Comic Convention Advice NEEDED!

rmdooley 2020-01-11 00:30:55 UTC #1

My dear Tapas Creators,

I am about to take the plunge into being a vendor on the comic convention circuit and am in desperate need of wisdom:

What sort of merchandise do you bring? Can you provide examples/images?
What is a good company for printing art prints?
What ARE your art prints? Orignal? Fan Art?
What merchandise sells? What doesn't?
Did you do anything special to make your booth stand out?

Any other pointers and things to be considered are appreciated!

Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your wisdom and experience. You are incredible.

ProfessorParsec 2020-01-11 00:48:08 UTC #2

I've never had my own booth, but I know several friends who have. I've also gone there myself, so I can tell you what I saw.

One friend had only one comic out, a person bought her comic and returned, asking if she had more.
Artists who offer a wider range of pricing tended to have more interested buyers: Eg: $5 and $10 art prints/ $5 dollar mini comics and $10 medium indie comics, then $15 & $25 dollar colour comics.
Booths that stood out the most were either the most well stocked, or the ones who had the (I don't know the word for this, sorry), framing behind them or on the table to attach more merchandise. Also tables with large banners stood out. Those that didn't have any of that just kind were a mystery from a distance. Visibility is important. Even if you just get some boxes or find some way to layer up your display for people to admire, it's good.
I think Kablam is what most of my friends have gone with, otherwise it's local printers. Keep in mind that all colour comics instead of colour on the outside and black and white on the inside will jack the price up huge. http://ka-blam.com/main/
Other merchandise that I saw besides comics and art prints that were selling, were pins, t-shirts, and plushies. I wouldn't go the plushie route without having a strongly recognized character or it already being your thing, but the enamel pins seem pretty popular these days, and they don't take up too much space.
Are you getting a table on your own or will you be sharing? That's important to know, because they'll change what space you have and how you can set up a table.
Engage with people. It's cool to doodle while you're sitting, but if someone comes up to your table, don't be shy. They're likely just as excited to be there as you are, and they may want to know more about your comics before they buy them. I bought one comic from a person after they gave me a wonderful summary that made me too interested to walk away without it.

HGohwell 2020-01-11 01:01:56 UTC #3

Honestly, spend as much time as you can researching blogs for extra advice, there are constantly people writing up their experiences. Here's me at the last con of the season last year. I ended up having to do a half table at that one, so display sort of suffered a bit, you can see how cramped it all looked and it was tricky to pick out which pieces I wanted on display since I couldn't do them all.. Half tables are good for starting out if you can do them, but you very quickly out grow them. They are useful for popular or more expensive cons.

As you can see, most of what I do is prints. Currently just A4 and A5, I also gather up all my traditional pieces and sell them off too. I always have a collection of various sized charms, badges and stickers too, at very low prices. If you're selling a cute sticker for £1 people might stick around longer and see what else there is.

I personally use Moo for printing. They're a little more expensive but their printfinity lets you print 50 prints each with a different design if you want and that's far more valuable than being slightly cheaper and having 50 of a print I'm not sure will sell, it's far better for tailoring my stock to what's selling. For other merch I use Zapcreatives. They've got great customer service and a good range and great quality.

Most of what I put on show is fanart, because it catches people's eye. If people see a character they recognise, they make a beeline for it and then they might by the original prints which are in my folders or less prominently displayed.

Gonna be totally honest here; you can't tell. Fanart trends move so quickly and is so unpredictable. One thing is super popular, but the market is saturated. Something is rare, but people will buy everything for it. Or not. Some classics sell well, some don't. It honestly depends on the day. Which is frustrating. You start to get a feel for some things, but it is really unpredictable. As for things other than prints, little trinkets like badges and stickers, often more generic or LBGT+ are pretty consistent sellers.

