Today I’m taking over Casey’s weekly rant with one of my own. I have a dilemma and it’s all about conventions. Have you ever been to one? Have you found it to be worth the cost of admission? My dilemma (and thus this long winded rant, well it’s more of a rambling conversation where I have no idea what to do) is all about those admission costs and whether they really are worth the price of a ticket.
This year I will be heading to Chicago for the RT Booklovers Convention in Chicago and I can’t wait. Initially, Casey and I were meeting up there on Thursday afternoon and staying through Sunday. We’re registered for Teen Day on Saturday, but other than that we were simply going to hang out and try to run into authors and others via the bar in the hotel.
Things have changed since those plans were made. Now I’ll be in Chicago as early as noon on Wednesday and I’m still staying through Sunday. At this point, I’m feeling like I might as well just register for the whole event and shell out the money it’s going to cost.
If you’re asking why I’m going out on Wednesday, it’s because I’ve been given a great opportunity and it’s happening Wednesday afternoon. I’m not really talking about it too much yet since I’m one of those paranoid people, waiting for the other shoe to drop and the whole thing to disappear, but it’s making me get out there on Wednesday.
Because of that, I’m going to be there for the entire thing. I have managed to set up interviews with Ilona Andrews, Jeaniene Frost and Kelley Armstrong for Friday morning, but other than those, my entire trip is open. My plan has always been to meet up with authors and publishers, putting faces to many of the names I know. I’m thinking I should have no problem doing that with the authors and hanging out in the bar; but what about the publishers? Will I be able to run into them in the hotel or will they be busy doing their own things? The one thing I love about RT is all the different publishers can have their own sessions, where you can meet their authors, and more often than not, the publicity department. For me and LE, this would be a great networking opportunity. If I don’t register, I won’t be able to attend any of them.
The only reason I haven’t already registered is the money. Will it be worth it to me? I don’t care that I’ll be able to come home with a ton of books. I have a kindle and I’m getting rid of my physical copies, so getting more isn’t a perk to me. There has to be more for me, as a reader/blogger, and since I’m still technically an RT virgin, I’m wondering if it’s worth it.
Have you been to RT? What was your impression? Did you think it was worth the money? Did you have fun? Would you do it again? Have you been doing it for many years? Am I the only one who has wondered whether RT is worth the $400?
So I guess I’m wondering…if you were in my shoes, what would you do?
Every time I’ve been, I come away with something worthwhile. Sometimes it doesn’t materialize until later, but letting people see your face, talk to you, is amazingly beneficial.
Well, I’ve never been,(Next year!)but my mom is going this year.
Shes’s published with Carina Press which is Harlequin’s ebook line and from what I’ve been hearing from her there is going to be a fair bit of stuff for ebook readers. Like the signing for ebook authors and a bingo and such.
I’d go if I had the chance to. :)
An idea for you too, I’ve bbeen getting my favorite authors to sign the back of my kindle, so if you weren’t already doing that you totally should consider doing so!
I went to one RT convention when it came to Columbus,Ohio. Since I already live in Columbus it cost me less because I didn’t have to pay for a plane ticket or hotel. I would love to go to another RT convention, because I liked the one I went to, but I don’t think it’s worth four hundred dollars. I had to save a whole year to go, so there’s no way I could go to another one unless it came back to Ohio.
I really wish I had gone to at least the signing day when RT was in Orlando in 2009. I was only two hours away at college (and home is even closer), but I had just found twitter and book blogs that same week and didn’t really understand what it was. Plus, it fell right in the middle of finals, and I decided to stay at school and study (boring, I know).
I personally really want to go to BEA. I like that it has a Book Blogger Convention attached to it. And I really really really want a reason to go to NYC. My problem is the cost to get there and the cost to stay there. And I wouldn’t want to go by myself. My girlfriend, Christen, reads just as much as I do and has posted the occasional review, but she’s not a blogger. And I don’t think she’d have as much fun as me. Every year, when I see all of the blog posts about BEA, I think to myself, “I’ll put $__ away from each paycheck so I can go next year!” And then the next year comes around and I’m like “#@!$ how is it already time for BEA again!”
