Ok, I have a friend who lives close enough to get to the OSC signing on the 14th, and he's HUGE fan of Mr. Card so it would mean a whole lot to him if he could get a book signed. The problem is that he probably won't be able to get there until 9 pm or so.
So, my question is: How long do these signings usually last? Will he be there then?
thanks Posted by kacard (Member # 200) on :
He stays until the last book is signed -- however long that takes. It's been anywhere from one hour to six hours Sorry to be so unspecific. But he can always call the store and reserve a copy to be signed to him and pick it up later if he doesn't make it.
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
The crowd may smaller than I've seen, since there are now two signings in the DC area, but my experience from the Bailey's Crossroads signings is that they don't end before midnight. Your friend may even have to wait 'till the a.m. hours, since he'll be getting there late.
Posted by VP (Member # 7463) on :
OSC doesn't care how long it takes. He'll even stand outside and sign books if the venue closes before he's finished. That's what makes OSC great. He really cares about his fans and does everything he can to make sure he can meet each of them.
Posted by Jasmine (Member # 7370) on :
can you actually get a small conversation going with him?
Posted by scottneb (Member # 676) on :
That site has some very good insights on what Mr. Card is like at a signing.
(You should especially read the "Day with Orson Scott Card" article, I'm in it .)
Posted by St. Yogi (Member # 5974) on :
I didn't actually realize that there were two signings in the DC area, thanks for letting me know. He'll probably be able to go to the one on tuesday
Thanks a lot, everyone.
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
Hey, kacard! I don't know if you remember a short, gray haired woman from the DC signing. She told you that her daughter was "Milo" on Hatrack. Well, that's my mom.
My mom also told me that someone in line in front of her had a paperback signed that OSC said he'd never signed before. She can't remember what the title was, though, and it's been bugging me. I don't think there's a single Card book that Noah hasn't gotten signed. Any idea?
Posted by FIJC (Member # 5505) on :
I had a really, really old computer magazine (that Mr. Card wrote a column for) signed that my brother had sent me. He had mentioned to me (I think) that he had never signed one of those before.
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
Back in the days when my "Gameplay" column ran in Compute! Magazine, I wasn't doing book signings or tours (mostly because nobody wanted me to sign anything). And by the time i started doing book tours, my column was no longer appearing.
Actually, my son Geoffrey should sign those columns as much as I should! He "preplayed" all the games for me, going through the learning curve, evaluating them, and then demonstrating them before I wrote my reviews. It was a real collaboration.
But ... did i share the income from the column with you, Geoff? Or do we just count it as being repaid by the huge salary they're paying you at your current job as a game designer?
Posted by AntiCool (Member # 7386) on :
quote:did i share the income from the column with you, Geoff?
I would guess that you indirectly did.
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
We call it "allowance" at my house.
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
All is clear, now. I kept naming book titles to my mom, but she couldn't place any of them. I should have been more imaginative. Posted by AntiCool (Member # 7386) on :
We call it "room and board" in mine.
Posted by FIJC (Member # 5505) on :
quote:"All is clear, now. I kept naming book titles to my mom, but she couldn't place any of them. I should have been more imaginative."
That was my best guess...could be wrong though. Were you at the DC book event in Chinatown? That is the one that I went to.
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
I wanted to go very badly, but work derailed my plans. I was hoping (as unrealistic as it would be) that while OSC was in the area he would make his way out to the Mormon church in Sterling, VA.
Posted by A Rat Named Dog (Member # 699) on :
[for those who don't know, this is Card's son, Geoffrey]
quote:Actually, my son Geoffrey should sign those columns as much as I should! He "preplayed" all the games for me, going through the learning curve, evaluating them, and then demonstrating them before I wrote my reviews. It was a real collaboration.
You had no idea you were training me for my future career, did you? Not only did I start playing games with a critical eye to their good and bad choices from a young age, but I also got to see your reactions, and could discuss them with you on an adult level, instead of on the childish "This game is SO COOL!" level.
Between that and The Adventure Construction Set, I was practically brainwashed from birth
quote:But ... did i share the income from the column with you, Geoff?
I think you gave me like 40-50 bucks or something each time I helped you. Which was a load of money to me at that age.
quote:Or do we just count it as being repaid by the huge salary they're paying you at your current job as a game designer?
