I'm not a complete
greenhorn to mystery conferences. I attended ThrillerFest in
2013 to get some practice in pitching my first book to agents. (Practice
made Providence: I found one -- or she found me -- and my debut novel will be
published by William Morrow and Faber & Faber next March.) Since then
I've visited Left Coast Crime in Monterey and returned in New York for T-Fest
this year. Surely I can handle Bouchercon, right?
Maybe not...
Bouchercon is the big boss, the
black diamond run of mystery conventions. The one convention I had heard
of even before I'd started writing. Just scanning the number of attendees
was daunting. Not to mention the names. I've read his work,
and hers, and his, and Good-Lord-I-wonder-if-I'll-meet-So-and-So.
One glance at the packed
advance schedule was enough to send me hunting for my most comfortable pair of
shoes. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Or maybe it will be a
whole bunch of sprints, one after the other, depending on how quickly seats
disappear at the panel sessions.
Bouchercon is so darn big that
I suspect they have to change cities every year, just to let the poor
communities recover. Like Tokyo after Godzilla. I envision a
horde of excited fans, writers, booksellers, editors, agents, publishers, and
librarians storming through the Long Beach Hyatt, leaving stunned hotel
staffers, exhausted baristas, and empty vending machines in their
wake. And one trampled debut author. In the sudden quiet, a few
bookmarks flutter gently to the carpet.
So clearly I need help,
psychiatric and otherwise. What does a first-timer do when he needs
advice? Turn to the community, of course! Bouchercon has loads of
faithful attendees, and some of them have been kind enough to provide helpful
tips and recap past visits. It's a trove of good advice. Here's a
few of the best, from friends-in-sleuthing:
From Gigi Pandian:
http://www.pensfatales.com/2014/05/5-tips-for-getting-most-out-of.html
From Robin Spano:
From Robin Spano:
From Jen Forbus:
If we should happen to meet at
Bouchercon, ask me for an advance copy of my book. And if I look dazed,
please point me towards a barista.
Glen Erik Hamilton's debut
novel PAST CRIMES will be published by WIlliam Morrow in the U.S. and Faber
& Faber in the U.K. Find his blog Larceny is Grand at glenerikhamilton.com, and follow him on Twitter @GlenErikH.