Build up. Some people will have totally flat stalls covered in art and it works for them, but I'm sure if you've been to a con you've seen the panels like in mine. They're actually wardrobe blocks and mine cost me about £20 on Amazon and are totally worth the buy. Display folders are useful but can be tricky to get people to actually look through. Business cards are a must. Try to have your prices marked clearly, although people will still ask. Lucky bags are really useful, you can get rid of old stock that really isn't selling, even for a lower price, and people are pretty receptive to them. Cosplay, if you can and if it's comfortable. It gives people something to talk about and draws attention. Put on deal, I tend to run 1 print for £X and 2 for £Y, usually something like half price on the second print.

I hope this all helps a bit. And also, it's very important you're aware that tabling at cons is hard work and doesn't pay off right away. It takes time to build and get rolling. A lot of my friends I've met doing con tables say exactly what I've experienced, that while it's not uncommon to make back what you paid for the table in the first few events, it take a lot of time and money to build stock and so it takes a while to make them back. You really have to be prepared to put yourself into it whole heartedly and slug at it for a while if you want it to be anything more than a hobby.

ben 2020-01-11 03:46:56 UTC #4

It really depends and the answers vary from con to con.

Personally, I’ve never done an anime-leaning con before and mostly do comics specific cons and most of what sells there are books— not prints. And definitely not a lot of fanart. It’s basically the opposite of the advice you might here from a lot of folks who do more anime-leaning art and cons. There are also weird rare cons where original art can do surprisingly well. There are Facebook groups dedicated to all the different comic cons where people share their experiences to help other folks figure out what’s best for that con in the future. But without really knowing the specifics it’s hard to say what your best bet is going to be merch wise. I’ve always done well with my books, stickers, pins, and embroidered patches related to the books and including a free print (also relating to the book) with purchase. T-shirts are also BIG sellers but are a big hassle to juggle different sizes. Tote bags are also really useful because they can be super cheap to produce and if people are shopping around they usually need something to hold all of their stuff.

I can offer more broad advice though. Keep everything as eye level as possible. Whatever can be put on a stand: put it on a stand and have it really FACE the audience. A really common tactic at grocery stores is to put the slightly more expensive brands at eye level and as a result they tend to sell better. This can be applied to your table and not even necessarily organizing by what’s most expensive but just by trying to put things closer to eye level. You might be surrounded by tables where they just lay all their work flat on the table but with some added height you will have a big advantage. Some people even add table risers just to add extra height.

Extremely clear pricing! People will still probably ask anyway but the most you can minimize you should try!!! Along with pricing, bundling things with deals is smart. Throwing in something small and free with purchase, offering a free tote for purchases over X amount of dollars, $2 stickers or 3 for $5, etc. Maybe have a free cheaply printed mini poster you can just give to people walking by who seem interested.

A really good alternative to the classic business card that works very well if you work in a visual medium is a postcard. The size makes it double as a print and it’s harder for folks to lose at the end of the day. You would not believe how many business cards I lose at the bottom of my bag after cons or how many just end up on the floor of the conventions space. Postcards on the other hand almost always end up on my wall or fridge and serves as a better form of advertisement.

Standing will almost always result in more sales. The more engaged you look the more people will feel comfortable coming over to your table. As a pretty anxious person irl I usually don’t approach tables where someone is looking super occupied because I’m worried I’m bothering them during a break or something.

A fun table cloth is an easy way to attract people! I have an incredibly soft fluffy thing of fabric that curious people just come over to touch and it’s an easy conversation starter for them! Consider a bright fabric with an interesting texture that doesn’t clash with your merch.

If you’re not super IN the con circles, you should probably attend anywhere you might want to table as a guest before going in on a table. And if you’re definitely going to table regardless then consider splitting one. Conventions can feel pretty demoralizing early on when you start getting concerned over whether or not you’re making table and splitting those costs can ease a lot of that tension.

Shanny8 2020-01-11 07:39:30 UTC #5

I pretty much have comics, stickers, and prints. I havent done other merch such as pins or t-shirts because I'm trying to move the stuff I already have- this is a pic of my table from last year's MomoCon...

