Thread by @illegibscrib

WHO IS MOST IMPORTANT AT WORLDCON.

A thread. 1/17
#Worldcon @Dublin2019

(by a Worldcon fan who is not affiliated with the Dublin 2019 Worldcon, except as a member) 2/17

Every year, there are always a few authors who have an outraged meltdown on Twitter upon discovering that they would receive neither free membership nor an appearance fee, should they choose to participate in programming at Worldcon. 3/17

Sometimes this happens after they have already made a commitment to participate. Someone who professess to be a professional author, failing to perform due diligence prior to making a commitment is... a thing, I guess. 4/17

What due diligence would reveal is that Worldcon is not a gate show. It's not a literary festival. Each Worldcon is a fully-volunteer-run, a (if they do a good job) break-even event, where each person contributes according to their gifts and abilities. 5/17

Worldcon is a symbiosis of hundreds of people who all contribute their special knowledge and skills in order to make a wonderful whole – in personnel mgmt, marketing, IT, logistics, construction, event mgmt, legal, A/V, writing, art - and they all buy memberships. 6/17

The authors are not THE attraction at Worldcon – they are one of *numerous* attractions at Worldcon. Authors are a very important part of Worldcon, and the fans are very glad to have them there. But they are not an indispensable part. 7/17

The only people who are indispensable at Worldcon are the hundreds of volunteers who provide the labor and the expertise (and the membership fees) to put on the event. Without these people, there would be NO Worldcon for authors to make appearances and promote their works. 8/17

A lot of the people who come to Worldcon will never attend an author panel or signing. A lot of people come just for the costuming and the Masquerade. A lot of them come just for the gaming, or the music program, or the film program. Or the parties. Or meet up with friends. 9/17

Or special-interest fan meetings. A lot of the panels aren't about books or writing, and the panelists aren't authors, but people providing knowledge and expertise of other kinds. There is a great deal more going on at Worldcon, of which authors and books are just a part. 10/17

Worldcon without authors would most certainly be a lot less fun. But it would still take place. Lots of people would still come, and there would be plenty of panels and programming, and fans would still geek out over all the things they love. 11/17

Pro authors who are huge names, like @Ann_Leckie, @GRRMspeaking, @SeananMcGuire, and John @Scalzi all acknowledge that they are fans as well as pros, and they buy their own memberships and contribute their skills. 12/17

Everyone understands that attending Worldcon is an expensive proposition. Some people save up for it all year. Some can only attend once in a while, or when it's geographically close. Some can never afford to attend, even though they'd like to. And that sucks. 13/17

Which is why fans have created funds like TAFF, GUFF, and DUFF, like @Con_Or_Bust, #TheMexicanXInitiative, the #LGBTQInitiative, and the #FantasticDublinFund, to help people who otherwise would not be able to attend. 14/17
dublin2019.com/memberships/fa…

Worldcon does its best to make it possible for fans to attend. And one of the things that keeps Worldcon memberships from costing many hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, is the fact that everyone contributes their skills to the con and no one gets paid for it. 15/17

If your author ego requires that you receive an appearance fee, a free membership, and/or VIP treatment for participating, then Worldcon is Not Your Thing. And that's okay! It's okay for you to want those things. You're just not going to find them at Worldcon. 16/17

If, however, you're willing and able to be a part of the Worldcon symbiosis, then you WILL be appreciated, and you will get to have a great experience, too. 17/17

/FIN
con-or-bust.org

con-or-bust.org