John Scalzi’s 2008 Convention Schedule
Posted on October 24, 2007 Posted by John Scalzi 33 Comments
This is another one of my famous “put it up there to refer people to” posts; this one is my current list of science fiction convention appearances for 2008.
January 18 – 20: High-Voltage ConFusion (Troy, Michigan) — I’ll be the toastmaster for this; the other Guests of Honor are Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier (yay!), Carl Lundgren, Kevin M. Dunn, Throwing Toasters and The Roaming Pirate Party.
April 18 – 20: Penguicon 6.0 (Troy, Michigan) — GoHs here are Tamara Pierce, Randall Monroe and Keith Baker. As far as I know, I’m attending this year as a common schmoe Nifty Guest, and apparently they’ll be serving Schadenfreude Pie in the con suite as well. Excellent.
May 23 -25: Oasis 21 (Orlando, Florida) — GoHs here are David Gerrold, Paul Vincenti and Bill and Brenda Sutton; I’m attending here as “Special Guest Writer,” which I’ve been lead to believe involves presenting David Gerrold chocolates on demand. Or so David tells me, and who am I to argue? He’s the Guest of Honor, after all. This will constitute my first ever appearance in Florida, incidentally.
August 6 – 10: Denvention 3 (Denver, Colorado) — This is the Worldcon for 2008. GoHs are Lois McMaster Bujold, Rick Sternbach, Tom Whitmore and Wil McCarthy as toastmaster. Unless I’m nominated for something, Hugo-wise, I’ll be attending as a common schmoe.
August 15 – 17: ArmadilloCon 30 (Austin, Texas) — I’m the Guest of Honor here. With me are Dean Morrisey and Kelly Parsons, with Bill Crider as toastmaster. Joe & Gay Haldeman are the special guests. They are not required to present me chocolates on demand. The timing of this convention is fortuitous, actually, since the scheduled release date of Zoe’s Tale is August 19. I love it when a plan comes together. This will also be my first time in Texas, save a few hours at the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport.
November 28 – 30: LOSCON 35 (Los Angeles, California) — That is, if California is still standing after the current series of wildfires. Yeah, I know, I always thought it would be an earthquake that brought the place down, too. I’ll be Writer Guest of Honor here. Don’t know who the other GoHs will be yet.
Six conventions is about on par with what my annual schedule of conventions has been the last couple of years, and is actually up from this year, when I attended a paltry four (ConFusion, Boskone, Penguicon and the Heinlein Centennial), although to be fair, I did have that whole tour thing. There are a couple of other conventions I’d like to go to next year, but I’ll be honest and say that looking at my schedule for 2008, and throwing in the other appearance commitments I have (plus, you know, the writing that I theoretically have to do) I don’t know what else I’m going to be able to fit into the schedule.
Also, we’ve been spending silly amounts of cash on traveling and other frivolities this last year; it’s been fun, but we’re also suddenly aware that like anyone else, we’re going to be better off if we actually pay attention to how much money we have flying out the door. I think 2008 will be a year of relative financial responsibility if not austerity, which means the cost for a convention weekend (air travel, taxis, hotels, food, new books, exotic massage services, etc) is going under the same financial microscope as everything else.
Which is to say that if you want to see me in a convention setting in 2008, these really are your best bets.
Here’s to the common Schmoes! Although I will nominate/vote for you, Hugo-wise.
See you in Denver!
Is ‘financial austerity’ code for ‘not coming to New York’? :D
No Boskone? :(
/cry
AEM:
I’m actually very likely to come to New York on business in 2008. Whether that involves public appearances is something else entirely.
Kate Baker:
Boskone is one of those I have to think about. It’s one of my favorite cons. I’m going to wait until January to see where I am schedule-wise.
Armadillocon is not just in Texas, Scalzi, it is in Austin.
Austin is the only place to be in Texas. Dallas and Houston, well, they suck (no offense to my fellow Texans that have to live there). But Austin rocks! If you can I suggest you take some time to explore the town, you won’t be disappointed.
I talked to some bar owners on Sixth Street. I was trying to get them to book Haysi Fantayzee sometime during mid August; I thought you might like to catch some live music. Saddly, no luck.
Going to that state up north not once, but twice? Do they have photos?
I continue to be filled with squee! that you’re coming to Austin.
I will attempt to limit stalker-like behavior . . .
So, if one would want to invite you to a con in 2009, soonish would not be a bad idea?
Maybe I’m just ignorant, but I always thought that Con guests (at least the Guests of Honor) got their travel, lodging, etc. paid. Is that not true? You’ve got to pay your own way?
I’ve been involved in organizing several magician’s conventions, and we always pay the talent.
Adam Ziegler:
No, they don’t have photos (well, they do, just not incriminating ones). But both ConFusion and Penguicon are relatively nearby, usually have people I want to see, and are otherwise excellent cons.
