I'm basically going to plonk the email I sent Vanessa here about a thought I'd had. I'd love to get your views on the matter, folks.


"This may sound like a strange question but does such a thing exist as an online convention for writers/readers? I ask as I'm always seeing people tweet/blog about attending conventions but these things are usually miles (sometimes 100s of miles) away from where I am. So I was thinking there should be some sort of online convention for people who can't travel/can't afford to travel to these things.

Is this making any sort of sense?

I'm not sure how one would even be possible but it's something to think about. I was even getting into the territory of thinking about having one for indie/small press writers where people could come along do most of the things you can do at conventions - Q&A with authors, getting books signed (which you can do via Kindlegraph), etc.

If such a thing doesn't exist, do you think it should? I just wanted to email you to get your thoughts before I discuss it further in the forum.

Regards,


I've since had a chat with Vanessa about this and we think it's do-able, but I'd like to get your thoughts, as writers/readers. Would you be interested in taking part in something like this? I've talked to some writers and a couple would be interested in doing some sort of trial run. It would probably be a Speculative Fiction Convention as that's the genre I pretty much write in. And it would cover a weekend with people probably having to register (for free!) to 'attend' one day or the other. We could probably make use of Skype or Google+ Hangout to host Q&A or Panel discussions. It's still at the ideas stage but let me know if you think it's a daft idea or an interesting one.

Skype is a good idea if we limit that part of the convention to those who have microphones and webcams - Skype allows group video calls, right? Some people may not have Skype, though. Maybe consider part of the convention on Skype, then another part in a private chat room on this site?

These types of conventions/workshops are great, because writers will have the opportunity to ask questions about plot, characterisation, grammar and spelling, or any number of book-related things, including publishing, author Q&A and autographs.

A few guest speakers on various topics would go down well, too. I have two people in mind already, one for writing realistic characters and the other for eBook formatting. Should I ask if they'd consider it? I'm available for the editing part (grammar and spelling, etc.), and questions on plot, etc.

For those who don't know what speculative fiction is: it's an umbrella term encompassing science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as related static, motion, and virtual arts. (Wikipedia)

Yes, go ahead and ask those people if they want to take part.

I'm wondering, with Skype do you have to have a web cam/microphone? Is there not an option to take part by just typing? I want this to be inclusive, don't want people feeling left out and unable to take part in something because they don't have a particular piece of hardware, etc - another thing to ponder.

Will do

You don't have to have a microphone or cam, no. I figured, though, that since some people don't have Skype and some of those may not want to download another messaging programme, we may as well make it more exclusive. Maybe we do the Skype video call as a bonus for only certain writers, then we can offer that part of the convention as a prize for something or other? I just like the idea of sitting 'face to face' with a group, but typing would work just as well, if you really want to type By the way, I did mention that I'm not even sure if Skype does group calls, right? So even if you end up agreeing, it may not be possible I'll check on that only if anyone else likes the idea, or if you end up swayed, lol. What does everyone else think?

"What does everyone else think?" lol, yes we seem to be the ones who are discussing this. I'll refrain from saying any more until we get other people's thoughts on this.

(Although we did have Skype on our computer at one point, I didn't use it myself so I don't know much about it. Just know you can make free calls with it to other Skype users).

garam81 wrote:


lol, same here

The online conference idea is sound. This may be a jumping off point to find suitable means for achieving this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_conferencing At the bottom of the article is a list of potential software providers.

Yugma is not on that list, but may also be worth a look. GoToMeeting and other Citrix-based interfaces will cost. www.yugma.com/

Thanks for this info Some of that software might come in handy. I'll test some out closer to the time, when we start the official planning, although I see that some also require a webcam and microphone.

What do you think of the idea of having a prize where some attending have an additional chat via video call? Maybe we could make those private consultations, or semi-private consultations, limited to say five authors/prize winners at a time?

I haven't actually checked out any of the sites on that article. That's a great idea about additional prizes.

Just found another one: shindig.com/ It's going to be used by the Alliance of Independent Authors.
Here's a link to their event: shindig.com/event/39-Independent-Authors