Making a positive impression at an SF convention

A fellow writer just emailed me to say she'd been invited to do her first Guest of Honor stint at a science-fiction convention, and she asked me, since I've often been a GoH, for how to make the best impression so as to increase her readership. Here's what I had to say:

First, congratulations! That's wonderful!

The best way to attact readers is just be open, warm, inviting, and accessible. Talk to anyone and everyone. Give your attention to whoever is with you; don't always be looking to get somewhere else. Relax, enjoy, be a fun person. Attend the evening room parties. If you're dining with a group, and you see someone from the convention dining alone, ask him/her to join your table. Hang around the dealers room. Don't force it: don't push yourself or your work. Just make people think, "Wow, that's a nice, intelligent person," and trust that they'll track down your work.

That said, have a flyer for the freebie table that tells people where to find your work, and get business cards directing them to your blog / website. I get mine from Vistaprint.com.

Have a look here. I show you that not to show off, but so that you can get a sense of what sort of behavior at cons results in positive feedback.

Most of all: have fun!

And -- again! -- congratulations!

Rob

Also, see here.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site