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

[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'.