Therese:
Yes, soonish is not a bad idea. I’m already fielding GoH offers for ’09.
Bill:
GoH usually have travel/hotel/incidentals paid for, yes. In the cases where I am a GoH/special guest, I’m being taken care of. If you’re not a GoH but are an invited guest, you’re often comped the convention fee but not usually travel/hotel/incidentals.
“As far as I know, I’m attending this year as a common schmoe.”
“Common schmoe” is a synonym for “fan”?
I can’t think of a fan I would describe as “common,” Dennis. And while some (not all) fans I’ve met exhibit schmoe-like qualities, they are, at least, uncommon schmoes.
I can’t believe that you’re only a common schmoe at PenguiCon. I think I must go do some whipping on a listserve….
Arrr! See ya at ConFusion!
Much less traveling in the future, eh? Well, if you really don’t want to go to the Creationism museum, just say so, and we’ll deal with it. I kid! I kid!
> exotic massage services…
Gosh, I’d give anything to be at the Scalzi family budget planning session, when that is put under the “financial microscope”.
Just imagine Kodi’s mournful look…
“I no can has erotik massage?”
Yanni,
This terrible oversight on the Celebrities page of the Penguicon website has now been remedied.
Matt,
That’s kind of what I figured. :)
Updated the info on this end as well!
Hey, you’re going to be breaking Chang’s heart, no Scalzi on the Eastern Seaboard in 2008. Florida does not count.
Poor Chang.
Re: 11 & 12
John, I wasn’t putting down fans. I’ve been a con-going fan for twenty-five years. But I wondered why — when you’re attending a con as a fan, like most of us, rather than as a guest — that makes you a “common schmoe”?
“Common” and “schmoe” were your terms, not mine. I think “fan” works better.
Dennis:
You’re probably better off not trying to put words into my mouth (or into my fingers, as the case may be). When I attend conventions, I generally also participate in panels, do readings, etc; I don’t believe, in fact, that I’ve ever gone to a convention without doing those things.
When I said I was going as a “common schmoe,” I did not mean I was going as a fan; I meant that I was attending not as a Guest of Honor or as a Special Guest, but as a standard-issue pro guest.
Be assured that if I wanted to say I was attending as a fan, I would have said “fan.”
Hey John – If you’re going to be hanging around Orlando feeding David Gerrold chocolates, would you mind asking him when the next @#$% Chtorr book will be finished? Or at least give him some pointers on blogging.
Call me a schmoe, but I’d hate to die after only reading the 2nd chapter of the 5th of 7 books in his trilogy.
By the way, thank you for being relatively prolific.
So, is High-Voltage ConFusion really worth going to? I’ve got a client up that way, who would like me to go, and I haven’t decided yet. =)
Jenny:
Yeah, this year’s ConFusion convention is going to totally rock. If you don’t go, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your days.
Yeah, Chang’s not feeling the loe for the East Coast. How’s a G supposed to stalk a Scazli when he’s never in the hood?
Uh. Werd. Def
While I am excited you’re coming to the next LOSCON (and I have to have faith that my new home state will still be in any state to welcome you by then) I am a little bummed to have to wait so very, very long.
Until I reached the bit about ArmadilloCon, where changed pronouns clued me in to your actual intent, I was wondering who would be demanding David Gerrold shaped (or possibly David Gerrold brand) chocolates from you at Oasis.
John, if the book comes out on the 19th and you’re at ArmadilloCon from the 15th to the 17th, does that mean there will be no copies available for sale and/or signing? I’m on the fence about going to Austin this year . . . the workshop is great, the con is really well done, but it’s a distance from Minneapolis where I live.
CV Rick:
I don’t think you need to worry about availability. My books are usually on shelves by the official release date, and in any event it seems unfathomable that either I or Tor would let a promotional opportunity like this pass. I mean, come on: Debuting my new novel at a convention at which I am Guest of Honor? How is that not going to happen?
So, yeah. It’ll be there.
CV Rick: It’s been my experience as a con-goer (and book buying generally) that publishers usually ship their books to retailers (including convention dealers) a week to 10 days ahead of the official launch date, to ensure that they all have them in stock no later than that date. Unless it’s the latest Harry Potter, retailers will typically have these books on the shelves within a day of receiving them.
For example, I was recently at Context in Columbus, OH, and Halting State by Charles Stross was available in the dealer’s room that weekend, though the official launch date wasn’t until the following Tuesday.
Orlando! Yay! All my Scalzi-related dreams have come true!
Hey John – I’m excited that you’ll be in Orlando in about a month. Yay! I keep checking the OASIS site for a program, but none is posted so far. Can you clue us in to YOU’RE OASIS events schedule?