Let’s talk Emerald City!

Last year was our first year at the Emerald City Comic Con, and we weren’t sure what to expect. Anne and Brett went with a single suitcase of merchandise to sell, and spent the weekend talking to wonderful people who were surprised and delighted to see that Worldbuilders had a presence in Seattle. They enjoyed delicious food, awesome cosplay, an exciting Worldbuilders Party, and chatting with their neighbors, artists Tyler Walpole and Brendan Cahill.

This year, we sent twice as many people, had a larger display, brought way more merchandise, and talked to ALL THE PEOPLE. It’s amazing what happens from one year to another. We had a new booth location, right between Brandon Sanderson and the ECCC Writers Block where all the autographs took place. We had a display you could see from across the room. And we still spent the weekend talking to amazing people, appreciating top-notch cosplay, and eating delicious food. Rachel had the best grilled cheese sandwich she’s ever had, and we feel that sums up the weekend nicely!

Our new booth!

We’re trying a new look this con season. Jenny spearheaded a “make the Worldbuilders booth cool” project, and we were super proud to unveil our new look at ECCC! Anne and Rachel did a little tweaking with the display (as one does during a con) and everyone really seemed to dig it. If you weren’t at ECCC to witness its majesty, we’ll be at Gen Con this August…

We brought a bunch of cool stuff from Myke Cole, Bitch Planet, Jim Butcher, Rat Queens, Todd Lockwood, Kevin Hearne, and Sex Criminals, and almost all of it sold out–some of it by the end of the day on Thursday! Luckily, Maria was flying out Friday morning to help with the Worldbuilders Party, so we sent a bunch of stuff with her…and that sold out too. If you bought anything from our booth at ECCC, thank you so much! You absolutely bowled us over, and it was great!

The Worldbuilders Party

First of all, thank you to everyone who joined us for the Worldbuilders Party! Our guest celebrities were wonderful and ran so many games it was like having pure, distilled fun at each table. All our supporters who joined us for the evening were amazing folks who came ready for a good time, and from the sound of things, they were not disappointed. Our raffle and silent auctions did really well, and some folks got great deals on a variety of geeky collectibles.

Everyone got a cool swag bag filled with books and goodies, which we had to assemble as soon as our plane landed (oof), but when it came time to get everything to the Party, we had a fast-moving and quite unexpected volunteer: Myke Cole.

We were so happy to see everyone there, and even though the room was packed to the gills, spirits were high and we heard a lot of laughter (especially when Myke Cole literally punched Sam Sykes’s Jenga tower as Sam was trying a particularly difficult extraction).

@MykeCole making sure no-one has fun. @SamSykesSwears @KevinHearne @Worldbuilders_ #ECCC #worldbuilders pic.twitter.com/jCBEfj36bs

— Peter (@Peternotpaul_) March 3, 2018

Our silent auction and raffle were both a big hit, and the raffle in particular was super-cool. A couple flew out from New York to attend the con, and specifically to join us for the Worldbuilders Party! The plane ticket was not insubstantial, so we were really touched they flew out to join us. As it happened, though, we found out about their trip after they won the 50/50 raffle, which gave them almost exactly what they paid for their airfare! They were super happy, and actually donated $100 of it back to us. We managed to get a photo of them with some random beardy guy.

Robin Hobb’s group stayed a bit after the party officially ended, and can you blame them? If it was possible for us to run the party all night, we totally would! At the end of the night, we raised over $17,000 because all of you are fantastic human beings. Again, mega thanks to everyone who joined us for an awesome night of games and shenanigans!

Con Headlines

The Princess and Mr. Whiffle stopped at the booth and we were equally charmed and terrified. Not only did she make her costume (and a giant Mr. Whiffle), but she made a life-sized Mr. Whiffle for Pat!

It was a whole weekend of The Princess & Mr. Whiffle–Nate Taylor had a table at the con, as did the University Bookstore, and all of us were selling the Princess & Mr. Whiffle stuff…and we all sold out in the first couple days! Could it be that Pat’s worst best-kept secret might finally creep its way into the light?

We also got to see Larabar16’s Slow Regard of Silent Things tattoo in person, and it’s lovely as the moon!

The few times things seemed to slow down a bit, we were able to chat with our neighbors at Brandon Sanderson’s booth, and Kara and Mem were super cool. It was a lot of fun hanging out with them, and they were an absolute delight in the middle of a hectic con.

Badali Jewelry debuted their Bitch Planet jewelry, and it sold out by the end of the day Thursday! Kelly Sue DeConnick was at their booth signing stuff, and at least she managed to snag an NC pendant, since she writes it and all.

There was a LOT of author action at the con! Kevin Hearne and Myke Cole signed a bunch of books for us so we can fulfill preorders for their new books! Our shipment will be here next week, and as soon as it arrives, we’ll start shipping preorders for Kevin’s Meaty Mystery, The Squirrel on the Train, and Myke’s new dark fantasy, The Armored Saint! Preorders are still open, so if you need your signed copy, grab one!

We also were honored to be invited to the Drinklings get-together and hobnob with some wonderful authors. We also got to hang out with con buddies Janelle Badali and James Sutter, and it was so nice seeing them again!

We had an absolute blast at ECCC this year, and we can’t wait to go again next year. Everyone who stopped by the booth to buy cool stuff and chat with us, show off their epic cosplay, and volunteer (shout-out to Tara, Amanda, and the rest of our volunteers–you guys are the best!) made it a con to remember. Thank you all so much!

Erika Ishii’s Birthday Stream

While we were in Seattle, Erika Ishii was busy celebrating her birthday with a 24-hour charity stream of her completely gonzo celebration. Erika and her friends played a bunch of different video games, had a pie fight, a ball pit hangout, a vicious Nerf war, an erotic fanfic competition, and a bunch of other cool activities. And at the end of the 24-hour stream, not only was Erika still dancing, she raised over $13,000 for us!

Definitely watch the stream if you have the time (possibly in installments). Erika’s a fantastic host, her friends are wonderful, and there’s never a dull moment. We’re so happy she chose us as this year’s charity, and we had fun checking in throughout the stream to see what everyone was up to. It was always a surprise!

Thanks Erika, and happy birthday!