Cons - The Nebula Conference

The Nebulas

The Nebula Conference is Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s (SFWA) annual conference during which they host the Nebula Awards. The conference changes locations every two years and attracts a wide range of writing professionals and aspiring pros. This year the conference was held just outside Los Angeles, California. It was the largest conference the organization has had to date (around 500 attendees) and it was sold out weeks before the event. The event itself typically runs from Thursday morning to Sunday afternoon, although some attendees show up early or late, depending on their preference and availability.

A Pro Con

SFWA is a professional organization meaning you need to have sold writing to a qualifying market in order to join. The vast majority of Nebula attendees are SFWA members, but you don’t need to be a member to attend the conference! This was my second year attending the Nebulas and it has firmly established itself in my mind as one of the best conferences available for professional writers and aspiring pros. Almost everyone you meet at the Nebulas will be a writer or have some professional connection to the industry. At this year’s conference the writers I met ran the spectrum from just starting out all the way to international best sellers! I also met editors at Tor, acquisition editors for small presses, agents, slush readers, publishers--both big and small, game writers and game producers, bloggers, vloggers, and podcasters. I even met R2-D2!

R2-D2 and I at the 2019 Nebula Awards and Banquet

Panels

Because this con is run by SFWA, it’s run by professional writers, for professional writers. The quality of the panels reflects this. Word is that Mary Robinette Kowal, a Nebula Award winner and one of the hosts of Writing Excuses, has been taking the lead on the weekend’s programming for the last few years. My opinion is that the wisdom shared on these panels alone is well worth the ticket price.

Mentorship Program

The Nebula Conference allows attendees to sign-up for the mentorship program, where people who are new to the conference are partnered up with old pros. This is a great opportunity to meet new people and learn the ropes. After specifically requesting her, I was lucky enough to be paired up with Mary Robinette my first year (it never hurts to ask!). She gave me the inside scoop on the conference and introduced me to many of the people on the SFWA board, as well as Patrick Rothfuss!

Mary Robinette Kowal and I at the 2018 Nebula Conference mass autograph signing

Nebula Awards

The two biggest awards in Science Fiction are the Hugos and the Nebulas. The Hugos are held at Worldcon and the Nebulas… well, I bet you can guess. A banquet proceeds the awards ceremony. It comes at an additional cost (more on that later), but presents an opportunity to put on some fancy clothes and sit at a table with some impressive people. While the awards themselves are open to all attendees--a banquet ticket ensures you get a good seat. In the two years I’ve been, I’ve found the awards both inspiring and entertaining. When you grow up reading the name of an award on the covers of books you love, it’s pretty cool to see it presented live in person as an adult. And as a writer, it’s pretty easy to start picturing yourself up there in a few years (or five, or ten... I hope).

Office Hours

One of my favorite things about the Nebula Awards are the office hours. A room (usually a large ballroom) is set aside for experts to offer one-on-one advice to those who sign up for the fifteen-minute slots. It’s hard to put a price on the opportunity to speak to an editor at a major publishing house or an agent--but here it’s included in the price of the conference. The office hour sheets are usually posted near registration and the slots tend to fill up fast. Office hour sign-ups are one major reason to get to the conference early! From my experience, Office hours are something unique to the Nebula Conference, and they’re a great addition.

The office hour scheduling can get a bit hectic, and your name might get bumped around or (temporarily) bumped off the list, so be sure to keep your cool and remember to be kind to those running the show. Almost all people running the conference are volunteers. They are likely writers themselves or even agents or publishers, so even if you’re not usually nice to people--it’s in your interest to try!

Book Bags

Pro tip: Leave room in your luggage for books. A LOT of books.

Many conferences give out free books but the Nebula Conference really goes all out. These books are donated by publishers and are offered to attendees in handy, dandy, branded book bags. Some of these books are ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies), which means they aren’t even available for purchase yet. So why do they just give these books away? Some may be extra inventory, but others are elbowing in for award consideration. The Nebula Awards, like the Academy Awards, are voted on by association members. A significant percentage of those members attend the conference, so if you’re looking for a Nebula Award, accruing favor here is a good place to start. Regardless of the reason, I don’t think anyone is complaining about free books!

Once you have picked up your book bag, feel free to look through your selection and take out the books you aren’t interested in. Head over to the book swap table where others have done the same and exchange your unwanted items for a few books that suit you better. Not all book bags are created equal, and the swap table give you the chance to improve your lot.

2019 Nebula Conference book bags, ready to be picked up.

The FREE stack of books I returned from the 2019 Nebulas with.