Heh heh. You're joking It beats washing dishes, but I still live in the most overpriced city in America ...
[ March 16, 2005, 12:01 PM: Message edited by: A Rat Named Dog ]
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
I'm not sure where you live, but D.C. has got to be pretty good competition.
Posted by FIJC (Member # 5505) on :
quote:"I wanted to go very badly, but work derailed my plans. I was hoping (as unrealistic as it would be) that while OSC was in the area he would make his way out to the Mormon church in Sterling, VA."
Yeah, work was crazy, so I ended up coming late to the book event, which is sad because I only work a block away from Union Station, and it's so close to Chinatown.
I thought the book event was great; this was the first time I have seen Mr. Card in person. It's really too bad there isn't a transcript out there or anything that you could read. Such a transcript would be incredibly long though.
quote:"I'm not sure where you live, but D.C. has got to be pretty good competition."
No kidding. Even Arlington isn't that much cheaper.
[ March 16, 2005, 12:09 PM: Message edited by: FIJC ]
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
I have some good friends that are very active in their church, and they had only good things to say about Mr. Card. It would have been nice to meet him.
Posted by Verai (Member # 7507) on :
"He says Hi, here I am, and proceeded to pass 4 bags of candy around saying to take some because at the other signing he was the only one with Candy and he felt bad."
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
quote:That was my best guess...could be wrong though. Were you at the DC book event in Chinatown? That is the one that I went to.
My mom was. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote: I still live in the most overpriced city in America ...
When did you move to L.A.?
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
"overpriced city" is a fluid concept. For instance, I don't think of LA or NYC or Seattle as being overpriced at all - because of the VALUE of living there. Whereas I've seen house prices in a miserable place like {name censored to avoid giving needless offence to readers} that were "cheap" except for the enormous detriment of living there, so that in fact any house at all, for any price, would be vastly overpriced.
Geoff, I'm relieved to know I paid you. I'm not the cheap b*****d I thought I was.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*dryly* If you don't think of L.A. as overpriced, you haven't seen what housing costs here have done in the last 2-3 years.
Also, I think I'm going to have to register a complaint with my dad. I don't recall ever having gotten paid to play the computer games he reviewed.
[ March 18, 2005, 01:20 AM: Message edited by: rivka ]
Posted by A Rat Named Dog (Member # 699) on :
Heather found Seattle at the top of a ranking of "overpriced" U.S. cities. The ranks were determined by comparing the cost of living and housing prices to the average salary, and noting the relative growth rates of each.
Apparently, Seattle's cost of living and housing prices have outstripped its salaries more quickly than those in other cities.
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
Adding cultural and community factors into the discussion of what makes a city overpriced is fair as long as you're not determining whether you can pay the mortgage and buy food. At that point, no amount of mueseums or theatres help. Posted by FIJC (Member # 5505) on :
quote:"Adding cultural and community factors into the discussion of what makes a city overpriced is fair as long as you're not determining whether you can pay the mortgage and buy food. At that point, no amount of mueseums or theatres help."
I suppose that at least in DC, all of the museums and most other attractions are free...thanks to the generous tax dollars of everyone else in the country. Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
quote: I suppose that at least in DC, all of the museums and most other attractions are free...thanks to the generous tax dollars of everyone else in the country.
Yeah, I wanted to thank all of you for contributing. Now if I could just get someone to cover the cost of parking and riding the metro...Maybe even pick up the tab at the caffeteria at the Natural History Museum. Posted by FIJC (Member # 5505) on :
quote:"Yeah, I wanted to thank all of you for contributing. Now if I could just get someone to cover the cost of parking and riding the metro..."
Get a job in the Federal government, on the Hill, or at the White House. Federal employees have it made, and most of them retire by the time they're 55. That and you don't have to pay for parking at work and are automatically eligible for the Metrocheck programs when you work for the government.
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
Nahhh...why take a pay cut to work for the government when you can live off the slush fund that is the Homeland Dept.?
Posted by Yozhik (Member # 89) on :
quote: For instance, I don't think of LA or NYC or Seattle as being overpriced at all - because of the VALUE of living there. Whereas I've seen house prices in a miserable place like {name censored to avoid giving needless offence to readers} that were "cheap" except for the enormous detriment of living there, so that in fact any house at all, for any price, would be vastly overpriced.
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