Is Worldcon Dead?

In the current issue of the SFWA Bulletin (Oct./Nov. 2009), Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg rip into Worldcon. As Resnick says, Worldcon used to draw 6,000 to 7,500 people all the time, but now brings less than half that. Add in poor planning--recent Worldcons like Denver and Montreal spread attendees across 7 to 10 hotels over a mile apart--and the fact that so many of the conventions are held outside the U.S., and what results is a cycle of death and incompetence which pushes editors and publishers toward friendlier venues like Comic Con, the World Fantasy Con, and DragonCon.

And where editors and publishers go, so go the writers.

Resnick made similar statements in his editorial for Baen's Universe earlier this year. And while I haven't been to a Worldcon before, I'd love to go some day. But since I'm raising a family and working full-time, my money and time are closely guarded. Next year I plan to attend the World Fantasy Con, and after that I'd like to go to DragonCon. But Worldcon? Not on the radar screen. I don't see where it brings enough bang for the buck, even if it would be fun.

According to Resnick, more and more it's the older writers who go to Worldcon, a demographic which is obviously trending only one way. So I wonder: Is Worldcon truly dead? Or is a new generation ready to embrace the convention and breathe new life into it?

Comments

[Tinytempest]

Dear Mike Resnick,

It's called WORLDcon, not AmericaConExceptWhenItsFunToBeExotic. Also, Comicon is pretty spread out as far as hotels, from what I understand. So really, that can't actually be the issue.

Do you know what the issue is? It costs far too much to attend worldcon because prices negotiated for hotels are often high and the con membership itself is often high. Plus you gotta get a plane ticket and take a cab to the airport and... well, for what?

To see the same people on the same panels saying the same thing? To spend time eating crappy hotel food you pay too much for? To have to sift through 3K people trying to find the one author you want to find?

If there was something actually interesting going on at worldcon, people would go. but when was the last time big name actors on a CURRENT tv show went to worldcon and held a panel on that show's place in the SF tapestry? When was the last time a clip from a movie or an episode from a TV show premiered there?

I go to three ocns without fail except for dire financial hardship:

WisCon
ReaderCon
World Fantasy

At each of those I get something I cannot get at worldcon. 1. the ability to find and talk to people who are awesome, including authors I admire and bloggers I adore. 2. Stimulating panels at which I learn something or at least have a good time that go beyond 101 level bullshit like "How to write a cover letter". 3. A con suite worth hanging out in.

[Cheryl Morgan]

Resnick's claims about Worldcon attendance are laughable in their inaccuracy. There are an awful lot of things wrong with Worldcon, and I'm often the first to call for something to be done, but making up numbers does nothing to help. Nor does his US-centric approach. Hopefully someone will post his article online so that the errors in it can be picked apart.

Tempest is right - for a professional author, unless you have a large fan base that you want to connect with, you are better off at WisCon, ReaderCon and World Fantasy.

[Karen Wester Newton]

It seems to me that Mr. Resnick is blaming Worldcon for the fact that written science fiction is not as popular as science fiction movies and TV. ComicCon is not huge because it is well organized or cheaper; it is huge because it is attended by enormous numbers of people who are eager to see their favorite movie and TV actors, directors, and producers. DragonCon has a notable emphasis on dressing up as well as being multimedia-focused. Worldon walks a fine line, by awarding Hugos for dramatic works as well as literary, but keeping its GoHs mostly in the literary and visual arts realm. Further, I think if Worldcon were to try to turn itself into a media-focused con in order to draw crowds, authors would get pushed aside. I don't see where it is a problem to have different kinds of cons for different tastes.

[Cora]

The thing I like about Worldcon is that it at least tries to pay lip-service to the "World" part of the name and is occasionally held outside the US. Whereas World Fantasy, in spite of its name, has always been held in the US for as long as I've paid attention. So all those complaining about Worldcon being held outside the US should remember that fandom is international and that international fans would like to be able to attend a Worldcon on their own continent once in a while. And the vast majority of European Worldcons are held in the UK, which means that fans from continental Europe still have to shill out for plane tickets (easier now that we have a lot of low-cost airlines) in addition to hotel prices and the very high convention fees. The last time I could have gotten into my car and driven to a Worldcon (if I had been able to drive back then) was the one in The Hague in 1990 or thereabouts.

As for ComicCon, it ceased to be about comics years ago and has basically turned into "Hollywood presents the stuff they want you to watch" con. And some of those films/TV shows aren't even remotely speculative. The occasional media panel or presentation at Worldcon would be fine, but it shouldn't turn into yet another media con.