Does anyone do appearances at conventions?

I do conventions; I really love them! I primarily go to sell my books, but I also sell prints and take a few hand drawn commissions. Commissions are the only fanart I do.

Giving books out for free seems like a bad/expensive idea unless they're literally like.... stapled zine samplers or something. My books are perfect bound and professionally printed now, but even for my first con when I hand-made my books, I'd put enough work into them to sell 'em for $4! Don't sell yourself short!
But I do usually bring some kind of little "sample" of my comics that I can hand out for free -- for a couple years I folded a piece of paper in half to make a "four page" sample, with a few of my best pages printed on it! This past year I drew up a little ad for my comic and printed it as a folded brochure.

A lot of people worry that folks won't want to buy the book of something they can read for free online, but I'm pretty up-front about my comic also being available online, and people still buy books! In general, if you find a con that has a good atmosphere for it, the people who want books would rather buy a book than read it on a website. I've even had some regulars who find me every year to buy the newest book!

I don't really advertise my Tapastic page -- I stick to advertising my main site because that's kinda where I'd prefer people to read it! So I don't know the specific numbers, there's just a little jump in stats and sometimes a couple people who comment to let me know that they met me at the con. It's definitely not a HUGE boost, but every year more people start recognising me. : )

• Say hello when people stop by your table! One of my friends once made sale to someone who told her "you're the first person in Artist Alley who's said hi to me." Don't be pushy (that scares folks away) but do be friendly!
• Make sure everything's not lying flat on your table. If you can get a shelf to display books4, or even a tiny easel stand..... or heck, just make a stack of your books and lean another book in front, so that people can see your stuff before they get right in front of your table. The more vertical display you can get on your table, the better!
• These can be pricey, so don't worry about it for your first year, but the vertical standing banners6 are SUPER worth investing in ime. The number of people asking "so what is Runewriters about?" shot up after I got my banner.
• bonus tip for books: put a couple books out on the front of the table. I have a nice shelf for my books4, but I still take a couple of books out and lay them at the edge of the table closest to customers. The trick is, if it's in a display, people are scared to touch it. If it feels like an extra one, they're more likely to pick it up and flip through it.

This year I made a profit at all three of the cons I went to! But my first year it was definitely a process of just trying to break even, and I considered the cost an advertising expense. If you're the mingling kind, it can also be a great place to make friends and connections with other folks in your field!

I will note, though, that the experience differs from convention to convention. There are some anime cons where anything that's not anime won't sell at all.... but Otakon has always been my most profitable con, and I did well at Animazement this year. Some comic-cons are great for independent creators and full of readers hungry for new books to buy -- others are full of Big Two fans uninterested in anything that doesn't have Batman in it. Some indie cons are perfect for webcomics; some won't be as interested in comics that aren't handmade zines.
So if it's an established local con -- by all means, give it a shot, or visit one year to see what kind of things are selling there! If it's got a hefty travel cost associated, though, I'd ask friends and colleagues what their experiences were first.

Yes! I go regularly to Swedish cons, and I just applied to share a table with some friends at Thought Bubble! We'll see if we get it or not.

I find them worthwhile, because it's nice to get out of my comics-cave for a bit and meet people - the Swedish comics-scene is fairly small, to conventions are like reunions with friends - and meet readers, and sell things and make a bit of a profit.

Yes! At my latest conventions, I've had printed copies of Grassblades (chapters 1-3, collected volume), a tea-and-witch-themed artbook, the GL anthology I was part of, the Swedish folklore-anthology I was part of, a handful of prints, a few keychains, stickers, bookmarks and badges.

I sell them, as printing costs are quite high, and I need to cover my expenses. The only things I give away as freebies are the bookmarks and the badges, as they cost me pennies to make.

I have a bright, colourful table with stands to put my comics on so they can be seen from a distance with clear labelling of what everything costs! Also, I stand up as much as possible, so that I'm eye-level with the con-goers - it's a lot easier to connect with people when they aren't literally looking down on you - and I nod and smile at people and tell them it's okay to pick up a comic and flip through it if they want. It doesn't always work, but it sure beats not smiling and talking at all!

Not really, no? But then, I've mostly gone to Swedish small-press cons, and webcomics aren't as much of a thing there; they're more into printed copies and small-press/self-published stuff. And no, I haven't cosplayed myself, though I spotted at least one person cosplaying their comic's main character and walking around with a sign with their URL on it - not sure how well it worked out for them, but it looks fine!

