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The following is based on both good and bad experiences
Isaac and Phaedra have had as presenters at Pagan events for
over thirty years. Some of it may seem obvious, but apparently
not all of it has been.
Fees
For presentations at Neopagan or New Age festivals or conventions,
Isaac and Phaedra now request a minimum fee of $250 per day
of activities, or $700 for a 3 day festival, or $1000 for a 5
day festival, and assume that they will provide two separate
or joint presentations (lectures, workshops, or rituals) per
day of the event. Half of this fee should be paid when they
are booked, preferably through Isaac’s account at PayPal
or by Postal Money Order, mailed to their PO Box (1010, Nyack,
NY, USA 10960-8010). This will be refunded if they are notified
of any cancellations (or reschedulings they can’t attend)
at least six weeks before the originally scheduled date. Note, due to the Bush Depression, these fees
have been reduced to their 2006 levels.
For presentations done at Neopagan or New Age bookstores or
centers, while already in the area, they now request 50%
of the event admission fees/donations collected with a guaranteed
minimum of $100. For events that require travel independent
from another event, the above fees for festivals and conventions
hold. Bookstore/center events can be combined by Isaac 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 them 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 their discretion.
These prices are based on what Isaac would otherwise earn,
staying home to write new books, perform weddings, read tarot,
etc., taking into account the factors outlined in his essay on
Freedom of Information and Supporting
Pagan Creators. For Phaedra’s part, they replace some
of what she loses taking time off from her secular employment.
They are also in keeping with the “10% rule” of presenters
getting 10% from the Neopagan community of what they would get
from the New Age community.
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. They just don’t want to wind up losing
money on their travels (which is what Isaac has done for
years), since they still have to pay the rent and utilities on
their house even if they’re away from it for weeks at a
time.
To clarify the pronouns used above: Phaedra’s fees
are the same as Isaac’s when appearing separately. When
they travel to an event together, the combined fees are 125%
of those listed above–such a deal! For a list of Phaedra’s
workshops, and those she presents jointly with Isaac, visit Presentations
by Phaedra Bonewits. You do not
have to bring both of them out, in fact, Phaedra is
not available on many weekends. However, the two of them together
are three times as entertaining!
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 them begin and end at the Newark Liberty International
Airport (EWR). They can use LaGuardia or JFK, but the drive
to and from those airports is much longer and the parking is
expensive. Isaac and Phaedra 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 them do two or even three events in the same
time period. Schedule flights to leave Newark after 12:00
noon Eastern Time the day before your event, because otherwise
the earliest train to Newark will not arrive at the airport to
allow enough time to go through the security checks before the
plane takes off. Similarly, schedule the return flight to
arrive in Newark by 9:00 pm at the latest, so the train home
will still be running. If Isaac can’t take the train to
and from the plane, the $30 taxi ride between home and the train
station becomes a $90 (each way) ride between home and the airport.
A cellphone number belonging to whomever will be picking him
and/or her up at the airport or train station is vital.
Isaac and Phaedra are a one-vehicle family, so Isaac can no
longer drive to distant events unless the events use their own
credit cards to rent a car for him or provide a ride with another
speaker or event attendee. For events within 100 miles of Nyack,
NY, Isaac and/or Phaedra can sometimes drive to and from
the site; travel costs then becomes gas, motel, and food costs.
Food & Beverages
Isaac and Phaedra are both omnivorous. Isaac has a mild allergy
to cow milk protein. That means he should’t eat most cheeses
and that rice or almond milk will be appreciated. Phaedra is
allergic to wheat. Isaac must have three meals a day or he will
get cranky(-ier). If Phaedra is not along, 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 them to local restaurants. They
like Mexican, Italian, Indian, Thai, and Chinese food, and are
followers of Sushido (the Way of the Tuna). They both drink alcohol
in moderate quantities, especially mead and beer that’s
dark and chewy. There is no truth to the rumor that they are
chocoholics. They can stop anytime. Really.
Sleeping, Breathing, and Moving
When the going gets tough, the tough get napping! Isaac is
still not completely recovered from his tryptophane poisoning
in 1990, so he usually needs a nap in the late afternoon, especially
if he is going to be up presenting late into the evening. Scheduling
should be arranged so that both Phaedra and Isaac can get eight
hours of sleep per night. Sleeping accommodations need not be
fancy but should be up off the floor and provide some privacy.
Cats and dogs in a private home aren’t a problem, provided
the air in the bedroom is breathable. Their presentations will
be of higher quality if they are scheduled for after 10:00 am,
as they are not morning people.
Phaedra has allergies to smoke, pollen, dust, etc. and Isaac
tends to get nauseous around cigarette smoke. As a result, staying
in the homes of smokers can make either or both of them sick.
They have no camping gear, so bedding and shelter will always
need to be provided. Inexpensive motels off-site or camper
vehicles on-site are fine.
Both Isaac and Phaedra are slightly mobility impaired, especially
when the weather is cold and/or wet. If your outdoor site is
large and/or hilly, please arrange transportation (golfcart?)
to their workshop sites or put their camp nearby. If your hotel
doesn't have an elevator, please put them into a (nonsmoking)
first floor room. Depending on weather conditions, help may be
needed to set up a tent. Pop-ups and RVs are always appreciated.
Vending & Reading
Isaac and Phaedra often provide tarot readings at events.
They will need a vendor’s permit and booth space if applicable.
Getting Them
If you’d like to have Isaac and/or Phaedra present at
your next big event — or as your next big event!
— send them email at ibonewits@neopagan.net.
Use a Subject heading in the format of 2009/mm/dd-dd Event
Name (Location) and your scheduling request will be least
likely to get lost amid their email flood. For example: 2009/02/29-31
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, since this is one
way that they earn their livings. 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.
To see when they are and are not available, visit Isaac
& Phaedra’s Schedule page. To see the list of his
presentations available, go to Isaac’s
Presentations page. To see the list of her presentations
available, go to Phaedra’s
Presentations page. Feel free to use parts of the Introduction
page on their website as Isaac’s program bio. A bio for
Phaedra will be up shortly.
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