Conventions

[sapphire]

So, something I learned this weekend: conventions are good things.

I spent the weekend at LunaCon2013, which is a sci-fi/fantasy convention. It was my first time there - at any convention, actually - and I had a really good time. Made some connections with sort of important people, too, which is awesome. There were panels, and a dealers' room (merchandise for sale) and an art show, but the best part was meeting people.
The truth is, knowing people in the business gives you a huge leg up to getting published. That's not to say that you can't do it otherwise, but any agent/editor is more likely to give something a close look (as opposed to just skimming over it in the midst of their slush pile) if they know the person who submitted it.

Another plus about LunaCon in particular was the atmosphere. According to my con-veteran friend, it wasn't even a very good convention, but everyone there was truly a sci-fi/fantasy fan. Having been surrounded by people who look down on genre fiction for the past three and a half years, it was a huge relief to talk to people who weren't kind of snobs about what they choose to read.

Comic Con is a popular convention. There's also WorldCon, ReaderCon, World Fantasy, and various others. I'd recommend you keep an eye out for conventions you could/would like to go to and make an effort to get there. They can be a bit expensive, but they're worth it.

[Zoom]

That sounds like so much fun. It must've been nice, having everybody there be into what you're into and wanting to talk about it
Plus I can see what you mean about meeting important people there. You're probably more likely to land a good job through somebody you met at a con, who works in the genre you prefer.

I've sort of harbored a fantasy the last couple years about going to Comic Con; a bunch of my favorite webcomic artists go there every year and it would be In Sane to meet them.

[sapphire]

Yes, the atmosphere alone was worth the $60 entrance fee.
It was awesome meeting a few legit authors. No one super famous, but one was nominated for a Hugo. I was disappointed that I didn't know about it last year - Tamora Pierce was there, and I would have loved to meet her.

I want to go to Comic Con, too! Though it's apparently pretty crazy and crowded. I think Comic Con is more like a huge party, where LunaCon was small and quiet. But still, Comic Con sounds amazing.

[Raphael]

I would want to go to an E3 myself

[sapphire]

Hadn't heard of that one before, but after a quick Google search... It sounds pretty cool. I don't think I play video games often enough to really benefit from it, though. (Actually, I'd probably see a hundred games that looked really cool, and then I'd never get anything done again.)