EPICon 2008 Report    

EPICon 2008 was a new experience for about half the Conference Committee. The idea of holding a conference in Portland was born when several of us (J.A. Clarke, Maureen Mackey and Jude Glad) bemoaned the fact that for a variety of reasons we couldn't travel across the country to EPICon. "Maybe we could have one here," someone said.

Oops!

After that it was like a steamroller on a downhill run. We asked past conference chairs and got volumes of advice. We twisted Kat Thompson's and Star Conrad's arms and put them to work. Ginny McBlain, Liz Burton, Susanne Knight and Barb Woodward offered their help, and Liz roped in Arlene Sachitano, who had to join EPIC so she could join us. And then we sicced the local Convention Bureau on the local hotels, and proposals started rolling in. We chose one that would let folks use the light rail to get from the airport, one that was close to a mall and within easy reach of downtown and Powell's Books, where every writer has to visit at least once.

From the first we wanted to focus on the benefits of e-books. No wasted paper, no dead trees, no landfill volume. Well, yes, we do use computers and readers, and what have you, but we'd use the computers anyhow, and you can load a b'zillion books on one reader, and gee, whiz, wasn't Portland voted one of the top twenty-five wired cities in the US, just the other year? We wanted to talk about sustainability, too, but mostly we wanted to talk about the brave new trail we're blazing with e-books. How to help EPIC members promote their e-books, how to convince the world that yes, an e-book can give as much reading pleasure as a paper one.

We agonized over a theme, considering some really good ones, but finally decided to simply go with the truth. It's not easy, being e-published. All of us had heard, at least once, the "When are you going to write a real book?" question. We made a wish list of keynote speakers, and narrowed it down to the man who built the largest independent bookstore in the known universe, and who had been selling e-books before some of us had even heard of them. Michael Powell started selling e-books in 1996, before EPIC was a gleam in anyone's eye.

We looked at past EPICons and tried to pick and choose elements of them that would work in Portland. The Awards banquet and ceremonies (starring Jeff Strand, of course) and a lineup of workshops were musts, and we needed a bookstore. Our hope was that the bookstore would sell mostly e-books, but alas, there was way more paper. This struck us all as odd. We ARE an organization of electronically published authors, are we not? Sigh!

One thing we hoped for was a video of the Awards ceremony. Kat took on that job and, with Arlene's advice, searched high and low for someone who'd do it for less than an arm and a leg. She found them at Sabin-Shellenberg Skills Center, a local technical high school. The two students, Doug and Cindy, who took the videos, enjoyed themselves so much they want to do it again. They are creating DVDs, which will soon be on sale on the EPIC website.

The last few months before EPICon 2008 sped by. The usual minor disasters occurred: food prices went up everywhere, but Ginny had locked them in at the hotel, so we stayed within budget. Speakers who'd signed up to do workshops didn't answer emails, and Joy scrambled to find replacements. Kat asked folks not to send paper promo materials for the goody tables, and was inundated with a couple of trees' worth. Jude was on the way to the hotel for a final discussion about space and equipment needs and someone ran into her car. Someone, who will remain unmentioned, reserved a room in the wrong hotel, but was able to sort it out and get to where she needed to be.

And then it was time. People started arriving in Portland to discover that we'd lied. The sun really does shine. Early arrivals were treated to spectacular views of our snow-covered volcanoes and were refreshed by flowering trees and plenty of pansies and primroses. The first night was a Tenth Anniversary celebration (EPIC incorporated in Oregon in 1988). Ginny had spent hours printing out photos from all the previous EPICons, as well as some other EPIC events, and they were mounted on boards around the room for everyone's pleasure.

Industry sponsors are an important part of EPICon. Our conference badge holders came from Uncial Press and the goody bags were donated by Torquere Press. Lee Emory at Treble Heart Books made the mini-programs that fit so nicely into the badge holder, and Treble Heart Books also sponsored the Friday afternoon break. Trader Joe's contributed paper shopping bags for eBook Outreach and DiMarini Sports lent a projector for our use. Saturday's ice cream was sponsored by Whiskey Creek Press. Made in Oregon Stores gave a discount on canvas totes for the New Voices finalists and tucked candy into every one. All Romance eBooks put on a memorable party when they sponsored the Champagne Reception before the banquet. Delicious food, lovely bubbly, and a great opportunity for everyone to get into a festive mood.

