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CHICAGO MINUTES BOUCHERCON BUSINESS MEETING Chicago, Illinois, USA Saturday, September 3, 2005 7:30 a.m. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 AM by Gary Warren Niebuhr, Chair of the Standing Committee. He welcomed all present and thanked them for attending. The following members of the Standing Committee were present: Bouchercon 02: Austin Lillian Butler Bouchercon 03: Las Vegas Not present Bouchercon 04: Toronto Patricia Pedersen Bouchercon 05: Chicago Sonya Rice (came late) Bouchercon 06: Madison Al Abramson Bouchercon 07: Anchorage Dee Ford Bouchercon 08: Baltimore Ruth Jordan Three members at large: Gary Warren Niebur (03/04/05) Liz DeVries (04/05 + resigned) Dina S. Willner (05/06/07) Public Comments Rick Kovalcik corrected the minutes on the amendments passed to the Anthony Award process. The corrected rules are annexed hereto. Bill Gottfried suggested that ten (10%) percent of the proceeds of Bouchercon 05 be donated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Elaine Viets brought up concerns that women writers are being allocated panels on Thursday and not getting many Saturday panels which are oriented towards PI's and Thrillers. Also, the PI and Thriller panels are dominated by men despite the number of women writers in the fields. An analysis offered by Elaine, prepared by Patricia Sprinkle for Sisters in Crime is annexed hereto. Report of the Current Bouchercon Chair Sonya Rice, who appeared late, advised that no report could be made as it was not done yet. After questioning she estimated that about 1500 people had attended. Paula Woods asked for an interim report, which was not available. Twist Phelan requested an idea of the total costs, which was not available. Reports of the Future Bouchercon Chairs Al Abramson reported on Madison. It will be held on September 28 through October 1, 2006. The hotel has been booked. It accepts PayPal for ease of registration. There is a cap of 1200 people and if this is not reached, day passes will be considered. Dealers room space will be allocated on a seniority basis. Dee Ford reported on Anchorage. The guests of honor are Ann Rule, Alexander McCall Smith, Jayne Ann Krentz and Barbara Peters. It will be held on September 27 through September 30, 2007. It will be held at the Anchorage Convention Center. Box lunches will be available so that there is lunch on site. The hotels are the Hilton, the Howard Johnson and the Ramada. Cook and Book (Lin Dixon) is the convention book store. Ruth Jordan reported on Baltimore. The guest of honor will be John Harvey, Laura Lippman, Barbara Peters, Rob Rosenwald, and Thalia Proctor. It will be held on October 9 through October 12, 2008. The hotel is the Wyndham Inner Harbour. Amendments to the Bylaws or Standing Rules. Proposed by Bill Gottfried (10/19/03) To amend the following Bylaw: Existing: IX. The following process shall be used to amend the Bouchercon Bylaws: A. Initial presentation (year one). 1. Changes shall be presented in writing to the membership through the Bouchercon updates and program packet. 2. Changes shall be discussed that the Bouchercon business meeting. B. Adoption (year two). 1. Changes shall be considered for adoption at the Bouchercon following the initial presentation. 2. Changes shall be presented in writing to the membership through the updates and program packet. 3. A written ballot shall be presented to the membership of the Bouchercon in the adoption year. 4. Changes will be adopted if the written ballots show a two-thirds majority vote in favor of adoption. New: Bylaw changes may be brought to the annual business meeting for adoption by a majority of the vote. Discussion: Discussion focused on the fact that this would only be to the by-laws. Also brought up was whether or not this would cause the by-laws to be too unstable. The motion was amended to change "a majority" to "two thirds (2/3)" and was seconded and passed with the amendment. Proposed by Ruth Jordan (08/15/05) To amend the following Standing Rule Existing: V. The Standing Committee will hold a business meeting at each Bouchercon whose time and place must be published in all schedules distributed at the Bouchercon with the following agenda: New: V. The Standing Committee will hold a business meeting at each Bouchercon. It will be scheduled for a two- hour block of time and should occur in advance of the Anthony Awards ceremony. The time and place must be published in all schedules distributed at the Bouchercon with the following agenda: Discussion: Discussion focused on concerns that the meeting would be held too early or at a time that was not a good one, such as the morning after the auction. Also there was a concern about not giving the convention enough flexibility. Amendments were proposed to deal with this issue and the amendment which called for the meeting to be within the hours of 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM at a location reasonably convenient to the convention was seconded and passed. The final form of the Standing Rule is: V. The Standing Committee will hold an annual business meeting at each Bouchercon. It will be scheduled for a two- hour block of time and should occur in advance of the Anthony Awards ceremony. It will occur within the