As for prints- it depends on how many prints you feel you need or want to sell. I get my prints from RA Comics Direct(https://www.racomicsdirect.com/racomicsdirect/)- they have a package with 75 prints for $50. Mostly all my prints are my original characters...I dont really do the fanart thing.

My main seller is the comics themselves- which is what I exactly want. Next is my prints...I have one print series which has become a best seller, so that's pretty much cool. Weirdly my stickers havent been selling so well; I feel they're priced decently.

I dont go all out with bells & whistles to "make my booth stand out"...I try to rely on my passion, and getting a feel for what my buyers want.

I have my books printed through 2 different places. I print most of my Clique series through Ka-Blam; I like their paper/stock, and how it captures my art & colors; my Ray Thunder books- and a deluxe sized Clique character guide I print through Greko Printing(https://www.grekoprinting-comixwellspring.com/) I like their thick cover stock- it makes my books look "premium"(for that AND the page count I charge a premium price).

As you can see my from my set up- make sure your items are well placed. If you have more than one book, invest in some small racks to elevate the books(they dont have to be like the acrylic ones I have). Make sure your books and other merch are noticably priced with labels so that the customers have no question what the prices are. Also invest in a card reader- especially if you have a PayPal or Square account; a lot of customers dont always carry cash...this is a nice investment that insures you get card sales AND you're not walking around with tons of money on you if half of your sales are card transactions(in case of theft).

Speaking of which- DO NOT put money in a box and set under your table; there are trained con crooks who pull scams to snatch artist's money boxes from under or behind their tables...either keep your money in a pouch/fanny pack attached to you OR keep it in your pockets.

Get business cards made. Make sure they have an e-mail address as well a social media site you may frequent; if they dont buy anything on the spot, they could possibly buy something at a later point from you online.

Bring snacks & WATER. A lot of the times con food is expensive, so you wanna have something to eat on just in case you dont have $9 to spend on a slice of pizza. I usually bring 2 large bottles of water so that I can stay hydrated- along with snacks; I stop off & eat at a restaurant once I go home for the day.

If you feel you need a table buddy, bring one with you(unless getting an extra pass will cost you extra money). If you can't, then make friends with the other artists around you; it helps if you REALLY NEED to go to the restroom- they can watch your table for a minute(just know you have to return the favor as well).

I'm not sure if this show you're doing is a small one or not. I usually recommend when starting out, do smaller 1 day or 2 day shows- you can get a better gauge of how you perform, what/how you need to do better, and what/where you need to trim the fat.

Greet your potential customers- eye contact! Practice your pitch to sell your comic, so that you use enthusiasm when explaining your book to them. I've sold a lot of comics just on the sheer act of being really hype for the work that I have on the table; if you feel confident about the work you're selling, people pick up on that and will buy it. I had a customer remember me from a con a year before when she didnt have the money and came by and bought one of my books!

Hand sanitizer- it is a MUST. I made the mistake in the first year of doing cons not having it- and the day after the final con of that year, I got sick. I now use that stuff religiously, coz people are germy af...and I cant afford to be lying in bed sick anymore from germ ridden people at cons.

If you are doing cash sales- make sure you have change. I usually get a certain amount of smaller bills, so that if some customers are paying with cash, I can give them correct change...DON'T break large bills if you dont feel comfortable with it- you might lose a sale but dont be trying to give customers change back on a $50 or $100; the only way I'm doing that is if they are buying stuff that equates to half(or more) of that amount, and also I do the eye test for the $50/100 strips inside the money as well as the watermark.

Sorry this is LONG...just a lot of advice from a con tabler!

spadedigsbutts 2020-01-12 17:51:08 UTC #6

Here is a really good twitter thread on tabling in general that says more than I ever could! I have many friends who have successfully tabled and they all followed these general guidelines to do it! Good luck!