Peter David's Blog, page 40

Charging for autographs

For some reason this has become a hot topic of discussion lately. As movie and TV stars and B- and C-listers prices for autographs skyrocket at conventions, comic book writers and artists have been discussing whether or not they charge for scribbling their names on their work. So I thought I would make my own position clear.

I’ve been signing my name on books and comics for longer than a considerable portion of you have been alive. Do I charge for my autographs? No.

For decades this was never an issue. But as the actors crank up their rates, more and more fans have been coming to conventions unaware of the fact that most writers don’t charge. And so nowadays many fans have been asking “How much?” when they’ve had me sign stuff. And I’d say there was no charge. Many seemed confused. Some even tried to hand me money anyway.

So some months back I figured, “The hell with it,” and added a tip jar to my desk. I’m told some other creators also have tip jars and they seem to take great pains to explain that it’s for charity, because…I dunno. It keeps their conscience clear, I guess. That’s fine. In my case, let me make it clear: it’s for me. It helps to cover convention expenses because many conventions don’t provide per diems. I rarely draw attention to it, unless someone brings me something like 50 comics to sign.

So now when fans ask if there’s a charge, I say no, but if they want to throw money in my tip jar then I won’t toss it back at them. The results are varied. Some fans bring me thirty books to sign and put in nothing. Others have me sign one comic and drop in ten bucks. So I guess it all evens out.

Anyway, that’s my policy.

PAD

A New Crazy 8 Anthology: PANGAEA

Millions of years ago (or, if you believe the opinions of some scientifically-challenged individuals, a few thousand years ago) all the land masses of the world were formed into a single super-continent that has come to be known as Pangaea. Eventually Pangaea split into the world that we know now.

Except…what if it hadn’t?

That is the question posed in the new Crazy 8 anthology PANGAEA which is now available at some of your better retail establishments such as Amazon.

All of the Crazy 8 authors, plus a few guests, contribute to PANGAEA, detailing a story that naturally goes off in a variety of directions but also drives through one single tale from beginning to end. I know, because I wrote the final story.

And I had lots of company: stories by Michael A. Burstein, Adam-Troy Castro, Russ Colchamiro, Kevin Dilmore, Michael Jan Friedman, Robert Greenberger, Glenn Hauman, Paul Kupperberg, Kelly Meding, Aaron Rosenberg, Lawrence M. Schoen, Geoffrey Thorne, and Dayton Ward.

So if you’re interested in supporting Crazy 8 and independent publishing, come get PANGAEA!

You can get it here.

PAD

Dare I say “Let’s go, Mets”?

Or in doing so will I doom them to washing out in the playoffs?

PAD

Thank you, all

At this point over 500 people have wished me a happy birthday: far too many to thank individually. So I appreciate the kind wishes from all of you.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to return to contemplating why the hell the day of atonement fell on my damned birthday.

PAD

If you declare yourself to be Pro-Life…

Then you should read this article. It’s really great.

https://medium.com/@tracischmidley/are-you-really-pro-life-ab5c5acbb293

PAD

Trying to remember an episode of “The Avengers”

The lousy movie with Uma Thurman was on this morning and it put me in mind of a sequence from the old TV series that I’ve always remembered.

Steed and Peel are in a large room and they are confronted by something like a half dozen hostile guys. A door slides between them, separating them from each other. Emma is left with one guy while Steed has the remaining five. We stay with Emma and the battle that follows is a hell of a fight. It takes Emma something like five minutes to take the guy down. She then runs to the door, opens it, and to her astonishment Steed is standing there calmly while the bodies of the five guys are lying unconscious on the floor.

Does anyone else remember that episode and which one it was?

PAD

Kim Davis is NOT Rosa Parks

Can everyone who declares that this Kentucky bigot is Rosa Parks please shut up and stop displaying their ignorance? Rosa Parks was about expanding civil liberties. Davis is about curtailing them. The two could not be more dissimilar.

You know what I love? Everyone who is quick to declare, “Well, of course she has the right to her beliefs.” Here’s a nutty idea: let’s argue she doesn’t. How about the idea that some concepts are so stupid, so backward, that people are NOT entitled to those beliefs? I mean, I don’t see people who are her supporters declaring, “Well, of course homosexuals have a right to be gay.” Why not? Because they DON’T believe that. They think that gays do NOT in fact have that right because it’s declared in the bible that they do not have that right. You know, the same book that says you shouldn’t eat shrimp.

So maybe it’s time we started treating people like Kim Davis in the exact same way that people like her treat the folks they don’t like. I say she has as much right to her opinion as gays have to be gay…and if she thinks they don’t have that right, then neither does she.

PAD

Happy Birthday, Kathleen

Today is Kathleen’s birthday. She does so much daily for Caroline and me that I’m pleased once a year she gets to have a day that is entirely devoted to her.

She worked herself ragged during Dragon*Con so it’s nice that she can take this day to sit around and just veg. I’ll take her out for a nice birthday lunch, and will do all that I can to make this a fun and memorable birthday for her. She is one of the greatest people in the world and I cannot imagine my life without her.

PAD

Is there an anti-gun Presidential candidate?

Because if so, I’m pretty sure I’d vote for him or her.

Because I’ve freaking had it. I’m tired of the comparisons we always hear between the US and every other developed country in the world about gun deaths. I’m tired of the gun lobby always managing to shut down conversations in the wake of whatever the latest tragedy was because that’s never the time to discuss getting rid of guns.

Not control. Getting goddamn rid of them. Done. Finished. Overturn the Second Amendment or else add an amendment that requires EVERY gun owner to be in a government regulated militia, which was the point of the damned thing in the first place. I swear, if I ran for President, I would run on that sole platform and see just how much of an organized anti-gun lobby we can get rolling.

UPDATE: 2:58 PM. Just to save us some time from the people who aren’t getting it, I will be taking the unusual step of disemvoweling any further comments that disagree. Just to make it abundantly clear that I’ve stopped giving a damn about their opinions. And several blindingly insulting comments, I’ve already trashed.

PAD

I’m Claiming No Award

I’ve been a full time writer for thirty years, and in that time, have never won a Hugo Award. Or even been nominated.

Because of my lengthy “No Award” status, I am therefore claiming one of the “No Awards” resulting from the recent Hugo voting. I don’t care which one. I’ve had a busy year and have likely published something in most of the nominated categories.

I would like to thank everyone who did not vote for me or nominate me. I’m working hard on other projects and am hoping to not win next year.

PAD