Guest of Honor Tips
I wanted to say thanks to everyone who chimed in on yesterday’s post. One of the things I love about my online community is that it’s wonderful for support and for reality-checking–in this case, the reminder that envy is human, and that in fact I’m not the only author in the whole wide world who isn’t getting the six-figure advances 🙂
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So tomorrow I fly to Iowa, where I’ll be doing my first stint as Guest of Honor at a convention. Thank you, Icon!
In order to avoid embarrassing myself too much, I’m compiling a list of suggestions for what notto do as GoH. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far.
- “I’m your guest of honor, and I’ll wear pants when I’m good and ready!”
- Guest of Honor Speech: Two hour PowerPoint of I Can Has Cheezburger pics.
- “Oh, handler? I would like you to bring me … a shrubbery!”
- Insist that all filkers sing “The Song of Jig” whenever I enter a room.
- “I’m here today to tell you about ShamWow! Call now, and I’ll throw in an additional set of ShamWows absolutely free!”
- If any former guests of honor attend, stalk them back to their hotel room and proclaim “There can be only one!”
- Respond to all questions with quotes from Ghostbusters, Princess Bride, and Monty Python.
- Anyone who wants an autograph must first prove they’re not a brains-hungry zombie.
Please feel free to suggest your own.
R.S.
October 22, 2009 @ 7:13 pm
Actually, if you did any of those things, you would be the most awesomest guest of honor ever.
If I was a brains-hungry zombie though, would I still be able to get an autograph?
Jim C. Hines
October 22, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
Depends on when. If you wait until Sunday, I should have very little brain left, so I think it would be safe to do the zombie signings then.
Shannon Ryan
October 26, 2009 @ 10:59 pm
I just wanted to thank you for the 517 solo panels you did at Icon. I am sure you’re still recovering. Specifically though, I wanted to thank you for the recommendation of “Techniques of the Selling Writer.” It manages to be both abnormally informative and a good read.
Jim C. Hines
October 27, 2009 @ 10:25 am
Thanks, Shannon! It was certainly a busy weekend, but a lot of fun, and I’m glad it was useful.
I can’t take credit for the Swain book, though. I believe it was Mickey who recommended that one. I’ve actually added it to my wish list 🙂