How important is being involved in the Fantasy/SciFi con circuit for an author who wishes to be published?
Vital both before publication and after. Let me try to explain. Before hand being involved in the community of a genre (mystery, romance or SF/F) can give you a chance to avoid common pitfalls and debut mistakes. Conventions taught me everything from how to write a query letter to how to relate to agents and editors. They also gave an opportunity to observe author behavior and fan interaction on panels and at parties. In other words, I learned the type of author I wanted to be as a public figure, as well as a writer. After publication, they have had an unexpectedly wonderful benefit – conventions have given me author friends. Writing is very isolating and it is invaluable to have other authors to talk to, both about the craft and about the business. Many of these friends are on the same career path as me, so we can compare rights sales, discuss our respective fan experiences, and generally help each other out. Authors outside of genre and convention circuits aren’t always so lucky.
