Booking Oberon for Your Pagan/Poly Event
Oberon is glad to consider invitations to speak, teach workshops, lead community rituals, and so on.Please send a brief, specific proposal.
Oberon receives many invitations, and multiple factors go into creating his final calendar. Here are a few of them: We try to cluster events regionally, so please indicate if you're flexible in your dates. (Requests for appearances in distant corners of the globe may not be possible, or may need a lot of patience!)
If you’d like to have Oberon Zell present at your next big event — or as your next big event! — send him email (link at left). Use a Subject heading in the format of 2008/mm/dd-dd Event Name (Location) and your scheduling request will be least likely to get lost amid his email flood.
For example: Subject: 2008/02/29-31 Cthulhu Con (Arkam, MA).
It’s usually first-come-first-served, so reserve your dates as early as possible. In case of scheduling conflicts with simultaneous requests, however, priority will be given to the event offering a better financial package or that can be worked into a tour. Official confirmation of a booking requires a 50% deposit of the speaking fees, an official event website url (to the specific page) and/or an organizer eddress that can be posted on the Schedule page, and at least two phone numbers by which the organizers can be privately contacted before and during the event. A shipping address for the event and/or the place where he will be sleeping is also good, so that extra books, tapes, and CDs can be shipped if necessary.
To see when he is and is not available, visit OZ’s Calendar page.
The following is based on both good and bad experiences Oberon has had as a presenter at Pagan events for over thirty years. Some of it may seem obvious, but apparently not all of it has been.
FeesFor presentations at Neopagan or New Age festivals or conventions, Oberon now requests a minimum fee of $200 per day of activities, or $500 for a 3 day festival, or $900 for a 5 day festival. Half of this fee should be paid when he is booked, preferably through check or Postal Money Order, mailed to the PO Box listed at left. This will be refunded if he is notified of any cancellations (or reschedulings he can’t attend) at least four weeks before the originally scheduled date.
For presentations done at Neopagan or New Age bookstores or centers, while already in the area, OZ now requests 50% of the event admission fees/donations collected with a guaranteed minimum of $100 per hour spent presenting. For events that require travel independent from another event, the above fees for festivals and conventions hold.
Bookstore/center events can be combined with a book signing, for which there is no charge. Booksignings without a presentation can also be set up, but transportation still needs to be arranged and stores should contact his publishers several weeks prior to the event, in order to make sure that they have stock on hand.
Admittance to any rituals led by OZ may not be refused to attendees who are unable to make any requested donation. Attendance at rituals requiring special preparation may, however, be restricted at his discretion.
These prices are based on what Oberon would otherwise earn, staying home to write new books, manage his business, etc.
Note that arrangements can often be made for organizers/groups in genuine financial straits, academic institutions and affiliated student organizations, or when currency exchange rates make the regular fees prohibitive, especially if other paying gigs can be scheduled immediately before or after in the same geographical neighborhood. He just doesn’t want to wind up losing money on his travels (which is what OZ has done for years), since he still has to pay the rent and utilities on the house even if he’s away from it for weeks at a time.
Transportation
All expenses must be covered by the sponsors/organizers of each event, including airfare and transportation to/from the airport. Please make any plane tickets for him begin and end at the San Francisco or Oakland airports (whichever is cheaper). OZ cannot purchase the tickets for later reimbursement.
Note that you can cut the transportation expenses by working with other Pagan venues in your area to split the costs by having OZ do two or even three events in the same time period. Please be sure to give OZ a cellphone number belonging to whomever will be picking him up at the airport.
For events within 300 miles of Cotati, CA, OZ can drive to and from the site; travel costs then becomes gas, motel, and food costs.
Food & Beverages
Oberon is omnivorous, he must have three meals a day or he will get cranky(-ier). Please have a handler assigned to remind him and/or to drag him away from people so he can eat. If your site will not have food available or nearby, please arrange a driver to take him to local restaurants. He likes Mexican, Italian, Indian, Thai, and Chinese food.
Vending
OZ will bring books, figurines, jewelery and other items to sell. He will need a vendor’s permit (if required) and booth space. If your group is able to cover the travel expense for OZ’s assistant to run a vendor booth at your event, this can make it more possible for OZ to participate.
Contact Information
PO Box 758
Cotati, CA 94931 USA1 (888) 698-4421
Please call between
9:00am - 5:00pm
Pacific Time.Fax: (707) 795-9210
Copyright © 2007 - 2008 Oberon Zell, all rights reserved.
Photography by Nemea Arborvitae