Friday morning opened with a well-attended general meeting, and the presentation of the Ariana and Dirk awards. It was followed by a lineup of excellent workshops. Friday's luncheon was enlivened by Michael Powell's keynote speech. The eBook Outreach Event, held at Portland State University in partnership with Ooligan Press (a unique graduate program in publishing), drew some folks away from the afternoon, and made others wish it was closer. It was well attended by both students and the public, and those who came were full of questions about ebooks. That night a small, dedicated troop of book lovers went to Powell's City of Books and came back laden with treasures.

More workshops Saturday, and our crowd was increased by students from Ooligan Press and some of the New Voices finalists. Oh, yes, there were six of the young people who had entered and finaled in our contest for middle and high school students: Cassandra Berry, Taylor Holton, Shanice Rose, Melissa Sidney, Alex Tang and Victoria Conrad. The first four were from Springfield, Missouri, and were accompanied by the teachers who had encouraged them to enter. They showed a video from their local TV station that made us all proud that EPIC sponsors such a worthwhile contest. After they received their awards, they lined up to autograph their CDs, which appeared to be as big an event for the adults as it was for the kids.

After an afternoon of workshops, it was time to party. We started with the All Romance eBooks champagne reception, where we saw the other, glamorous sides of everyone. All during the excellent dinner, anticipation grew. It was almost tangible, the thoughts almost audible. What if I don't win the EPPIE? What if I DO? Fortunately we didn't have to wait long. Poor Jeff, who came alone to the conference, had to have help dressing. Once he put some clothes on, the Awards Ceremony began. Half the fun was watching our videographers try to keep their cameras aimed as they laughed themselves silly at Jeff's antics. The other half was laughing ourselves silly. We celebrated the triumph of the EPPIE winners with applause and told ourselves "Wait 'til next year.." in consolation.

No conference is complete without its disasters. We lost some handouts for the Outreach event. Some people were scheduled to be in two places at once. One room didn't have a screen for a presentation, so we had to jury-rig one. There was no Internet hookup in the room where the New Voices awards were scheduled, and Brenna had to scramble to arrange it. The hotel got mixed up on what they were supposed to do with the bookstore tables Saturday afternoon and some books went missing, alas.

The bookstore continues to be a problem child. Every year there is lots of advice about what the conference committee should have done, and it's mostly good advice. Trouble is, we are constrained by what facilities are available at the hotel where we meet. We're also constrained by the fact that not many people will make a special trip to the hotel to buy books. Most hotels are not where shoppers congregate, so we end up selling to each other. This will continue to be an issue, we on the EPICon08 committee believe, and it's likely that we'll never make anyone happy with how we run the bookstore. In fact, perhaps it's time to ask if it's really an effective use of conference committee resources.

People seemed to have fun at EPICon08, and were very generous with their evaluations. We learned what not to do next time and what worked really well. We met a lot of cool people and ate way too much, and laughed until we ached (mostly at Jeff), and had a really good time. Our sponsors were wonderfully generous. People volunteered in droves and we appreciate every one who helped to make the conference a success, even though we can't remember all their names. We're truly delighted to have been responsible for EPICon 2008. We hope everyone who came had a great time, and those of you who didn't will make it to EPICon 2009. In the meantime, watch the EPIC lists for the announcement of the DVD's availability. It's Coming Soon.

The EPICon08 Committee: Judith B. Glad, Chair; Maureen Mackey, Publicity; Star Conrad, Art/Printing; Ginny McBlain, Catering/Menus/Table deco/History display; Kat Thompson, Bookstore/A/V Support; Joy Clarke, Education; Debi Womack, Publisher Panels; Arlene Sachitano, eBook Outreach; Liz Burton, Registration; Barbara Woodward, Publisher Liaison/Sponsorships; Susanne Knight, Roommate pairing

Jude Glad
EPICon 2008 Chairperson