Never Got That Memo

[kevin_standlee]

Inspired by a side comment by redneckotaku, and not intended to be critical of him or of anime conventions

Comments

[orangemike]

I've never thought of it as taboo, as long as you're low-key about it, not stalkery and drooling. The GoH Liaison, in particular, has certainly earned it!

Cicatrice loves to recount the time she bowed down at Cliff Simak's feet chanting, "Author! Author!" in homage to his mellow Midwestern excellence. I've certainly done it more than once. (Somebody in Milwaukee should still have a jar of Orville Reddenbacher's Popping Corn, autographed by Anne McCaffrey at the pre-X-Con 2 party after she'd given a dramatic reading of its label.)

[debgeisler]

For instance, if you were a particular convention's GoH liaison, would you consider it bad form to ask for that GoH's autograph?

Only if the liaison asked the GoH to sign a body part.

[trinsf]

Now see, if I'm going to ask Harlan to sign something, it's going to be a body part. Or else, what's the point?

[twilight2000]

Yes, but we're talking Harlan here - so the rules must change ;>

[querldox]

It's somewhat situational. Getting one autograph usually wouldn't seem to be a problem. Hitting them with multiple items, well, that's what the scheduled autograph session's for.

And vis a vis that, at, say, a Worldcon where there are a lot of folk even just at Staff level up, not to mention gophers, skipping the autograph session to get, say, Gaiman's autograph at a random time probably isn't good unless you're working during the session. It somewhat depends on what the demand for autographs from the guest is.

[controuble]

I have gotten books signed by authors who were just attending the con (not there as a GOH) and none of them have ever acted like I was doing something tacky. I do ask politely before getting the book(s), I don't just run up with an armful and attack.

edit: If it's not during a scheduled autograph session, that is.

[kevin_standlee]

The key here is whether being one of the people putting on the convention makes you someone "above" such things as collecting autographs. Not having time, I understand completely.

[lindadee]

I was GOH liaison for Peter David at Foolscap last year and bid on a short story manuscript he put up for auction. I won it and asked him to autograph it. Even though I've known Peter since his fanzine days, I'd never asked him for an autograph before that.