Finding a Friend

Random shot during Worldcon Seattle, 2025.

When you attend a Worldcon alone, there’s ample opportunity to meet new people.

Right. Right? Right?!

For introverts, however, ‘wrong’ might be the word I’m looking for.

It’s not that I don’t like to talk to people… Okay, maybe that’s exactly it, but conventions, or any large gathering of folk, can feel intimating and daunting.

Since I had my friend Sean Betzer (soon to be published author!) to hang out with, I hadn’t planned to summit those feelings of intimidation–at all.

As a recently debuted, self-published author, I did take my books and lovingly placed them in the Freebie Lounge–where they were snatched up within ten minutes. I even took Mapmaker bookmarks. While I didn’t hand them out to people, I did put them at the very top of the table beside the hundreds of other bookmarks available for folks to add to their collection. Honestly, I thought that would be the most extroverted thing I would do at Worldcon, but when one of the sessions I’d planned to attend was so full they barred the door from anyone else attempting to enter, I was set adrift.

It was the middle of the afternoon. I could have gone back to my hotel room, but I had another session I wanted to attend later so I didn’t feel I had enough time. As I pulled out my phone to check the online schedule, someone walked by with a large sign instructing folks to line up behind them. Shrugging, I joined thirty or so fellow convention-goers as we were collectively led to a group of tables and chairs where we were split up. Thus began:

Speed Friending with Tabby L. Rose

Speed what?

Yup, speed friending. Sort of like speed dating, but no dating.

Our instructions were simple but nobody followed them. Essentially, we were paired with the person sitting beside you. One person was allowed to speak about anything they wanted for two to tree minutes. Ms. Rose would then call time (invariably and never at the two to three minute mark), and we’d switch talking. Once the second person was done, half of the participants at the table would then swap to another table.

Wow.

I hadn’t expected that at all. But okay, I’m an adult. I have my own business. I have travelled the world. I can talk about myself for two to three minutes–easy. And listening to folks, that I could do, too.

But then I realized: this is a golden opportunity to practice my book pitch. When would I ever get a chance to do so with a group of people who are essentially my target audience: folks who love science fiction and fantasy?

So, I did it. I told random people about Mapmaker, The Legend of Damndrake (coming soon!), and my writing. At the end of my rambling spiel, I asked if they wanted a bookmark. They all said yes.

Has that resulted in any sales? Or reviews? Don’t know. But that’s not what I took away from the session. What I learned was the following:

I need to practice talking about my books. It’s not enough to memorize the book description. That’s not what you’d say to a person who’s standing in front of you wearing a glowing purple outfit. Or a Star Trek fan uniform. Or with fake vampire teeth. What do you say to that particular person that might entice them to ask more about your book? And then how do you follow that up?Have several pitches prepared that focus on different aspects of your story to appeal to different people. Mapmaker covers a range of topics: slavery, mapmaking, winged people, magical abilities, Roman-empire inspired setting, etc. Same with The Legend of Damndrake. There’s a dragon, but there’s also resource hoarding, one species subjugating another, found family, and much more. Not everyone will be into all those things, but they might really like one of those.Be nice! Remember to ask folks about what they are into–especially if they are in costume! They spent the time to dress up (when you didn’t). Let them know you appreciate their efforts. After all, they might one day be a fan of your works!

Later on during my Worldcon experience I attended a session specifically about book pitches. I’ll post more nitty-gritty tips from that event next week.

Until then, find a friend and talk to them about your books.

Nila