Read Write Edit Play Repeat vol. 14
How Great Was AuthorCon?!
How Great Was AuthorCon?!
I wrote a more detailed blog about the first AuthorCon, held in Williamsburg, Virginia the first weekend in April 2022 by the Scares That Care charity organization, because I think the convention itself deserves a more complete analysis for sure. You can check that out here. I’ve also pitched an article to LitReactor about the legacy and impact of Scares That Care on the horror industry. If it’s picked up, I’ll go more in depth about what the entire charity organization and all its events have accomplished for those in need, but also its impact on the recent evolution of horror itself.
I’m going to do my best here to avoid bragging for bragging’s sake or to create any further regrets for those who could not attend this year. As of the time I’m writing this, official word has come down that AuthorCon 2023 is on. I’m not surprised as the success of the convention speaks for itself. The exact date in 2023 will be coming soon.
It was my most successful convention in terms of sales by a far cry. If I don’t sell another book at the rest of the conventions I attend this year, it will still be my most successful convention year ever. That means there were readers there hungry for books.
Aside from the financial aspects, it was personally important for me. This was my first convention in two-and-a-half years. I needed to see my friends and fellow authors again. It was great to reconnect. I got to meet people I only knew online. I met new people who will be good friends going forward. I was introduced to and joined the Books of Horror group on Facebook. Unlike a lot of pages that are mostly authors spamming each other, this is a group of real readers actually discussing horror books. A number of them were in attendance at AuthorCon. I’m glad I found this community. It’s changed my entire online experience for the better.
I’ve been through a lot over the years and have some ongoing medical struggles. It brings life into sharp perspective for me. When they have AuthorCon again, I’m going. If I only attend one convention next year, it would be this one. If I only sold a fraction of the books next time, it would still be worth it for the community of old school, veteran, new, and up-and-coming writers there. It would be worth it to interact with the caliber of readers attending this con. If only a fraction of the people who didn’t attend this year but want to attend next year actually come, the next AuthorCon will be huge.
Here are some things you might be interested in:
Take the Long Way Home #BrianKeeneRevisited
by Jay Wilburn
Take the Long Way Home is a cool novella with concise action all the way through …
“Plastic Fantastic”
by Jay Wilburn
Big Billy Banger, known as Bad Billy during his beta testing phase, stood in the middle of the street …
My Next Convention Appearance
My next convention appearance will be the Ghoulish Book Festival April 30th through May 1st, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. It will be held at the Hermann Sons Home Association Building located at 525 S. St Marys, San Antonio 78205. I’m really excited for this one because of the cool authors who will be there. I’m looking forward to seeing my friends and some readers out that way. If you are interested, check it out here.
Thanks, Everybody
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You are AMAZING & I can't wait to see you again at the next one!