Penguicon 5.0: Day 2, Post Nadir
Posted April 26th, 2007 by Howard TaylerFor me, the Convention Nadir really splits Day Two into two pieces. Around 8:00pm I DID set my table up again, and sat there for about 15 minutes at the bottom of Convention Nadir. “Why am I here? Am I going to be able to pay the bills doing this? Where is everybody?”
And then, suddenly, people descended upon me, business boomed, conversations erupted, the caffeine finally kicked in, and I was back on my ‘A’ game (and up almost $300 from before dinner.)
I can’t list everybody I talked to, but two conversations in particular are worthy of reporting here: first, I had a great discussion with Yanni Kuznia, a local actress and model, and Connie Mangilin from the production team of InZer0, a local SF series in which the lovely (read: hawt, talented, and married) Ms. Kuznia (right) appears. At some point they’re sending me a DVD, which I shall cheerfully view and review for Schlockers worldwide. Indie-film SF makes me happy just by virtue of its existence. Imagine my joy if I find I LIKE it.
The second was Dave Klecha, with whom I discussed the recent dust-up in the SFWA, an organization in which I may someday qualify to hold membership. Said dust-up centers around two things: first, the current leadership is on the ballot uncontested, which is a stupid way to run any election-based system, and second, one of said leaders (Howard Hendricks, a neo-luddite with whom I’m increasingly uncomfortable sharing a given name) thinks that people who publish their work for free on the Internet are, and I quote, “Webscabs.”
I shall write more on this later, outside my convention report. For now, have a look at David Klecha’s commentary. He accuses me of being both a webscab AND polite. Far be it from me to disabuse him of either notion.
Back to the event… around 11:00pm I packed my stuff back into my room and began roaming the halls. I could write 1,000 words or more on the next four hours of my life, but I’ll just say that the conversations were wonderful, and I’ve friended a number of LJ users as a direct result. Randy, Gina, Kat, Nathan, Famous Randy, Erin, Dave, Ferrett, Mike, Steve, Hope… thanks! I had a great time, and I’ll be mining those experiences for humorous anecdotes for years to come. Kat especially. I liked the part where, during the course of a group discussion with Kat, Ferrett, Gina, Randy, and others I let slip that I’ll be 40 next year, and Kat gasped and announced with dread-though-tipsy seriousness “you’re OLD!”
I wandered back to my room at around 3:30, and was asleep by about 4:00am. Sleep deprivation would be settling in for a long stay with me on Day 3…
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April 26th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Hah! I’m already forty, junior.
AHA! AHAHAHAHABWaaaaaaaaahahahasob.
April 26th, 2007 at 11:25 am
It’s always a pleasure to see you when you come to town, Howard. Sorry that I didn’t get a chance to head out to hang out with you and Sal at Haven on Sunday evening. The 2.5 hour round trip was just a bit much after a weekend of frentic ‘trying to have as much fun as humanly possible’ con weekend.
So… what are the chances of me being able to make it into the big time and be added to your LJ friends list?
April 26th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
MadMike: And yet you look 16. You’re a menace.
mightyix: I thought I’d done that already. *checks, rectifies problem, returns*. There. Much better.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Howard,
On the subject of webscabs: Kayuda (shameless plug: http://www.kayuda.com/) is running as an ad-supported service and we have no intention of ever taking subscriptions. Why? Because we did the math and it looks like we will make about 10x more money showing ads than taking subscriptions…not to mention that our costs are lower as an ad service, since we don’t have to maintain all the subscription infrastructure.
So, if our free status is based on simple economics (as opposed to a desire to steal money from the mouths of those poor hardworking developers who sell subscriptions, downloads, or CDs), how sensible is it to call us “scabs”? Mr. Hendricks, feel free to put that in your pipe and smoke it.
–Dks
April 26th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Have you seen the response to Hendricks at http://papersky.livejournal.com/318273.html where April 23rd was declared International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day.
April 26th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
I posted a story for International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day on my site, under “politics.” That’s where I put all opinion stuff.
Of course, Howard posts all his stuff for free, the scab.
April 27th, 2007 at 3:35 am
As an ex-avid new book buyer, I have to say most new books aren’t worth the purchase these days. On the other hand new Schlock are well worth buying – which is saying something for one who grew up with the notion that comics were not good!
Incidentally how is the new book coming on? I’m beginning to get need new book nerves!
April 27th, 2007 at 4:09 am
Webscab eh? I was unaware that the web was bleeding..
Some peoples kids.
April 27th, 2007 at 11:13 am
For about the last year I’ve been telling folks that I’m as old as Jack Benny. Not for much longer, though.
April 27th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Don’t worry about Klecha and SFWA. They been saying things like that for the past 25 years and they are still around.
April 27th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Cbullock: I think you’ve misread what I wrote. 1) I’m very supportive of what David Klecha said. 2) Being “around” isn’t the same thing as being “relevant.” Hendricks’ opinion reflects a trend towards SFWA irrelevance that guys like Klecha, Brook West, and John Scalzi (all SFWA members) would like to see reversed.
April 27th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Oh, I’m sorry! I was mistaking them for the members of SFWA that think that if you aren’t getting paid or write “real” books, you aren’t a writer. Those people also seem to think that web writers, comic writers and others in those veins are a threat to them personally.
April 27th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Well, give Howard’s ‘mercenary’ tendancies, giving something away for free IS kinda wrong… ;)
I’ll just have to wait for the next book to once again ‘commit acts of commerce’ with him.
April 27th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Yanni is rather hawt. And rather married. Also, extremely intelligent and Russian-speaking. Mmmm, Russian.
Thanks for the shout-out. As it happens, I’m not a SFWA member yet, though until recently I had counted it among my career aspirations. So far, I’m encouraged by the voices coming out of the woodwork (such as Brook’s) to support a more … progressive appearance for the organization. The dialogue has already produced results, including a proposed revamp of the super-retro website, so I’m very encouraged.
And yes, Cbullock, “webscab” was said with all the affection I have for Howard, who is consistently one of my favorite people to see at Penguicon.
April 27th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
No, lots of SFWA members publish online, and there is a legitimate concern in having policy decisions voted on by people who haven’t sold anything to a market in years–they’re not current on knowledge.
Hendrix’s issue is exactly that. He’s stuck in the past and doesn’t see the potential.
Of course, if you look at his sales figures, he has reason to fear it…
April 27th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Specialists perish, those who can adapt survive.
April 28th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Hi. First, a belated birthday to you, Howard. May you see many, many more. Sincerely. Because I’m Schlock-addicted.
Which leads to the subject of webscabs and freebies. I know that I have influenced people to purchase some SF books (and expand their horizons) simply by sending them the link to Terry Bisson’s “They’re Made Out Of Meat”. (Yes, Schlock URL, too)
I am an affirmed capitalist, ready & willing to engage in senseless, random acts of commerce. I also expect to get paid for my work.
Which makes me a hypocrite.
Howard, prepare to ship a small order to Georgia soon. My long-overdue gratitude and appreciation for your work.
(I’m new to your blog, though.)