Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2004 10:24:17 -0500
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Capclave nattering, was: The End of Austerity?
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

> kfl at KeithLynch.net 01/15/04 10:22PM

deletia occurs

>
>> Fans aren't slans.  You'd sorta think that SF fans, believers in the
>> future, in change, folks who can deal with "future shock" could deal
>> with a different hotel and/or date.  Apparently not.
>
>What makes you think it's the change of hotel and/or date that's
>responsible for the low and decreasing Capclave turnout?

For 2003 I suspect one factor was the proximity to Thanksgiving.
I'd hate to think it's our choice of GoHs driving folks away.

>
>> Ideally if we get enough room nights we get free function space.
>> In theory; of course it depends upon the hotel contract.
>
>Yes.  I'm just not sure we should keep counting on them.  People are
>traveling less.

AFAIK, Boskone & Lunacon are holding reasonably steady in warm body count. =
 Philcon, due to a rather significan date change has suffered.

> Perhaps we should expect to mainly get locals.  At
>least until the economy improves and the TSA is abolished.
>
>> As for locals . . . we just need to find them.  Last time I checked
>> most bookstores sold SF - think there could be potential Capclave
>> attendees there?
>
>Are bookstores likely to be receptive to putting fliers near their SF
>racks?  (Fliers placed near the door are likely to go unseen, if only
>because people who stand in the doorway to read them would be impeding
>traffic.)  There's a large new Borders Books right across the street
>from our new hotel.  They have a large SF section.  It has a fair
>number of OEB books.  Unfortunately they don't seem to have *any*
>books by this year's or next year's guest of honor.  (Or last year's
>either, not that that would do much good.)

Borders is difficult for small presses to deal with.  And for medium sized =
presses.  I know of publisher who became so cranky over billing disputes =
that Borders was coming up with, that not only did they put Borders on =
credit hold, but they even refused to take prepaid special orders from =
individual stores.  The publisher told the Borders person placing the =
special order that until issues were resolved no more books - and they =
told the borders staff person who to complain to at the Borders home =
office.  Things were eventually resolved.  But I digress . . .

Fliers in B&Ns are pretty much impossible.  Many Borders stores have a =
bulletin board for local groups to put up flyers, but nothing near the =
skiffy section, atleast here in Baltimore, YMMV in the DC area.

One thought would be for Capclave to bring in the GoH a day early for an =
event at some local stores.  Thatmight get some additonal warm bodies =
atthe con.  Pershpas WSFA could sponsor a Meet the Author(s) at local =
stores?

As for the GoHs for 2004 & 2005, Polotta is published by Wildside Press =
these days, which is strictly print-on-demand.  So, you're not likely to =
find his stuff in stores.

As for Waldrop, he has a collection from Golden Gryphon, Custer's Last =
Jump and other collaborations (ISBN: 1930846134) which mightbe findable in =
the chain stores.  They tend to not reorder unless the book sells fairly =
well.  Golden Gryphon has also published a limited edition chapbook, =
available ONLY from them (it lacks an ISBN), entitles "A Better World's in =
Birth".  Here's the synopsis from the Golden Gryphon website <http://www.go=
ldengryphon.com/betterworld-right.html>:

"It's 1876, twenty-three years after the executions of the Peoples' =
Revolutionary leaders
Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx, and Richard Wagner - -  and spectres in the =
guise of these
three men are haunting Communist Europe, specifically the city of Dresden. =
Officer
Rienzi, from the Peoples' Department for Security, is called in to =
investigate. Are these
spectres truly ghosts of the Revolution's leaders? Or is there a larger =
conspiracy afoot?
nd if a conspiracy, does it involve Comrade Leader Eisenmann, who became =
head of
the Peoples' Federated States of Europe following the death of Wagner?"

& from a smaller press (Wheatland) there's this collection: Dream =
Factories and Radio Pictures (ISBN 097205474X )

And I should note, that even though Howard may not be much in print, his =
OP stuff is not cheap.  His first collection, Howard Who?, is going for, =
online, a minimum of $50 for an ex-lib copy, and up to $175 for a signed, =
unread copy.

But that said, I do wonder what effect a GoH has on con numbers?  When =
Balticon had Robert Jordan, an author who sells lots of books, the change =
was . . barely noticed.  The only time in recent  years that a GoH had a =
noticeable effect on Balticon was when Octavia Butler was GoH, and that =
was the addition of number of African-American attendees that year.

>
>> I'd like to see some, I said some, of the money spent for some
>> fannish good.
>
>Two words:  WSFA Clubhouse!

Aieeeeeeeeee ! ! ! ! !

>
>> Now what that is, I don't know.  I don't think it's a student
>> writing contest that has spent an average of $10,000 a year.
>
>I'd like to know how a student writing contest costs that much money.
>Are state-of-the-art PCs with expensive word processing programs and
>printers being bought for each participating student?  Is the winner's
>trophy made of gold and platinum?

Other than attending the 1998 Worldcon I have not been involved in any =
Bucconeer projects, so we'll have to hear from the student writing contest =
folks for answers.  Forthose who are interested, thefinancial reports from =
Bucky are online since they had to be reproted to the WSFS business =
meeting each year until the surplus was deplete.  No, there's no one easy =
to find site.  You'll have to Google away - probably best to use WSFS =
Bucconeer and possible financial report(s) as search terms.

>
>>> I don't know why Judy and Bob aren't subscribers.  I think every
>>> WSFA officer should be.  Better yet, every WSFA member.
>
>> Officers yes (unless there is some problem that can't be reseolved).
>> For club members, it should remain optional.
>
>It should remain optional for everyone, in the sense that I'm not
>suggesting that anyone should be kicked out of office for refusing
>to subscribe.  But I think it should be strongly encouraged.  And
>that sending an email to WSFAns who are *not* on the list should be
>discouraged (unless the email is meant specifically for them, of
>course) since people who choose not to subscribe presumably don't
>want to receive WSFA-related email.

Sounds fine by me . . . .

>
>Also, I don't think we need to set up a separate email list just for
>Capclave.  The volume of this list is not so high that it needs to
>be split into subject categories.

In genral, I'll try to keep as much information flowing to the club as =
possible.

mjw