably get asked whether I have a card. I can hand out a bookmark with a cover (and all of the 'find out more' info) on it. It's worked out well. Much easier to store, too.

I'll admit to having a favorite piece of swag. He was for the first book (which has aliens in it.) 100% useless. But I loved them, nevertheless.

Should You? When to Con

Do you have a completed manuscript? Go to an RWA sponsored convention. It need not be National, though if you're a member of the organization, you should do that at least once in your life. The point is to put yourself in the same room as the editors buying books and into the same room as the agents who might represent the type of book you wrote. Several RWA chapters put up conventions. Check to find out whether there might be one close by. Then avail yourself of every workshop and learning opportunity you can. Also, there may be costume parties.

It was at RWA conferences that I learned the difference between internal and external conflict. It's where I learned I wasn't a plotter and that there was no faster way to take the joy out of writing than to attempt to be a plotter. I found mentors. Above all, and best of all, I made great friends at conferences. My sharpest critique group is made up of women I met at conferences. The first request I ever had for a partial happened at a local conference. An editor asked for the first three chapters. And when she rejected them, she kindly gave me some insight as to why. The first person to request a full manuscript was an agent I'd met at a conference. (She rejected the book and also gave me some feedback - something she wasn't obligated at all to do and which I appreciated enormously.) So, yes. Cons. 100% worth the time, effort and introvert dread - IF when someone requests pages, you actually SEND them.

However, all that said, I didn't find an agent at a conference. I did that by spamming every agent on the RWA agent list who even intimated he or she might read science fiction. There were nine. One of them read my sample pages, requested the full, read it over Easter weekend, and called me Monday morning. When my first book sold, it sold to an editor I'd never met. (Though later I did get to meet her in person - at a con.) Point being that if you cannot get to a convention, don't stress it. Makes no difference to the people who'll rep and/or buy your book. Do I think I got my work into shape faster because of cons and the workshops? Yes. But if you're taking workshops, trying new things in your writing, getting feedback on your work, and doing your damnedest to incorporate the feedback that makes sense to you? You're in good shape, don't sweat the conference.

Is there a time I'll urge you to pull every stop and get your butt to a conference come hell or high water?

There is. Once you're published, if you final in the RITA, go to National. Don't care what it takes. When I was lucky enough to final, it was the summer my husband and I were sailing the Inside Passage for five months. We were headed north into unbroken wilderness. I say unbroken wilderness and I mean 'no airport for hundreds and hundreds of miles'. To get me to the conference that year, we turned around so I could fly to NYC. Where I won absolutely nothing. But where I had the time of my life. If you final in the major contest for your genre, you are a princess (or a prince) for the duration of the conference where the winners are announced. People will see your finalist pin and ribbon and whether they know you or not, will ask for the story of how the book got published and what happened when you found out it was a finalist. Your editor and your agent, if you have one, will likely be at that conference. You'll sit with them at the finalists table at the awards banquet. You get nifty little 'finalist' flags for your spot at the great big book signing. Just for the number of people I got to meet and talk to - I will never regret interrupting the trip of a lifetime for the conference of a lifetime. Maybe my husband, who was trapped in Victoria Harbor for Canada Day and fireworks regrets it a tiny little bit, but he was also three blocks from his favorite chocolate store in the whole wide world. He doesn't seem to hold much of a grudge. :D

Revenue & Reputation: Are Cons Worth "It"?

All Hail Con Season! 

~blares trumpets~ ~thumps chest~

If you're a romance reader or writer,  you know Romantic Times (RT) just had their big annual Booklovers Convention in New Orleans (check out Jeffe or Veronica's Twitter feeds for all the mischief two of our bordello mates got in whilst there). It's a HUGE multi-day event that once upon a time was a reader-centric event. Writers attended to connect with their fans.  While that's still the focus, RT has tacked on -- what James accurately categorizes as a 'Professional Convention' -- offering writing workshops and pitching opportunities for writers both published and aspiring.  There was a time when -- as a romance author -- one attended RWA National for all the professional training and networking needs, and went to RT to connect with the fans. These days, what one can get from each event is really quite similar.


The big, big  Romance Cons aren't the only ones blending the demands of talent-consumer and reader-consumer. It's happening in other genres and other entertainment fields. It's happening with smaller Cons too. Regional events are morphing into national events. City-centric events are keeping the venues local but inviting national and international talent, often at the cost of emerging local talent. For the sponsors, it's all about attendance. Same too for the consumers. Same too for authors.

Cons are about Revenue & Reputation

Doesn't matter if you're the sponsor, the artist, the agent, the management, hell, even the host-city; the reason to attend a Convention as anything other than a fan is improving Revenue and Reputation. In most cases, the latter builds the former. In writer-speak that translates to Discovery Brings Sales.

Discovery is the holy grail for a writer. Nope, not discovery by an agent or editor. Discovery as in a reader being aware of your book's existence amid millions and millions of other books. Networking, socializing, face-time, call it what you will, it's all about creating a reputation.  For some people that is easiest done by attending a Con.

For those folks who hide in their hotel rooms during a Con -- stop wasting your money and your time. Cons are clearly not the appropriate venue for you to build your reputation. There are other ways. Some as equally effective. Re-purpose that Con investment into a marketing push.

Wait, wait, what about all those classes and workshops? Lots of people attend to learn how to improve their craft! Yes. And why do they care to improve their craft? Because they want to sell the book. They want revenue. And they can write the BEST BOOK EVER and without reputation, without discovery, NO ONE WILL KNOW which means NO ONE WILL BUY.

~ehem~

If "public" is something you can handle, then determine your Crowd : Comfort ratio.  This will help you narrow down the genre-relevant convention options. Keep in mind, there are only so many hours in the day, only so many people you can meet, and only so many people with whom you can connect. A five-thousand person Con vs a fifty-thousand person Con isn't going to make that much of a difference in the number of connections you can make. Fucking Crowded is Fucking Crowded.

If you're unpublished and what you really want is the attention of an agent or publishing-house editor, that narrows down the Con options. Look for Cons in which you can secure an appointment with the agent/editor. Otherwise, you're investing a lot for a chance encounter.

If you have a book to sell, then the attention you need is from readers so you can build your Reputation and Revenue. Have enough readers and you will have achieved a measurable Reputation. That Reputation will gain the attention of agents and editors because they're looking for Revenue and to enhance their Reputation.

If you're looking to make friends and not feel so isolated in your writing career (no matter what stage you're career is in), then pick the Con with the most lax schedule and best host-city. For gods' sakes, stay clear of snarks and grumpkins. You're building a reputation, you don't want the words "difficult" or "negative" associated with it.

Right, so, in a nutshell, Cons of any size can be worth "it," if you're honest about why you're really attending and have a realistic notion of just how sociable you can be. If in doubt, ask yourself: Will this measurably affect my Reputation? Will this measurably affect my Revenue?