Jim's Dragon*Con 2013 Schedule

[jeditigger]

Jim approved the schedule today, huzzah. He has eight - EIGHT HELL'S BELLS EIGHT - panels and four hour-long signing sessions, though to be honest, the ones Sunday will probably work as one long signing, with a short break for Jim between.

If the schedule changes, I'll post here and on the Twitter account set up for DragonCon, @JimAtDragonCon.

FRIDAY
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Signing, International Hall South - Marriott

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
"The Clockwork Century & The Cinder Spires" with Cherie Priest, Peachtree Ballroom A-F - Westin

8:30 pm - 9:30 pm
"The Men of Urban Fantasy," International BC - Westin

10:00 pm - 11:00 pm
"Fightin' and Writin'," Embassy D-F - Hyatt

SATURDAY
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
"Mighty Men of Fantasy and SF," Regency VI - VII - Hyatt

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
"Sword and Laser Podcast - LIVE," A601 - A602 - Marriott

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
"The Use of Magic in Urban Fantasy," Peachtree Ballroom A-F - Westin

SUNDAY
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Signing, International Hall South - Marriott

11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Signing, International Hall South - Marriott

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
"An Hour with Jim Butcher," Peachtree Ballroom A-F - Westin

MONDAY
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Signing, International Hall South - Marriott

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
"The Fae: Friend or Foe?," International BC - Westin

Again, if you're coming, please say hi! I will be the pudgy redhead hovering near Jim most of the time.

[jeditigger]

Jim's added another signing to his Dragon*Con schedule. He'll be signing at Missing Volume's booth (2504-7) in the Americasmart on Saturday from 6pm - 7pm.

Important things to note: one, there's a hard stop at 7 when the hall closes, which means we'll have to cut the line off at some point; two, the lovely people at Missing Volume will have some of Jim's books for sale, yes...but you don't have to purchase anything to get them signed.

BONUS: Glennis will have COLD DAYS in paperback for sale before its 9/3 release date...and remember, the paperback comes with a sample from SKIN GAME.

Remember to follow @JimAtDragonCon on Twitter for the most up-to-date information; I will post all schedule changes there first. If any forum pals show, please say hi.

[AndiSue]

Dragon*Con 2013 will be my first con ever and the main reason I decided this was the year to go is because Mr. Butcher will be there.  As a con newbie, I have a couple questions about autograph sessions.  I don't really have anything I need/want to have autographed...I'd really just like to say hi, express my fan-ness and maybe take a picture.  Does Mr. Butcher allow photographs and, if so, is there any charge?  Would it be better to do something like this at the autograph signing or is it better to stalk him at the panels?

Thanks in advance!

[jeditigger]

Dragon*Con 2013 will be my first con ever and the main reason I decided this was the year to go is because Mr. Butcher will be there.  As a con newbie, I have a couple questions about autograph sessions.  I don't really have anything I need/want to have autographed...I'd really just like to say hi, express my fan-ness and maybe take a picture.  Does Mr. Butcher allow photographs and, if so, is there any charge?  Would it be better to do something like this at the autograph signing or is it better to stalk him at the panels?

Thanks in advance!

What I can say is from my experience with helping Jim at the last DragonCon he attended, and I don't think we'll have any changes THIS time. 

Time is the one challenge, and Jim likes talking with as many of his readers as possible, so we ask people to try to limit themselves to two items per signing session. That's pretty much the only restriction. He doesn't charge for photos or autographs, and I'm sure he'd be delighted to meet you.  After panels are difficult because we're usually being ushered out quickly so the staff can get ready for the next panel.  Panels generally leave time for questions, however, especially Jim's solo panel on Sunday, and that's a good time for a "hey, love your work" moment and good times for pics too!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

[MetalFae]

I will be at the Con as well! I'll be planning on attending the Sunday 11:30 signing, an Hour with Jim Butcher and the Fae Friend or Foe panels. I might drop by some others on Saturday and Monday but those I plan on going to for sure.

 I'll be sure to have my forum name MetalFae printed on my D*C Name tag. I'm usually blond but since I'm going as Pepper Potts I'll be the strawberry blonde/red head

[AndiSue]

@MetalFae - I'll probably see you at the Hour with Jim Butcher on Sunday.  My name tag will say "Andi" and I'll be the plump redhead in a Dresden-themed tshirt with a big camera.

[AndiSue]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to make a complete fool out of myself.  Oh well...at least I'll have fun and maybe get some nice pictures in the process!

[Rasins]

Hey, get some pictures of the two of you together.

Fandom at it's best.

[slayn]

Dragon*Con 2013 will be my first con ever and the main reason I decided this was the year to go is because Mr. Butcher will be there.  As a con newbie, I have a couple questions about autograph sessions.  I don't really have anything I need/want to have autographed...I'd really just like to say hi, express my fan-ness and maybe take a picture.  Does Mr. Butcher allow photographs and, if so, is there any charge?  Would it be better to do something like this at the autograph signing or is it better to stalk him at the panels?

Thanks in advance!

This is probably going to come off as dickish, which isn't my intent, but please don't do this.  If you wait in the signing line just to take a picture, you're stopping someone else from getting their books signed.  The staff at Dragon*Con stick by their schedules like it's a religion; he has an hour per signing session and then he and everyone else are kicked out of the room for the next author (this will probably work a bit differently for the back-to-back sessions).  There was at least five times the number of people in line as actually got in the room the last time he was at Dragon*Con, and even with multiple sessions, I expect the situation to be the same this year, if not worse. 

