There’s a kind of encounter one has when staffing a table at a convention which happens so frequently, that it practically qualifies as an archetype. Every con several people stop at the table and explain how they’ve heard many good things about our publication, or that they read a friend’s copy of one or more of our books and loved it, or otherwise know that what we publish is something they would love, love, love, if only they had the spare cash right now to buy it.

I’m quite sure that most of them are being truthful (or trying to be). I certainly understand having a limited budget at a convention. I have only to look at the large pile of books I have yet to read to empathize with the “not gotten around to it” aspect of the explanation.

I also recognize that there is a social obligation aspect to it. They feel guilty for not buying stuff, whether because they’ve stopped to sample the free candy, or taken up a bunch of my time with questions about the project, or just because they made eye contact while browsing the table.

When the same person gives you the same excuse for many years at many conventions, it starts being a challenge to extend them the benefit of the doubt. Really, you’re so broke at every convention, year after year, that you don’t pick up things you desperately want year after year? I mean, yeah, I’ve often drooled over very expensive cars, then told myself that the higher cost of the car, insurance, and upkeep over the car I do own are not worth it.

But we’re talking about books that cost less than 10 bucks—some are only $5—not tens of thousands of dollars. Our stuff can be ordered online. They’re available from two different distributors, who occasionally offer them at discounts.

Which isn’t to say that anyone is obligated to buy any of our stuff. It is just difficult to believe the people who insist they are very anxious to buy them, but…

Not that I want to punish anyone for trying to be polite.

I do, sometimes, want to smack people with a wet trout for blocking other people from looking at our things because they are going on and on about how they can’t afford it, or can’t decide, or have been meaning to get around to us. A few moments is fine. Even just being social and asking how things are, or asking questions about the products is fine. But recognize that you’re taking up my time, your own time, and preventing someone else from browsing.

If you think five bucks is too much to scrape together for a book, then why are you squandering all this time, too?