Prior to actually taking this whole writing career thing seriously, I had never given much thought to the idea of an author’s convention before. Hell, I’d never given much thought to any conventions before, except for Comic Con and I only learned about that convention from The Big Bang Theory (and later, The Walking Dead), and even then the only thought I’d ever given Comic Con was “wow, it’d be fun to dress up like Chewbacca.”
Then, some assholes (who know who they are, thank you very much) started talking about this RT Booklovers Convention thing. They posted links and yammered on and on about how awesome it was going to be. Their favorite indie authors were going to be there, signing books and handing out swag. Swag. It sounded so…fantastic!
I had to Google swag because I didn’t really know exactly what it was. When I think about swag, I think about those wanna-be thugs that walk around like weird shuffling ducks, wearing pants so low that you really wouldn’t want them to drop soap.
It turns out that authors do not actually hand out wanna-be thugs. (And besides, that’s not really the point of convention).
Still, the thought of going to a convention – or any place, really – where there would be thousands of people intimated me. But I seemed to have acquired two personal assistants (hi Christine and Kristen) who alerted me to all the benefits of going to an author convention:
– Promotional purposes. There are thousands of readers who attend convention, and they are on the hunt for new authors to discover and enjoy. They could stumble across your table, see your beautiful books, and discover YOU!
– It gives your readers a chance to interact with you. They get to meet the person that brought some of their favorite characters and stories to life! As a reader, I can’t think of anything more exciting than that. There are so many people that I would love to meet, so many people that I would love to just thank. (And many more that I’d like to just cry on. Here’s looking at you , J.K. Rowling, for the whole Fred thing).
– Networking. Networking is a huge part of writing. Meeting other authors, meeting your fan base, getting your name out there by handing out penis shaped swag things (which, for the record; I totally think is a phenomenal idea. Can I hand out bags of dicks? Everyone needs a bag of dicks).
– IT’S VEGAS! And it’s a couple days or a week with people you’ve gotten to know through the Internet! Which could sound like the beginning of a really creepy murder/mystery/thriller, but I digress! I’ve made some wonderful friends and connections already and I’m dying to meet those people and maybe have a few shots of something soaked in alcohol. It is Vegas, after all.
So, I decided…why the hell not? I want to travel, don’t I? (Yes!) I love books, don’t I? (Yes!) There are a billion authors that I personally want to meet, aren’t there? (Yes!) A chance to promote my books can’t be a bad thing, right? (Right!)
Why not try and go on a vacation to Las Vegas, hit up an authors convention and hand out some penis shaped lollipops or pens, and have a blast with other people who are just as passionate about reading, writing and penises as I am?!
If ever I were to feel at home and comfortable at a convention, a book convention would be it. Besides…my two new assistants have promised to make sure I don’t vomit on anyone or [overtly] embarrass myself.
So, I am going to work my hardest to make Vegas happen, and not just for me – but for my readers too, because it would be so incredible to see and talk to them. They are, after all, the people that make it possible for me to continue doing what I do…without them, there would be no one to weave stories for.
So…here’s to Vegas!
P.S. I’m not sure if you’ve seen this yet, but I’m giving away a signed paperback of Collide. You should probably enter that shit.
P.S.S. I’ve been noted in the Booktrope weekly roundup! See if you can spot Collide! It’s like Find Waldo, only the girl on the cover of Collide has more fashion sense.