Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:37:56 -0500
From: "Michael Walsh" <mjw at press.jhu.edu>
To: "WSFA members" <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Philcon
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

> "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net> 11/23/2009 8:21 PM >>>
>I enjoyed the con.  I think most people there did, except the dealers,
>who complained that few people were spending any money.

The non-book dealers were apparently going down the toilet faster than the =
book dealers.  I believe one dealer - selling sewn craft work - sold nada.

For me, selling books at a con is an avocation.  I want to make money =
(money good!), but my livelihood doesn't depend on it.  But for others, it =
is their income.  For many of the dealers Philcon is not a "con" but a =
"show".

One sale - a $3 pb -was by Dave Axler ... it was a "mercy buy" ...

>I found some interesting and unusual things on the freebie table,
>including a 138-year-old issue of Harper's magazine.
>
>In the con suite, I was munching on some broccoli, when the con suite
>lady snatched the bowl out from under my hand and dumped it in the
>trash.  When I objected that I was obviously reaching for some to eat,
>she said it would make me sick, as it had been out for two hours.  I
>had already eaten a fair amount, but I unaccountably failed to become
>ill.  At home, to save money, I unplugged my refrigerator decades
>ago, and routinely eat broccoli and other vegetables and fruits that
>have been at room temperature for days.  I'm perfectly capable of
>determining whether food has spoiled.  And my loss due to spoilage is
>less than the cost of electricity to keep the refrigerator running,
>even if I were to assume that nothing refrigerated would ever spoil.

Some folks are paranoid about germs and the like.

OTOH: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8373690.stm

>I intended to preregister at the con for next year, but on discovering
>that the rates had gone up by sixteen percent -- this at the height of
>the worst economy since the 1930s -- decided not to.  Even this year,
>attendance was way down.  As Mike mentioned, there were only about 400
>paid members.  Philcon survived the 1930s, but if the committee can't
>find a way to cut costs, or even hold them constant, it may not
>survive the current economic situation.

They maybe locked into a multi-year contract with the hotel.  Which is =
usually a good thing, guarantee of date & location.  But it may also =
givethem little leeway in negotiating some changes.  We can only speculate,=
 none of us having a copy of their contract.

But it would also help if they did little things .. like get programming =
info out earlier.  I received mine on Monday.  but it seems the closer you =
are to Philly, theslower the InterTubes are - Michael Swanwick as of the =
day before the con hadn't received his: http://floggingbabel.blogspot.com/2=
009/11/my-philcon-schedule-i-think.html

I would like to think the low paid numbers were due to Philcon being =
stumble-footed.  Maybe they'll get more of their act together next year.

Principal Speaker next year is Peter Beagle.  Probably a somewhat better =
draw than Catherine Asaro - nice person etc etc ... but she is east coast =
and isn't exactly a rare sight at cons.

>The only WSFAns I saw were Cathy Green, Sam Lubell, Evan Phillips,
>Mark Roth, George Shaner, Michael Taylor, and Michael Walsh.  Mark
>Roth drove me to the con, and Evan Phillips drove me back to the DC
>area after the con.

Martin Deutsch & Shirley Avery were, I think, the only BSFS folks there.

mjw