hours of 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM at a location reasonably convenient to the convention. The time and place must be published in all schedules distributed at the Bouchercon with the following agenda: Also proposed from the floor was the following amendment: Any submission for a new Bouchercon should include a statement that the committee agrees to comply with the Bylaws and Rules of the Bouchercon Standing Committee. Failure to comply with the Bylaws and Rules of the Bouchercon Standing Committee by a committee will disqualify any and all members of the non-complying committee from submitting a bid and/or holding another Bouchercon. Discussion: There was a very intense discussion on the issue of enforceability of the Bouchercon Bylaws and Rules and the consequences if they are not followed. Several suggestions were made such as posting a surety bond. Others felt that such actions would discourage bids and that Bouchercon needs more bids, not less. The proposed amendment reflected a compromise of the various positions and was seconded and passed. OLD BUSINESS Bouchercon Website: Beth Tindall was thanked for her efforts in establishing the Bouchercon website. Renewal of the current site: It was suggested that the site link to future Bouchercon sites. Also that the Bylaws, rules and minutes be posted on the site. There was a suggestion that the Standing Committee attempt to get the .org name. J. Alec West was said to have registered the 2008 and 2009 sites to protect the name and is working with the applicable committees. Payment for future website costs was also discussed. NEW BUSINESS Encouraging bids for future Bouchercons: Several ideas were discussed and suggestions made to improve the scheduling of Bouchercon. Religious holidays should be taken into account as should school schedules. Also, Bouchercon is supposed to be around Columbus Day, if possible. It was pointed out that hotel availability caused some of the scheduling problems. Comments were made that work cannot be started to soon and that many hotels are booked four years in advance. Reference was made to the Rules which permit submission five years out. There was talk about how difficult it is to plan a convention with no guidelines. In response, a sub committee was formed headed by Thom Wall to develop a "how to" manual that will eventually posted on the web site. All reports from past Bouchercons and, as held, future Bouchercons would also be posted on the web site. Committee members of some the various Bouchercons also volunteered to answer questions. Result of the election of the member at large for 2006-2008 + Sally Fellows was elected and welcomed to the Standing Committee. Incorporation report by Dina S. Willner In order to incorporate in New Jersey at least one member needed to live in New Jersey. Also, if the Standing Committee were to receive funds there could be taxability questions. Other than that, it would be possible to incorporate as a non-profit in New Jersey and thereby hold trademarks. There was a concern about payment of the necessary fees involved with forming and maintaining a corporation and holding trademarks. An examination of what needs funding will be made with costs possibly being assessed each year to the current Bouchercon. Recognition of the efforts of the Chicago Committee Assumption of the Chair by Liz DeVries. Thanks to Gary Warren Niebuhr and Bouchercon '02 + Austin (Karen Meschke and Willie Siros) Meeting Adjourned August 29, 2005 From: Patricia Sprinkle to SinC Board, 8/30/05 Before Bouchercon I received a complaint from two SinC women members that cozy writers were being put on Thursday panels while thrillers were getting Saturday slots. Accordingly, I did a thorough analysis of the panels for all three days. Here is what I found. 1) Panels titled for specific genres: Thriller panels Cozy Panels PI Panels Cops (not including demonstrations) Thursday 5 4 0 0 Friday 3 4 0 1 Saturday 1 1 5 2 2) Breakdown of panel members by gender: Panels0 F Panels1 F Panels0 M Panels1 M SinCTotal SinC F SinC M Thursday 4 2 5 6 50 47 3 Friday 3 6 1 3 47 38 9 Saturday 5 8 3 3 48 35 13 Notes: Lectures by one are not included in data. Special demos are not included in data. Thursday: A panel described as "writers on the cutting edge" had no women. Of five thriller panels: 1 had no women; 1 had 1 woman; 1 had all women; 2 were mixed. Of four cozy panels: only 1 had 1 man; the rest of the panelists were women. Cannot determine gender of some on self-pub panel, so left it out of data. Friday: Panels are more evenly balanced F/M. Panels without women or with only one woman: Hard Boiled Millineum (1 woman) What's the Difference Between a Mystery and a Thriller? (1) What Drives You To Write, or Is It a Putt? (1) 21st Century Noir (0) The Influence of Ellery Queen (1) Adapting Mystery Novels for the Screen (1) Contemporary vs. Classic Fiction: Was the Golden Age so Golden (0) DaVinci's Legend: Religion and Mythology in Thrillers (½ of a team) The Chicago Outfit (0) Panels with no men or only one man: Truth in Dialogue (cozies - 0 men) Crime Fiction in the Classroom (1) How to Treat a Lady Cop (1) The South has Risen Again (1) Saturday: Panels with no women or only one woman: Under the Covers: Writing Cops Right and Writing Guns