Extra Stuff

Often conferences will have a little something extra, unique to the area where the conference is being held. The Nebulas are no exception. Last year the Nebula Conference was held in Pittsburgh. I signed up to explore an old observatory which was run in part by one of the conference attendees. It was a unique and educational trip, which I’ll always remember. Another event I took part in was a free walking tour of the city, guided by locals. Both of these experiences were things I wasn’t expecting to get out of the conference but I ended up having a lot of fun. I even met some of my best writer friends along the way.

Over the last few years, I managed to sneak my way into being a SFWA volunteer. I highly recommend volunteering! Not just with SFWA, but with the writing community at large. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and invest in the community. As a volunteer, people appreciate you, and through volunteering you learn to appreciate the other volunteers--individuals who are putting in far more time than you.

As mentioned, volunteering is important and valuable in and of itself, but sometimes there are unexpected bonuses that arise from that volunteering. This year I won a draw among the volunteers securing me a spot on a tour of SpaceX in downtown LA. A tour that isn’t even open to the public! SPACE! ROCKETS! AHHHH!!!! It was inspiring and, again, I met some awesome new friends.

Cost

Alright, let’s get down to the painful stuff. Like Worldcon and World Fantasy, the Nebula Conference is not cheap.

Conference:

After having such a positive experience at the 2018 Nebulas I knew I wanted to return. I bought my ticket for this year’s Nebula Conference (May 2019) in November of 2018. With early-bird pricing, I paid $274 USD for both the conference and the banquet. I believe the banquet portion was $80, which would put entrance fees for the weekend at around $200. At the time of writing this, the Nebulas’ website lists the same package I bought for $475. The conference eventually sold out and I assume this is the final price the tickets were selling for.

The Nebula Conference ticket, when available for 2020, will likely be able to be purchased on the organization’s website: https://nebulas.sfwa.org/nebula-conference/

Lodging:

The hotel for 2019 and 2020 is the Marriott Warner Center in Woodland Hills. It averages at about $200 a night (yikes!). The hotels are expensive but there is definitely a benefit to staying on site. A lot of times conversations at barcon will go late into the night (and well into the morning). Staying on site makes this a lot easier and a lot more comfortable.

That being said, $200 a night is a bit much for my taste. I was able to secure a private room in an Airbnb just across the park for $40 a night. I highly recommend doing something similar if possible--especially if the price difference is so stark.

Travel:

My ticket from Detroit to LA was around $400. Obviously this cost can vary greatly depending on where you’re coming from. I met writers at the conference from as far as New Zealand and Sri Lanka--and I can’t imagine those tickets were cheap.

The trip from LAX to the hotel was very expensive. Luckily I met up with some people and was able to split the ride, but the one-way cost was over $60.

Total:

Including drinks and food, this trip cost me around $900 USD.

The conference in 2018 was located downtown Pittsburgh and I wasn’t able to find more affordable accommodation than the $100-a-night hotel rate offered by the con. As a result, the 2018 Nebulas cost me a little over $1,000 USD.

Where to save?

Most writers aren’t flush with cash so you won’t be alone in looking for some cheaper options.

Try to group up with people and share a room. This becomes easier once you’ve been to a few conferences and met people.
If you’re lucky enough to have any, coordinate with your local writing contacts to see if they are interested in attending the con. You could work out a plan to carpool (if within driving distance) or split a room.
Avoid the conference hotel. Look for an Airbnb or a more affordable hotel nearby.
Don’t go crazy on meals or at the bar. This can really add up.
If you’re coming from the airport, use public transit when possible (unfortunately not much of an option from LA to Woodland Hills)

With the event selling out, I expect prices for next year’s event will be closer to the $500 range, but only time will tell. If you’re determined to go, start saving now. Book time off as soon as you can and get in on the early-bird pricing. The event is outside of LA again next year. I’ve heard they are going to increase their admittance slightly, but even still, it will sell out again!

Is it worth it?

As mentioned in other posts, I’d recommend starting with a smaller local con. This will lower the economic barrier to entry and give you a sense of how much you enjoy panels and participating in the overall experience. However, if you’re serious about writing, can manage to scrape the money together, and want to go to a serious conference where you can learn a lot and meet interesting and influential people—the Nebula Conference is the place to do it.

Please feel free to leave comments below. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about my experience at the Nebulas. If you’re going, please give me a shout. I’d love to meet up. After all, that’s what these events are for!

My next post will be on Worldcon and the Hugo Awards. Subscribe below to receive emails when there is a new post!