Today was another day spent in the dealer’s room. Melissa and I helped pack things up, retrieved our stuff, and drove home without a problem.

I have a number of thoughts for summarizing the weekend, my experience of it, some stresses, and some joys. I’m not sure how to organize them, so I’ll just list them in bullet format.

• I heard good things about the programming, but I did not attend. I used to go to panels with great interest and take notes like I was studying for a test. After a while, I found myself writing the same things down over and over, often from the same people, and my enthusiasm towards attending panels diminished. There are a few from time to time that draw me in, and I’m not saying I don’t have anything left to learn. I have just found that after attending panels long enough, they’ve lost their appeal. Lots of them are worldbuilding in disguise, anyway, which is worthy of its own entire post.
• Attending panels is not the same as being on a panel. I quite enjoy that, and I even like moderating. It’s a shame I wasn’t invited to be on a panel at World Fantasy, but it’s not that big a deal. I don’t take it personally. I don’t think I knew I was coming to the convention until late, which might have had something to do with it. Or, it could be that I’m still an unknown, which is also fair.
• I go to conventions like this to work. It’s easier. If I’m not on panels, then I prefer to be at the table.
• I stayed at the table most of the time, only intentionally taking a break once on Saturday because my feet hurt and I needed to do a mental reset.
• While working at the table, I pretend to be an extrovert. Melissa told me in the car tonight that I do a very good job of pretending, and that makes me happy.
• When people come to the table, I usually start with asking what they like to read. One of my main goals is to quickly find out what their tastes are, so I can line them up with a book on the table that will make them happy. But it’s also a great conversation starter, and it’s the conversations I enjoy. Depending on how they answer, I sometimes talk to people about books and never try to direct them towards anything on the table.
• I managed to sell some books from the table this weekend that we’ve all found difficult to sell.
• I don’t think I talked anyone into buying a book they will dislike.
• Honesty is still the best policy, even when it comes to selling. Perhaps especially when it comes to selling, because most of us can smell bullshit from a mile away.
• The best table conversations for me at the table aren’t necessarily the ones where I find the right book for the customer. The best conversations are the ones where I find a writer that needs a little encouragement, and I’m there at the right time to provide it. Those are the moments that make it all worth it.
• When it comes to selling books from the table, I don’t usually start with my own. Obviously, if they say something like, “I like The Dresden Files” or “I really like urban fantasy,” I’ll go to mine first, but that’s a natural progression. I’m focused on what they say they like, so when if they say something like, “I’m looking for a cosmic horror story for my trans daughter,” I’m going to immediately try and put The Insane God by Jay Hartlove in their hands.
• Sometimes, the best thing to say is nothing. This doesn’t just apply to selling at the table.

It’s already late on Sunday night, and I’m not looking forward to what this work week will be like. I wish I had more time to recover, but that’s just how these things go.

The next convention is Loscon, taking place Thanksgiving weekend. We’ll have a table, and I suspect I’ll be on some panels. Bryanna will be going with us, which I think is awesome.