[ST] Fwd: GOH ( was Flyers @ ReaderCon?)

[Chris Lawrence Amshey]

Hi,

 It's not really in the interests of the fans or the guests to have
their appareances restricted. The Other Side is usually for-profit and
it is in the interests of a for-profit convention to have the guests
restricted, but nobody else's. (Non-profit media cons do exist, of
course, but still, if they have to pay the same standard appearance
fees they will need the same standard contract so they can stay
break-even...)

 Anyway, even if Arisia had a payed media guest, Arisia is a
non-profit organization for the promotion of sf&f arts. In no way does
hindering any professionals contact with the public promote anything,
so I think such a clause would go against the spirit, if not the
letter, of Arisia's principles.

 There is also a fundamental difference in the guests and their
purposes - the actors are there as a paid appearance; writers and
visual artists appear at conventions to promote their work, and in no
way would accept being restricted from further appearances. Unless, of
course, you started paying them like star actors.

 It is, in any case, no slight against Arisia; it is completely normal
and expected in literary conventions to have one convention's guest of
honor appear at several other region conventions in the same year, and
depending on the timing of any releases, quite possibly at some
bookstores as well.

	--Chris