BCON Toronto – Debrief

I think I finally figured out something about Bcon – and it only took me 2 times!  Because it is always in a different spot/city, the experience is extremely varied and to have expectations is a downer – as the saying goes, ‘the road of expectations is full of potholes of disappointments’ (source – me!).

I am fortunate to have a summer home about a 5 hour drive from Toronto – pronounced ‘Taranta’ – and for now on just written as TO. So I fly to Ottawa, the city with the dubious distinction of being the second coldest capital in the world (next to Moscow). I have a car stored there so I drive up to the cottage for a week before conference. Plan (think expectation) is to relax in the sauna for a week, drive to conference, return to cottage for a white water trip – the extra cold water being a strong incentive not to tip in rapids…

Then I realize my car, aka the moose mobile, has been in storage a little too long and there are lots of leaks…one which blows the tranny…so it’s buses, bikes and hitchhiking from then on.

Do get to the conference to find out that it’s way different than Las Vegas…quel surprise! Las Vegas was all in the hotel which made it crowded but everything was close, the workshop rooms, the coffee shop and the bar. As quickly learned, connections are made most often in the coffee shop and especially the bar. In TO, the conference was down an escalator long enough to frighten even people without fear of escalators (believe it or not, this is not listed as a phobia). Things seemed disorganized either because they were or because the site was. The signing room looked like the size of a city block. The coffee shop (the real one – downstairs had a poor excuse for one) was way upstairs beyond the shuttle escalator. And the conference bar was about a half mile done an empty hall – as a result it was virtually empty all the time. So one had to fight even harder to get any attention or publicity or connections.

There were a few personal highlights. I met the folks from Michigan who will host 2006 – now, they seemed to know and want to know how to do a class act. I want to be there! Chicago (2005) were no were in site – bad sign…The workshop I most looked forward to was with Literary Agents, as  I had said that the 4 living or employed ones were in Vegas. TO had managed to find five. I had a question already – one I can no longer remember, but no doubt was good – but I prefaced my question by commenting on what one agent had said – to pick an agent you (as author) could get along with. I stated that my preference was “an agent with a pulse!” I practically got a standing ovation!

I was pleased to find that my bio and picture had made it into the author section – my picture being taken in Strawberry Fields in Central Park, while everyone else seemed to have one from a press release. One female author who I particularly don’t like as her attitude sucks, looked like she had got an Annie Leibovitz wannabe who had made her look like … well I’ll be kind and not say. (Editor – he was going to say over priced hooker!)

Lessons learned. Well, I’m putting together a list of does and don’ts that I’ll send to my friends in Michigan and anyone else requesting or adding to it. But one thing for sure – stay near the action – so you don’t miss the evening parties. Don’t ride a bus for 4 hours every day there and back (me in TO) and save your money so you don’t have to stay in skid row (me in Vegas)! And damn it – write and write some more…
John Boland, October, 2004 – dedicated to my Moose Mobile currently taking a rest somewhere in Ontario…