As you probably know, StarWarp Concepts (and me, of course), will be attending the inaugural BookCon, being held on Saturday, May 31, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center; it’s part of Book Expo America, the country’s largest publishing trade show. Booth 3061 is where you’ll find us.
So last week I get a call from one of BookCon’s marketing people, asking if I’d be interested in doing a 20-minute question-and-answer period on one of their two author-appearance stages: “Midtown” and “Downtown.” To say I was surprised by the invitation would be an understatement. I mean, sure I’m talented and a hell of a writer 😀 but why would Book Expo America want me up there to talk about my work, of which most con-goers would be completely unfamiliar?
The chance to hawk my wares in front of an audience was tempting—what better venue to really push The Saga of Pandora Zwieback and the other SWC titles than the one attended by librarians, reviewers, and bookstore owners from all across the country? And when the rep explained that the Q&A would be recorded, and the video would not only be added to BEA’s YouTube page but that I’d be provided with a copy to post on my own sites, it sounded like an opportunity too good to pass up. I had just one question, though…
“I take it there’s a cost involved for all this?”
“Certainly!” the rep said enthusiastically. “The Midtown stage is $2,500, but the Downtown stage is just $950.”
Just. $950.
Somebody must have confused me with big publishers like Simon & Schuster and St. Martin’s Press.
So I laughed. “Man, that is way out of my league!” Then I went on to explain that SWC is a small-press publisher—small as in, I’m the sole full-time employee. And the only reason I was doing BookCon was because of the reduced pricing on those Saturday-only booths (BEA booths normally run in the $2,000 to $4,000 range), which were half the cost of my 2013 New York Comic Con small-press booth—and which included a table and two chairs (unlike NYCC, where you have to bring your own). I thanked him for the opportunity, but said no (obviously).
The rep sounded disappointed, but cheerfully wished me success at the con. And that was that.
I have to say, for half that conversation my ego was certainly getting inflated—look at me, a small-press guy being invited to speak at BookCon!—but then the reality of the situation quickly took the air out of it. There’s no such thing as a free ride, y’know. It’s just…man, that’s a lot of money to ask for.
Still, it makes for an amusing story.
