- Joined
- Feb 16, 2005
- Messages
- 2,719
- Reaction score
- 551
- Location
- Bellevue, WA
- Website
- www.CascadeWriters.com
Please move this post to wherever is appropriate.
Old Hack and Julie -- and anyone else -- I do understand and respect writers and other professionals who like to get paid for their time. I believe in it.
That said, I think there is a pervasive sentiment in the SFF and Romance communities that encourages pros to pay it forward -- to give back to others what was so freely given to them in their own early days. Many people attend cons and speak on what they know for the sheer love of it.
Same with the organizations running the cons. I know of more than one SFF literary con which is supported by donations from the organizers. For example, when I started the small genre event that I ran for many years, I mortgaged my house for the operating costs (which were somewhere between 80-100 thousand dollars for the first 4 years total). We charged people $140-175 to attend. We never even came close to breaking even, so I sold my house and moved to a smaller house in a less snazzy neighborhood -- and scaled down the event to a retreat that could pay for itself. A few years ago, we formed a board and registered as a non-profit with a budget based on keeping it a small event and making it as affordable as possible while still breaking even.
That event now costs $245 or $125 to the attendees, depending on what level of participation they choose. We offer scholarships, which I fund from my own income and donate to the organization. We do not offer catering as part of the package, because it's just not affordable. Incidentally, it is difficult to find event space that will let you just pay for the meeting rooms if you are *not* paying thousands of dollars for food to the venue.
As I said, I am not familiar with other, larger literary events -- but I do know that some of them are businesses that are making money. Some are not, but may have subsidies in the form of donated space at a university or conference center through local city or county grants. Some get grant money from the government or schools where they take place for operating costs.
To give you an idea what a small workshop would cost to put on:
Rent 3-4 meeting rooms that seat up to 100 people for 4 days: $2000-10,000
Airfare or travel for 3-20 speakers:$1500-4000
Meal stipends for 20 speakers for 4 days:$2400-3000
Insurance: $1200/yr.
This means you need 30 people to pay $245 to attend just to cover those costs -- it doesn't include having a website, printed materials at the event, paying for booths at cons to promote the event, bookkeeper, tax preparer, etc. Also, you never know how many people will sign up. This year, the event I started (I am no longer the organizer, though I am on the board) planned for up to 100 attendees and we got 40. It was great -- the attendees got a lot of individual or very tiny group time with the pros. We are going to be doing some creative fundraising to raise money for future events.
Cons like to have a little extra money in the treasury for start-up costs for the following years.
So, yes it is a good thing when a con can offer to pay for speakers. Some don't or can't -- and it is not always because they are greedy bastards out to make a buck off the backs of the talent.
If you find an event that offers you money, I say go for it!
Old Hack and Julie -- and anyone else -- I do understand and respect writers and other professionals who like to get paid for their time. I believe in it.
That said, I think there is a pervasive sentiment in the SFF and Romance communities that encourages pros to pay it forward -- to give back to others what was so freely given to them in their own early days. Many people attend cons and speak on what they know for the sheer love of it.
Same with the organizations running the cons. I know of more than one SFF literary con which is supported by donations from the organizers. For example, when I started the small genre event that I ran for many years, I mortgaged my house for the operating costs (which were somewhere between 80-100 thousand dollars for the first 4 years total). We charged people $140-175 to attend. We never even came close to breaking even, so I sold my house and moved to a smaller house in a less snazzy neighborhood -- and scaled down the event to a retreat that could pay for itself. A few years ago, we formed a board and registered as a non-profit with a budget based on keeping it a small event and making it as affordable as possible while still breaking even.
That event now costs $245 or $125 to the attendees, depending on what level of participation they choose. We offer scholarships, which I fund from my own income and donate to the organization. We do not offer catering as part of the package, because it's just not affordable. Incidentally, it is difficult to find event space that will let you just pay for the meeting rooms if you are *not* paying thousands of dollars for food to the venue.
As I said, I am not familiar with other, larger literary events -- but I do know that some of them are businesses that are making money. Some are not, but may have subsidies in the form of donated space at a university or conference center through local city or county grants. Some get grant money from the government or schools where they take place for operating costs.
To give you an idea what a small workshop would cost to put on:
Rent 3-4 meeting rooms that seat up to 100 people for 4 days: $2000-10,000
Airfare or travel for 3-20 speakers:$1500-4000
Meal stipends for 20 speakers for 4 days:$2400-3000
Insurance: $1200/yr.
This means you need 30 people to pay $245 to attend just to cover those costs -- it doesn't include having a website, printed materials at the event, paying for booths at cons to promote the event, bookkeeper, tax preparer, etc. Also, you never know how many people will sign up. This year, the event I started (I am no longer the organizer, though I am on the board) planned for up to 100 attendees and we got 40. It was great -- the attendees got a lot of individual or very tiny group time with the pros. We are going to be doing some creative fundraising to raise money for future events.
Cons like to have a little extra money in the treasury for start-up costs for the following years.
So, yes it is a good thing when a con can offer to pay for speakers. Some don't or can't -- and it is not always because they are greedy bastards out to make a buck off the backs of the talent.
If you find an event that offers you money, I say go for it!