Stars' autograph fees at NY Comic Con

boing
21

I’ve never been to this type of Con where you have to pay for an autograph. But I’ve seen author’s signing lines that stretch around the block. And people bringing shopping bags filled with books to get them signed.

That’s very different from a reading and signing event at a bookstore where someone like David Sedaris will sign your book (which you buy from the store) for $60. And tickets to his readings go quickly. He even will talk to you while he’s signing. His interview on John Stewart had John in stitches.

But these types of Cons aren’t my thing. The last one I went to was fan-run and that’s really all I’ve ever attended. I want to talk to the writers and artists, not the actors. They stopped coming to Cons a long time ago.

22

What surprises me about that list is how short the timeslots seem to be to get celebrity signatures. I know they don’t want to spend all day sitting at a con scribbling their name, but a mere hour doesn’t seem like much time at all. It’s no wonder they had to set the prices so high, the total volume per celebrity would have been quite meager.

Is space at that much of a premium there? I know some conventions are overcrowded, but usually they can find room for a few more tables.

23

I get it, and I’d love to meet Mandy Patinkin for a chinwag, but at a bar, over coffee, walk in the park.

I’d feel hustled and bothered in a seething hoarde of fans. You’re right - it just don’t float my boat.

(albeit I’m missing out on tons of cash for signed swag)

24

It seems to me that the fee is more about keeping the line an appropriate length. An A-list star doesn’t need the money, but charging more for the autograph makes sense as the higher fee works to keep the line short enough to be manageable.

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25

You can do that by handing out raffle tickets. Which would be a lot fairer, because then people who can’t afford to blow $300 can still have a chance to meet their favorite big star.

I had no idea big name celebs did this. To me the whole thing seems rather tawdry, like sexless curb-crawling. Sure, sell merchandise at inflated prices… but $300 to exchange a few words? Really?

I now honestly find myself thinking less of Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny.

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26

I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to spend more than an hour or two signing stuff. Besides, it’s simple math: the more things they sign the less valuable their signature becomes.

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27

You need some stealthy way of bumping off the star, post-autograph. Contact poison on a ring when you shake their hand for the photo-op maybe? Guaranteed to multiply your investment overnight…

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28

As importantly: Much as some of these folks like interacting with fans, signing your name a few thousand times is a recipe for exhaustion and possible RSI. It’s more work than it appears.

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29

I will never, ever understand the allure of autographs.

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30

I’ve had Wil Wheaton sign the same copy of Dancing Barefoot twice. For me at least it wasn’t about the signature, it’s about a very brief connection with someone I respect and to whom I want to show support because I like what they do.

The only other autograph I’ve got is from Neil Gaiman …and for the same reason. I would have happily paid for either but I guess they were happy enough with me buying their books.

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31

Only have a booth for an hour though guarantees an assembly line setup for the autographs. There is no chance to chat with a fan or anything because you’re on the clock making money. Maybe it’s because I like smaller conventions, but usually stars seem to prefer the more relaxed atmosphere they get from running a table for a few hours and taking it at their own pace. These are generally pretty small stars though, I guess if Sly Stallone pops in he would never ever have a nice quiet convention where he can just chat up whomever happens by his table.

32

Having said that, I do have a few autographed books that I’ve bought indverdently as the author signed loads and they were out on the shelves. Inc. a couple of Iain M Banks ones. Not something I’d have gone out of my way to get, though.

33

I think this might be one of Cory’s recommendations:

It’s a good read. I’ve been looking for a chance to employ its methods …

34

Yup. I have an ebook of it in my ‘Going to Gitmo For This One’ ebooks folder…

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35

I don’t mean this as any disrespect for the actors, but that’s usually why they are there.

36

I have to admit, I’ve gotten several celeb autographs at cons, and paid for them. I’ve been slowly working through getting my Firefly DVD boxed set signed by the complete cast (and, if I can swing it, Joss Whedon too… right now I’ve got 6 of the cast). In that case, the first one was free, because Sean Maher came to our special screening of the Serenity movie and signed something for everyone. The rest, though, I had to pay, and it seems every year the price goes up. And that goes all around… it seemed to me like my first couple cons, it seemed fairly standard that, if you were paying for the autograph anyway, you could ask them to get a photograph with you, on your own camera, right in the line (sadly, my picture with Morena Baccarin never made it out of the crappy camera I borrowed) and then photo ops started selling, and that was the end of that.

I can certainly see it from the actor’s perspective, it is a lot of work, and they deserve some level of compensation… I guess I just kind of wish it came from the con rather than directly from people, so it’s not just one more thing that people with more money can get. For the record, every one of the actors I’ve gotten was extremely polite, a few reached out to engage me in some conversation, a couple I just got an equivalent of “hello, it’s nice to meet you/i love your work/thanks”, but in every case, I was happy with the experience… just not the money I paid, or the fact that I paid it directly to them (well, to the volunteer seated next to them), which kind of sullied it. :wink:

It still kind of makes me want to become a super-mega SF star and rich just so I can do cons and not charge people, though.

(Oh, and, aside from Firefly people, I also got Dean Stockwell and John Rhys-Davies, because, come on, they’re legends! Also both class acts. Oddly enough, their lines were short, and the costs were low)

37

If it’s a case of wanting to control how many autographs the stars have to do, it can be done without a per signature charge. I’ve been to a lot of concerts where the signings were handled without them being charged for. The band sets aside a time for signing and use some method to decide who gets to go, like a random drawing for passes for the signing. Then everyone who attends the show has a chance to get to meet the celebs for a second and the celebs aren’t overburdened. They typically have rules (only one thing signed per person, no posing for pictures, only certain things signed, etc. ) and the band or their handlers or the event staff tend to use those rules to keep things moving at a decent pace so that it fits into the time slot alloted. And it helps keep the ratio of genuine fans to profit-motivated signature seekers a better ratio. If everyone in the audience has the same chance to win and you’re all allowed one item, it’s going to make it so more folks are real fans than dealers who could care less about the artist and are going to have the signature up on ebay before the artist is even back on the bus to the next tour stop. Making it by drawing helps keep it feeling like a special celebrity encounter experience, not just a monetary transaction.

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38

Right, but the band isn’t making their money from signing autographs—that’s just a little bonus for the people who paid to see them perform in concert.

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39

Seems like lots of people aren’t read the actor’s explanation for why they charge–most of them are not uber-wealthy, but are middle class and this is part of how they pay their bills. Most actors aren’t Will Smith or Tom Cruise, so they aren’t raking it in by the millions. Besides, the uber-big stars aren’t likely to be at these cons anyhow. It’s been ages since I’ve been to a convention, but I stood in line to meet one or two folks.

I guess we tend to think of actors, musicians, and even athletes as being wealthy and elite, but I don’t think that is generally the case–most are working stiffs. We’ve equated fame with wealth, but these professions are all inherently unpredictable as far as employment as nearly everyone works as an independent contractor, with no real promise of a pension or security in the future. If you can’t pull down millions for a singular gig, over and again, then it really is endless work as an actor. What’s really scary is that more sectors of the economy are beginning to look like this, not just the creative fields. This gives us flexibility in employment, but no real security.

EDITED for clarity…

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40

I’ve missed Gaiman the last 2 times he’s been through town, but from what I understand, he signed for everyone there both times. He’s just gotten so huge at this point… I can’t blame him for not doing book tours anymore.