The signing with The Missing Volume will help, but unless the new dealer rooms are substantially bigger than prior years, he'll actually get far fewer things signed during that hour because everything will be chaotic what with folks needing to pay for books (if they're purchasing from TMV) and all the other folks in the dealer room that are there to shop and don't particularly care that Jim's doing a signing.  (On the flip side, the dealer rooms are apparently a block or two away from the host hotels this year, so that might cut down on the number of people wandering about.)

If nothing else, just have him sign your e-reader, convention badge, or program.

[AndiSue]

@slayn - I'm just not the kind of person who keeps things - I'm not going to have him sign my badge or program just to toss it in the recycle bin. 

Dresden Files is the only thing I have ever developed this sort of attachment to and I just want to shake the man's hand, if nothing else.  It won't take any longer than signing two or three books for someone else and I'm willing to stand in line for however long it takes just to say hi.  I guess I just don't understand why you think my 10 seconds to meet Mr. Butcher is somehow less important or less of a priority just because I don't want him to sign anything.

I 'm just going to stop here because the more I sit here and think about this, the more upset I get.

This is probably going to come off as dickish, which isn't my intent, but please don't do this.  If you wait in the signing line just to take a picture, you're stopping someone else from getting their books signed.  The staff at Dragon*Con stick by their schedules like it's a religion; he has an hour per signing session and then he and everyone else are kicked out of the room for the next author (this will probably work a bit differently for the back-to-back sessions).  There was at least five times the number of people in line as actually got in the room the last time he was at Dragon*Con, and even with multiple sessions, I expect the situation to be the same this year, if not worse. 

The signing with The Missing Volume will help, but unless the new dealer rooms are substantially bigger than prior years, he'll actually get far fewer things signed during that hour because everything will be chaotic what with folks needing to pay for books (if they're purchasing from TMV) and all the other folks in the dealer room that are there to shop and don't particularly care that Jim's doing a signing.  (On the flip side, the dealer rooms are apparently a block or two away from the host hotels this year, so that might cut down on the number of people wandering about.)

If nothing else, just have him sign your e-reader, convention badge, or program.

[slayn]

Well those slots are specifically billed as a signing event and you're not there to get something signed, preempting someone that is.  That's kind of rude in my opinion.  All I'm asking is that you consider the person that showed up for the event and didn't get in because you wanted Jim doing something besides the intended purpose of the event.

If you just want to tell Jim how awesome he is, go to the Hour With Jim event and let him know there, he usually does a Q&A session of decent length.

[Stiletto]

I would think that waiting in line at the signing gives you a certain (brief) time period to chat with Jim.  If that includes a photograph, that takes no longer than the signing would have, whats the big deal? Personally I think it's a lot more polite to try to chat with him briefly and express your admiration privately during a signing, than it is to try to do that publically, on a microphone, at a panel, while the entire crowd rolls their eyes, and wishes you would ask an interesting question, instead of just gushing.  If you do it during a panel, you are basically wasting the time of the entire audience, I'd think. If you do it during a signing, that is YOUR time, and what you chose to do with it is between you and Jim.

Also, there won't BE time to chat with Jim before or after the panels, because lots of people have the same idea in mind.  So the people running the con will be running interference and agressively trying to clear out the room.  Imagine thinking you could chat with Miley Cyrus after the VMAs (BLEH!), and you get the idea of what DraconCon will be like.

Just my 2 cents worth. 

My other pet peeve is when people ask Jim questions that he's answered in 30 different interviews before... If you want to ask a question, at least check out his previous interviews. Generally speaking, the same questions get the same answers, so are kind of a waste of time...

[jeditigger]

Also, there won't BE time to chat with Jim before or after the panels, because lots of people have the same idea in mind.  So the people running the con will be running interference and agressively trying to clear out the room.  Imagine thinking you could chat with Miley Cyrus after the VMAs (BLEH!), and you get the idea of what DraconCon will be like.

In 2010 Jim did a lot of lingering outside the panel areas so people could get in a quick question or signature  in part because of the signing kerfluffle then. This year, considering his schedule - which is pretty much crazy - I don't expect as much of that. YMMV.

[Priscellie]

Jim had only one signing at that catastrophic DragonCon three years ago.  This year, he has FIVE.  While I expect he'll be busily signing all that time, I don't think it's "dickish" for a fan who doesn't need a signature to wait in line for the same amount of face time accorded to those that want one.  One group of fans is no more or less important than another.

What is the author's signature about, if not a commemoration of the moment you met him face to face and enjoyed a personal connection?  If you think getting an author's signature is more important than actually meeting the guy, there are Virtual Signings through Dog Eared Books every year for that.

The fans are what's important, not the things Jim is signing.  As long as AndiSue gets the same amount of time with Jim as the other fans getting things signed, I see nothing wrong with her going through the signing line.

[Stiletto]

Interesting - I didn't know that the 2010 Dragoncon insanity was the exception.  I guess they just drastically underestimated Jim's popularity? Maybe I should have gone back to DragonCon. Oh well. I'm sure FaerieCon will be less overall chaotic anyway.