Fanart and fandom-related merch will get more attention at cons, for obvious reasons - people already know what it is! - but I don't sell any kind of fanart; I only sell original stuff, and it's been going really well. Of course, this all depends on context; if you're at a small-press con, people who come there are there for the small-press/self-published stuff. If you're at a bigger, more commercial con, people are more likely to be there for the fanart and fan-merch.

Make sure you check the con's policy about fanarts though. I know MCM Comic Con in Great Britain doesn't allow fanarts in the artist alley (which is pretty refreshing)

Aaand... I have nothing more to add since I've never tabled at a con (but I'm definitely planning to !)

I have tabled at a few comics here in Sweden (and one in Finland). Lately, I have shared table with friends - it's great to keep down the table cost, and it's awesome to have a table buddy. However, if you're having enough stuff to fill a table on your own, sharing might be tough ^^; This is how my last solo table looked like when I tabled in Örebro here in Sweden:
1
As most of my books are pink or purple, they look pretty nice to that turquoise table cloth. I have some mini easels to showcase the books/stuff I want to showcase a bit more, a jewelry hanger to showcase my charms and such, and yeah, some extra bling to make the table noticable. In Örebro, it was a bit dark where I sat, so the multicolored lights were probably a pretty good thing to have ;D

I'd love to have a big rollup/banner thingy, but I haven't come up with a good design yet!

I mostly sell my own comic, SPEJS, together with an erotic anthology. I also ordered some charms of my characters, some A5 and A6 prints and original arts on my table. I do have some fan art stuff, but they don't sell well, and when they're gone, I'll probably stick to only have art with my own characters and comics =) Fan art can be fun, and sometimes I tend to buy fan art from other people at cons if they've done their own take on it and it doesn't look traced, but I am soooo grateful that people seem to enjoy my own stuff over the fan arts I have <3 Also, I think it's a good thing for cons to have more rules when it comes to selling fan art. Maybe not to ban them altogether (even tough I guess it can be a good idea on really big cons like the UK comic cons), but if creators had 50% their own stuff and 50% fan art, I think it could be more interesting =)

As for war stories - last year, I went to Helsinki for their comics festival and barely sold to cover the table (20€). The con vas held outside in tents, and it rained heavily so everything was damp and wet. It was a horrible horrible con experience since I felt crappy on so many levels (wet and cold from the rain, and feeling my art wasn't good enough to even be looked at), and if that happens, it's okay to feel crappy and down. I'm happy I spent the day before touristing and just trying to do fun stuff, otherwise I would've felt even more horrible ^^; A few months later, at another con, someone wanted a refund on something they bough, and I got it back broken. I was a bit shocked, but decided to give them the refund, but then they tried to scam me and say they bought it for twice the sum (even though I had the prices listed on the table?!), and almost threw a fit about it. It really made me glum for the rest of the day, but I had a super nice table buddy who managed to cheer me up (thanks @Memokkeen <3), but yeah, that really made me reluctant to go near that con again and table.

So yeah, tabling at cons - if you do a fair amount, some crap is bound to happen! But meeting people who seem to like you and the work you do and tell you face-to-face, and meet all your comic buddies and hang out with them IRL - it makes it worthwhile =)

I went to conventions for a number of years, but ultimately I didn't find them particularly useful. Your mileage may vary though! One thing that really limited their use for me is the fact that most conventions are not geared towards independent artists and creators, and a lot of them are massively overpriced on table fees. Coupled with the fact that I don't do mainstream series, it just wasn't justifying the expense with enough profits to keep doing it.

It's important to consider not just raw profit versus cost, but also cost in fatigue, travel expenses, and time...the one commodity you can never get back! Some of these conventions, I was travelling way too far and way too long to sit for hours, after getting up at odd hours and staying up until odd hours. This took its toll on my health, and even the easier shows were just too taxing. I would, at the very least, require two or three days recovery time from any convention.

If you do decide to do conventions, here is some advice I learned in my time doing them:

