It's a different world

From TCON-News, the email newsletter of Toronto's Polaris, a science-fiction media convention coming up this weekend (I won't be there this year, but it is a very good convention):

Autograph fees per actor will vary, and you can expect guests to charge between $25.00 - $30.00 per autograph, as the market is leaning this way. In many cases, this is still a great deal as such notable actors as Edward James Olmos and Kate Mulgrew have charged as much as $50.00 to $65.00 for their signatures. Please note: Actors set their own fees for autographing, keep all funds, and accept cash only.

Authors, of course, sign books (or anything else) for free; it's just part of what we do. We even sign used copies (for which we received no royalty from the bearer) for free. An author gets around $2.50 in royalties for a new hardcover and maybe 60 cents for a paperback, so a typical actor's signature (which -- ahem, is paid for in cash: wonder how many of these transactions are reported to the IRS?) is worth what an author earns for ten hardcovers or 40 paperbacks.

Above: the one and only autograph I ever bought -- US$20 in 2007, including the photo -- from Bob May, the man who was inside the Robot suit on Lost in Space.

Visit The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site
and WakeWatchWonder.com