Wrong (1 if Robin Burcell is a woman) Queer Eye for the PI (1+Annette Meyers w/ Marty) I'm a Guy, I'm a Girl: Writing the Opposite Gender (1) The English Cops (1) Lovable Villains (1) Social Responsibility in Detective Fiction (1) The PI Short Story (1) It's Not Just the Words+Mystery Fiction is Literature (1) These Funny Guys & Dolls (0) Self-Market Yourself (0) The PI and Pop Culture (0) Interview: James Crumley & Dennis McMillan (0) Interview: Harlen Coben & Jonathon King (0) Panels without men or with only one man: Set the Scene (1 man if I..J. Parker is a man) The Perils of Pauline - Changing Genres (1) The Thrill is Gone: keeping the reader's romance with series characters alive (0) That Could Never Happen: Believability in Crime Fiction (1) The Business Side of Writing (0) Interview: Martha Grimes & Oline Cogdill (0) Conclusion: Panels dealing with PI's, police, and hard-boiled or noir are more likely to be all male or almost all male. Male writers of cozy or traditional mysteries are less likely to be included on panels. First, moved and seconded by Rick Kovalcik and Susan Mozzicato to change Standing Rule VIII.C to substitute "ninety" for "sixty". The rule will now read: Within ninety days of the end of each Bouchercon, the Conference Committee Chair must pass on the membership list from the previous Bouchercon to the Chair of the Standing Committee and the next three Bouchercon Conference Committee Chairs. Second, moved and seconded by Rick Kovalcik and Susan Mozzicato to change Standing Rule VIII.B to substitute "ninety" for "sixty". The rule will now read: Within ninety days of the end of each Bouchercon, the Conference Committee Chair must provide each Standing Committee member with an accounting of the finances of the Bouchercon. Third, moved and seconded by Jan Burke, Sally Fellows, Rick Kovalcik, and Dina S. Willner to change Standing Rule VII.C.1 to: Starting by February 28th and continuing until at least April 30th, the Conference Committee shall solicit nominations from members of the current (next to be held) Bouchercon and that of the immediately preceding Bouchercon. Each person, whether they are a member of one or both Bouchercons, shall be allowed to make up to five equally weighted nominations in every category. Fourth, moved and seconded by Jan Burke, Sally Fellows, Rick Kovalcik, and Dina S. Willner to change Standing Rule VII.C.2 to: The Conference Committee shall count the nominations cast for each award category for eligible nominees. The five eligible nominees receiving the most nominations shall be Anthony Award nominees. If there is a tie including fifth place, all the tied eligible nominees will be listed. However, the Conference Committee may eliminate the fourth and fifth place eligible nominees if they receive fewer than five percent of the nominations cast in the category. The first three eligible nominees, including any ties, shall always be listed. Fifth, moved and seconded by Jan Burke, Sally Fellows, Rick Kovalcik, and Dina S. Willner to add a new Standing Rule VII.C.3 renumbering subsequent rules as necessary: The Conference Committee shall announce the Anthony Award nominees no later than 60 days prior to the convention, sooner by preference of the committee. The nominees shall be announced in at least one mailing to the membership of the current conference prior to the event. Sixth [as amended], moved and seconded by Jan Burke, Sally Fellows, and Dina S. Willner to add a new Standing Rule VII.C.4 renumbering subsequent rules as necessary: The Conference Committee shall prepare a ballot and distribute one ballot to each registered attendee. Eligible voters shall be asked to vote for one nominee in each category. The method of voting, deadline, and place for return of ballots shall be clearly stated on the ballot. No ballots shall be accepted after the deadline. The Conference Committee will take steps to minimize the possibility of tampering and ensure that ballots are kept secure and properly counted. No one not on the counting committee may be present during the counting of ballots. No nominee may be on the counting committee. Seventh, moved and seconded by Jan Burke, Sally Fellows, and Dina S. Willner to change original Standing Rule VII.C.3 (now 5) to: The Conference Committee shall determine the winners. The nominee receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared the award winner. In case of a tie for first place, the award shall be shared. Vote counts and final ranking other than first place shall remain confidential. The committee shall announce winners and make presentation of the awards at the banquet or other appropriate all?conference event. Eighth, moved and seconded by Jan Burke, Sally Fellows, Rick Kovalcik, and Dina S. Willner to add a new Standing Rule VII.C.last which says: Only memberships of Bouchercon registered in the name of a real person are allowed to nominate or vote as defined in section VII.C. E.G. "Guest of" memberships, memberships in the name of corporations and memberships in the name of fictitious persons are not allowed to nominate or vote as defined in section VII.C. A person is allowed only one vote and / or nomination whether they are registered under their real name or pen name.
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