• Always bring someone you trust to mind the table with you. You will have to get up at some point to use the bathroom, or get food, or get something from the car. Or you might just want to get up and walk around (which is a good idea, to keep your legs from cramping and the like), so you'll want someone you can leave your cashbox with.
• Invest in a cashbox. They're not expensive, and you'll want something secure to keep the amount of cash you'll need.
• Bring food and drink. Pack a lunch if you can. It's cheaper than eating out while you're there, it's more convenient, and you'll need less time away from your table. Most conventions, you'll need to mind your table from mid/late morning into potentially the evening. Bring snacks and drinks if possible, because you'll want to minimize time you're away from your table.
• If it seems too expensive for a table, don't be afraid to talk to the convention's organizers and ask if there's a way you could arrange for a lower rate. For most independent creators doing our own comics and art, $50 is about the highest that should be asked given that we usually shoulder all of the other costs ourselves. Conventions don't happen without people there, and that includes artists and other creative professionals. They don't tend to be made for our benefit (aside from a few like the rare HeroesCon, which is virtually unique in that it prominently features creators), and they are almost never planned or laid out for our benefit. If it feels a little too expensive and they won't budge, just don't go. It's better to save the money and put it towards something you know will benefit your career, rather than taking time, money, and not inconsiderable cost to make someone else's show a success and possibly make nothing from it.
• Engage people, be friendly, but don't let them walk all over you. Make it clear that all sales are final and, if you have something that's only for certain audiences, make sure it's clearly-marked so that people are adequately apprised of that. Get money up front before even starting sketches for people. Don't let people take advantage of you just because you're an independent creator they may not have heard of, and absolutely do not take any crap from people. You are not their punching bag, you are there professionally. If anyone causes a problem, they can be shown where the door is. No one at any convention wants to tolerate troublemakers.
• It's tempting to talk to people, and you should be as friendly as you can be, but don't forget that people need to be able to see what's on your table. Space is a premium, and you're (probably) paying more for it than it's worth. Don't have people lingering between the rest of the guests and your stuff. Visibility is super-important at conventions, and it's essential to make use of what little space you'll have available to you.
• Keep a record of which conventions you attend, break down your costs versus profits, and be sure to write about your experience while it's still fresh in your memory. Remember which ones you enjoyed; even if they weren't too profitable, enjoyable shows might be worth attending again. Remember which ones you did not enjoy. Certainly remember which ones you hated, because there will be some, and they will be vile. Be sure to let fellow creators know about conventions that do not treat you right, and don't hesitate to be vocal against supporting those shows.
• If you're attending a convention and have an arrangement, try to get it in writing. Regardless, if the organizers of any show or convention lie to you, deceive you, or go back on their agreement, walk away. It's acceptable to have a miscommunication or to make a mistake, but bold-faced lies have no place in conventions. Get your money back if you've given them any, and just walk away. And as previously noted, be sure to let people know what they did and warn them away from supporting this.
• Don't agree to do any more than you're comfortable doing at a convention. It's one thing to help out friends or acquaintances who just need a little help here and there, but you're there for a reason. They shouldn't expect you to do anything but what you're there for unless you've made a previous agreement to do it.
• Don't do outdoor conventions if you're an artist. Ever. Weather is unpredictable, and you may think that even if you have a tent to bring with you, you can avoid the weather adequately. This would be incorrect; you cannot avoid the weather and simultaneously get the eye-catching exposure to bring people to your table as you need to sell at a convention. You also will probably lose a good chunk of what you brought if inclement weather happens. Just don't do outdoor shows.
• Do not ever leave your table unattended. I know it's tempting to trust people who seem nice, but believe me when I say that just because you may be in a similar field, or the same field, as someone else, it does not make them trustworthy. Always have someone looking after your table. If you can't find someone to come with you to a convention, don't go unless you're cool with potentially losing anything you don't have on your person.

This may seem like a negative list, but if you mind the caveats, you're more likely to have a better time overall. Conventions can be wonderful fun, and I've had some of the most memorably delightful times at them! I've also had some of the worst, most unfortunate experiences at conventions. It depends a lot on many factors, and one of those is preparation. Don't go in uninformed!

I hope you'll have a good convention experience if you should choose to try.

I don't know about everyone else, but conventions are the only way I can make sustainable money as a comic artist right now. You have to invest a fair amount of money upfront, but if you product is good, you have a nice display, and you prepare yourself, you'll make it back in a couple cons and start pulling in profit.

Hard copies are a must, and don't give them out for free. It devalues your work and tells the person that it's not worth paying for. Charge a fair price, of course, but no freebies unless it's a piece of merchandise that costs hardly anything to make. I focus on selling my comic and its merch, but I also sell some fanart prints. Even with fanart at my table, the books are my number 1 seller. At least 75% of my sales are books.

Remember that, above all else, the comic IS your core product and the one people will care about. Merchandise doesn't mean anything unless people are invested in the characters already.

Of course, there's a lot of risk with conventions, and you have a lot of research ahead of you if you want to be successful. If you want good tips, check out this thread3. There are a lot of gems there, and I went through my con experience as well.

We do several conventions and where it used to be we took books and our own stuff we don't do that anymore, not unless we are being brought in as guests and then we bring in the Shadowbinders and pro stuff we do because they are paying for us to be there. If we aren't guests we take my character pillows because we make tons more money on that then the comic stuff. Then it's worth it to us financially.

