Convergence 2009

[gmcdavid]

Convergence 2009 was a good con, though the sheer size of it exposed a basic structural flaw. In most of my decades in fandom, the social aspects of a convention have been more important than the programming. However, the highlight of this Convergence was one of the programming tracks. It was the most interesting programming I have seen in the

Comments

I, too, asked why booksellers don't sell books at Con.

[smuzikant]

And the reasons, I'm told, is that the conventiongoers don't BUY books there, because they can do that all the rest of the year. At Con, their finite supply of money goes to the bright shinies.

Re: I, too, asked why booksellers don't sell books at Con.

[mia_mcdavid]

Yes, it's a different world from the old days. Now anybody can buy any book published anywhere in the world at any time they want to. You don't have to wait for a *book dealer* to physically put one in front of you. That said, Greg Ketter of Dreamhaven said he did better at this con than usual--he was out of all the things I wanted to buy... :-(

Re: I, too, asked why booksellers don't sell books at Con.

[gmcdavid]

This is 95% true, but the other 5% is significant. Even in SF there is a lot of obscure stuff that never makes it to Borders or Barnes & Noble, although many fans don't seem to know this or care. Today if you know what you are looking for you can get easily get it online. The trick is to find the books that you never heard of but want when you see them.

Of course, 90% of those obscure publications are crap, but this is just a manifestation of Sturgeon's Revelation.