Do authors at Dragoncon get paid?

[gabristar88.livejournal.com]

Do the authors that go to dragoncon get paid at all? How about room and travel expenses? I'd very much like a favorite author of mine to go, but he said he couldn't afford to travel right now...

Comments

[hanabishirecca.livejournal.com]

Though big name authors might get something, most authors do not.

[dependonyou.livejournal.com]

I also believe that most authors try to get back their traveling expenses by charging for signatures. Most guests in the hall of fame in general, really.

[reannon.livejournal.com]

Most authors do not charge for signatures. We charge for the books, not to sign them. There may be an exception or two, but mostly the hall of fame is actors and other celebrities; they charge for signatures. I personally sell my books, but if someone shows up with a book they already own or even wants me to sign the DC booklet, I do not charge for that, and neither does any author I know.

[dependonyou.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry if I offended in any way, as that was not my intent. Nor was it my intent to imply that authors or any other guests gouged or charged for something they did not deserve. I have only ever gone to see or obtain an autograph from one author, and given my experiences with him against my experience (through hearsay of friends and other congoers) with other non-author guests, I assumed he was the exception, not the norm. Again, I did not in any way mean to imply anything ill towards any authors. I was only hoping to give her author friend what I thought was an option that might aide in their attendance at the convention. O.o

Edited to clarify so that other guests do not likewise think I am attempting to bash or meaning ill.

[reannon.livejournal.com]

Oh, no offense at all. Sorry, internet does not allow for tone. :) I just wanted to clarify that the celebrities charge for signatures because that's how they make their living; authors charge for books because that's how we make ours. But if you already have your favorite author's book, bring it to the show! We're always willing to sign our stuff. :)

[reannon.livejournal.com]

Most of us do not get paid. We must fund our own travel and room. That's why we loooove to sell you our books; it's how we can afford to attend the show. So if you want to see authors at con, bring a little extra cash to buy their books. The signature's free. :)

[abreeskye.livejournal.com]

Interesting thread. (I knew that authors didn't charge, I've gotten signatures from *lots* and have never had to pay)

Here's my question: If the convention doesn't comp a room, do they at least comp authors a guest pass?

[lordruthven.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth is right regarding signatures. In fact, I can't think of any authors who do charge for a signature, but there might be a couple of exceptions (I rarely deal with the Walk of Fame celebrities, all things considered).

Please note that when buying books, the transactions are not in the panel and programming rooms. I know some authors have deals with various dealers in the Expo and Dealer's Halls, and I think that authors can sell their books during their assigned autographing sessions.

As for comping guest passes, it depends on if the author in question is approved by the guest committee. There are a lot of authors who try to come, and the guest committee has to make decisions on who would be the best draw as well as keeping things balanced. And applying early helps. Some guest authors get more than just a pass; however, these are comparatively rare. Again, these are decisions made by the guest committee.

The best (and to be frank, only) thing for an author to do is apply for guest status.

Derek Tatum
Programming Director, Dark Fantasy - Horror, Urban Fantasy, Gothic

[reannon.livejournal.com]

Ditto all of the above. Though do note that many of us get tables in the dealer's room, even if our publishers don't attend. And yes, unless things have changed we sell them during our signings. Often we also arrange off-schedule signings in the dealer's room with the vendors. When trying to get a book by your favorite author, feel free to ask. We don't mind. We like helping you spend your money. :)

[lordruthven.livejournal.com]

And yes, unless things have changed we sell them during our signings.

Thanks for verifying that. I have not heard otherwise this year.

[rozhena-ashford.livejournal.com]

I have yet to hear of forbidding authors from selling their books during their signings...

Would luv the vendors to get posted a schedule of author signings at their booths so word can be passed along. ;-)

[missingvolume.livejournal.com]

I have hosted authors in my booth at Dragon for the last 5 years and I do try to post a schedule here and I make info sheets for people to take at the con with a list of everyone signing at my booth and the times it will happen. And the awesome people running the Exhibit hall will do announcements of signings right when they start.

[rozhena-ashford.livejournal.com]

Which I did appreciate last year. Note to others: I took their list and posted it in the Autographs area.

It'd be nice to have that cross-promoting thing going on... helps on both sides. :-D

[rm.livejournal.com]

As a guest my partner and I do not pay to get into the con, but everything else is on us or my publisher.

[gabristar88.livejournal.com]

That is disappointing. Thank for the responses!

[barryreese.livejournal.com]

I am not getting paid -- all we're getting is free entrance into the con. Oh, and I do get to bring a guest. But that's okay -- I'm thrilled to be attending and look forward to meeting fans of my work and hopefully making some new ones.

[kkatowll.livejournal.com]

As much as I'd like the authors to be paid (because they're why I go to DC), I guess this does make sense. After all, the celebrities don't have a product to sell -- they can't sell you their movie or TV show. (Or rather, they could, but they wouldn't make any money off it.) So if they're going to make money, they have to sell signatures. Whereas the authors can make money by selling books, and if you show up with a book, well, clearly you've already bought it, which gets them money.

I must confess though that, with the particularly famous celebrities, I sort of feel ripped off by the selling of autographs. I mean, aren't they making millions already? But I'm willing to believe they desperately need somebody's 50 bucks.

[acciochocolate.livejournal.com]

I see your reasoning, and it does make sense. I also somewhat agree and somewhat disagree with your last paragraph.

You see, a lot of the media guests that D*C gets have or had a famous TV show or movie, but often that's behind them. Residuals don't pay much, and unless the actor has another job, they aren't getting paid at the moment. So I guess that's why they charge for autographs. Also, there are these things called autograph shows (not conventions at all), and many a creative person goes on these circuits to make a little extra cash. :) I remember when media stars didn't charge for autographs, but that was the 80s. Things seemed to have changed in the 90s. :( The epic fail Jumpcon was really an autograph show.

However, I would be disappointed if an author charged for an autograph. I dislike having to pay for an autograph for a media person, but I can sort of understand why they are charging. But I always bought a picture for them to sign, even in the 80s. The Walk of Fame at D*C has gotten crazy, though, and there's one agent person who isn't helping, by all reports. Just sayin'.

[gabristar88.livejournal.com]

The reason I asked is because a favorite author of mine(when I emailed him), said he couldn't afford to go... I just figured with the money that dragoncon pulls in, they should be willing to help with some travelling expenses.

The guy recently had a medical problem that almost bankrupted him.

Amazing author though. I won't mention his name for obvious reasons.

[acciochocolate.livejournal.com]

If he applied for and got guest status, that would help a little. So sorry to hear of the medical problems. Best thing to help him might be to see if there's a fund-raising project going on to help cover medical expenses. If there's an official fan-club, they might have info. Or if he's a member of SFWA or one of the other writers' associations, they might have some leads for help. Good luck and good health to him!