I really like doing cons. I love meeting new people. I love doing panels. I love so much about them. But I feel they aren't comic focused like they used to be. Now it's pop-culture and stuff focused---in my opinion of course.

Of course not, I know I don't speak for everyone, and experiences are going to vary wildly depending on all those factors you listed. Not only that, everyone is going to do a lot of stumbling when they start out. That is the reality.

I AM an independent artist, make no mistake about that. In fact, I started by selling my comic at conventions well before I found Tapastic and posted it here, so it's not like I had huge internet fame backing me or anything like that.

You realize that vendor booths cost upwards of $300-500? $100 is a third of that. As I mentioned in a different comment, I can see $50 for a smaller event that spans a couple days or has less than 1k attendees. But I have yet to see a convention with over 5k attendees cost less than $100. Not saying they don't exist, just that you'd be hard pressed to find them and have it be a show worth your time. If you have some in your area and they were worth it for you, great. Maybe we're just in completely different regions where they have different norms.

But you're acting like it's unheard of for indie artists to be successful at cons. If you're an artist going to a full weekend show and you're not making over $200, there's something wrong. It could be a variety of things: you don't have an eye catching display, you're charging too little (or too much), you don't have enough variety, you don't have different tiers of products (meaning different price points for all consumers), your genre is TOO niche, or the hardest to swallow: it's simply not that good of a product. You can knock out over half of those factors just by doing research, being properly prepared, and investing in branding. And sometimes, you simply need to go to cons and fail in order to figure out what works and what doesn't.

The worst I've done at a full weekend con is $300, and at my best con (an anime con) I've routinely made over a grand. And that was with the bulk of my sales being small $6 issues of my comic. I know a fair amount of indie creators that do similar numbers, or at the very least, do well enough to continue to buy tables priced at $200-300 for the local general nerd convention. So while I believe that you and many others struggle to make a profit, the conclusion isn't that the events charge too much or that they need to be haggled down, it's that you need to look critically at your products and how you conduct your booth, fix it, and try again. If you're getting looked over, it could even be that the event is too big for you. I don't like going to events where they rake in over 10k attendees because I get drowned out. And after all that, if you still fail or you think it's not worth the risk, it's whatever. It really is not for everyone.

I'm not trying to invalidate your experiences. I'm trying to show that there are things people can do to be more successful, and that you don't need to accumulate a huge following to make a profit. I don't think getting a table should be something any artist just does right away, and frankly a lot of people do it too early and end up crashing and burning. But conventions are one of the singular best ways to network and get your work out there, and I would hate to see someone get discouraged from even trying once their ready.

Of the 4 cons I did last year- 2 were small-ish local type shows that cost about $70 a table; one of them was a 1 day show, and the other was a 2-day event. I made my table money back, and then some. The other 2 shows were larger events- MomoCon, which is over the Memorial Day weekend(4 days), and Anime Weekend Atlanta which was the final weekend(3 days) in September. MomoCon's table fee was $150- which I made back & then some, and AWA's table fee was $200(which I made back, but barely made anything else past that).

I cant complain, coz all in all this was my first year experiencing both of them, and for me to have made my table fees back- I was lucky(or doing something right). I would say if there was any aspect in which I would like to improve, it would be my print portfolio; I had only made 4 prints last year, and I think audiences were looking for a wider variety- so I'm def trying to amp up my prints game this year.

I dont mind paying the larger fees for the bigger events; it gives me how many days that event is to make the money back and more. Also, towards the final days, if I feel I need to get more sales, I offer a bundle package that's cheaper than most of the items sold individually, but still profitable enough for me to go home with money in my pocket on the plus side.

Reading through this thread, I get the feeling that a part-time job in retail is perfect preparation, haha! Sales talk, social skills, and a thick skin! So many great insights and experiences, it's super interesting!

@revisionstudios @Shanny8 (And anyone else feeling compelled) Do you have any photos of what your tables usually looks like?

@Devika this is the general set up of my table- this pic is from MomoCon. I decided to make my banner this color so that eyes are drawn to it. The books that I sell are on the acrylic stands, but the books flat on the table are one copies I let potential buyers/readers thumb through. I have the portfolio on my left that has the various prints I sell; I have a business card holder that, holds business cards and I also hand out cards where you can order the books digitally, plus logo stickers.

1

Sweet, thanks to both of you!

@Shanny8 The orange/yellow really pops out from the grey wall!
@revisionstudios I dig the sleek black a lot, and I'm sure a banner stand will be a great addition.

Saving this thread.....good stuff.