I know all of this hasn’t really helped. Lol. But the only advice I can offer is to go with your gut. And I hope you have fun either way!
Lynne – That’s the part that I think will determine whether I do it or not. The chance to actually get some face time with those I may not know who they are. Knowing names and what they write/do is great, but if you don’t actually get to meet people, you could walk right by them and never know.
Koryn – I’ve actually started a scrapbook and take different colored paper with me and have authors sign that. This way my signatures are not restricted to a device or book and I’ll be able to keep them. The only downside is they’re on paper, which can potentially be destroyed. Which is also why my scrapbook is up and away from my kids. *grin*
Christine – I was at the RT! Let’s see, Psy was born in August, so I was about 7 months pregnant and was walking the halls that Friday and Saturday. It was awesome. It wasn’t too bad being on my feet either. The only day that really killed me was the author signing and the three bags I was trying to carry around. *grin* With RT being in Chicago, it’s not that far from me (I’m in Detroit) and the train tickets are pretty cheap. In fact, Chicago is just a littler closer than Columbus, so I couldn’t not go. *grin*
Sara – I want to go to BEA next year. I’m actually trying to do one convention a year and Authors After Dark was it for this year, so I haven’t really budgeted for RT – which is part of my dilemma. But with this opportunity, it’s one of those that I don’t want to pass up if I can help it. Because of that, I’m going to be in Chicago for a lot longer and I just think I should. Will me being there, pretty much from start to finish, I think I would feel left out just sitting in the halls and not really getting to participate.
It sounds like I should go and do it – I am leaning towards that way – I just hope the hubby will support that idea. *grin*
Being a mom of three teenagers and only working part-time, there is no way that I could justify spending that much for a convention. Especially since BEA is less than half the price. Just my opinion…
I’m so excited for you and mildly jealous.
I would love, LOVE to go to RT, but the costs and location (I’m in Canada) make it too expensive and since I’m not a writer, nor do I manage my own book blog it’s hard to justify.
I am attending AAD this year. The registration is half the cost and many of the authors I read will be there (just not Ilona Andrews *sobs*). AAD is for readers moreso than writers so I feel like it’s set uop better for me.
Also, would it kill any of these cons to maybe plan one in, I don’t know, say, Niagara Falls, NY, or Detroit or maybe Toronto? I mean I’m excited about going to NOLA, but please, somebody throw us Canadians a freaking bone here.
Considering I’m in Detroit, I am totally there with you CdnMrs! ConFusion is here, but it’s more SF/F and not a lot of my fave authors attend. So sad. I would love for an RT to be in Detroit.
For me it was about location — I have family & friends in the Chicago area, I can stay with my sister, and I can sneak downstate to visit my parents, which doesn’t happen often enough.
I haven’t registered for any conventions before but I’ve been to the book fair at the local RWA chapter several times, and it is big big fun. I will say that I’m to the point where I can’t keep all of the autographed books I’ve collected, so I try to remember to have some of them signed to Alpha Heroes for giveaways… but sometimes I get star-struck and flustered and when they ask for my name I just say, “uh, Nicola?” :)
I’m mulling signing strategies — I might grab one of my better anthologies and collect signatures that way. A scrapbook or a blank journal book is a good idea too. :)
Location is a big one for me as well and with Chicago being sort of close, I couldn’t resist. So I went and registered for RT. Said opportunity had the chance of falling through since I wasn’t registered, but with the registration, it’s pretty much a guarantee. So I did it. Yeah for me…boo for my budget. The hubby wasn’t thrilled, but the circumstances being as they are, he told me to go for it. I’M GOING TO RT FOR THE WHOLE WEEK….HOLY SHIT!
So yeah, I’m an RT virgin when you get down to it, but I’m thrilled with the idea of going for more than a couple of days like I did in Columbus.
Nicola – Scrapbook pages rock! Think of it this way….if your signatures are in a book, they are hidden away and unseen. If you put them on paper, you can frame them, hang them up and show them off. Just a thought. *grin*