First time selling at a convention! Help!

[elixiadragmire]

Hey!!
I'll be going to my first comic convention as a dealer for two in Nov at Thought Bubble! And I need some advise, any advise its all welcome.

For one Not sure how many prints to take? I've heard 25 max for each different print. How many button badges? also I'm thinking of doing custom keychains But not sure if I should do characters (which hardly anyone will know) or abstract elements like heraldry or a sword and sword or the logo?

[getsuart]

Hello !
I think this topic may help you somehow : http://forums.tapastic.com/t/anyone-have-convention-experience-to-share/1362

Is thought Bubble a big convention ?
25 copies for each different prints looks really fine to me. Prints are sold more easily than books and offer you a nice price range.
I never sold any buttons, so I can't help you, sorry

But for keychains, I think the big things that work are popular characters (I got some Zelda and Ace Attorney keychains). If not, keychains don't really work (at least, taht's what I saw on different booths) unless you have a huge fanbase
If not, try "abstract" element like you said, swords and all those things. Cute things is also a big thing ! You may consider your little bird, then.

Hope it will help you a little

[AnnaLandin]

Alright, con-advice! Cons are great fun, even if they are kind of exhausting too. I bet you'll have fun - I have a bunch of friends who are going to Thought Bubble, and I hear it is a nice place to be.

• I can't really give you any advice re: amount of prints, but 25 of each print sounds reasonable. My only other advice on this is to limit the number of different prints you do. Not only is it cheaper for you to produce them if there are fewer of them, it also means your table won't be overloaded and busy-looking with lots and lots of different prints.

• The same goes for button-badges and keychains, really - do a few really good ones, instead of a big bunch of different types. Less is more in this case! But buttons and keychains are good ideas - they're the kind of little trinkets people can buy and easily carry with them, whereas prints kind of require you have a bag or some sort of folder to put them in to prevent them from getting creased and stuff. As for the content of the badges/keychains - I'd say maybe do a mix of characters and more abstract things? Lure them in with the general stuff, and then fool them into buying stuff with your characters on them!

• When I go to cons, I usually sell mini-comics, and they're pretty popular. People seem to like going home with a story. So if you've got the time/money for it, I'd recommend putting together a mini-comic or 'zine with your comic - maybe the first 15 pages or so - and sell that at the con.

General Survival Tips

• If you can, find someone to share your table with. Doing an entire con all on your own is tiring, tiring work, and having someone there with you will help a lot; it means you can take lunch or bathroom breaks without having to stop selling things, and they can help you handle multiple customers when you're busy.

• Bring snacks and something to drink! Keeping yourself hydrated and fed is really, really important. Not only does it keep your energy levels up, it can also help you combat any kind of con-crud going around.

• Do your best to stand up as much as possible - it brings you eye-level with the visitors, so you're more visible. Smile at people, be friendly, don't be afraid to talk to people to get them to stop at your table. Sitting down and drawing in your sketchbook might feel tempting, but that's pretty much the best way to scare customers away; it makes you look as though you're not interested in selling anything.

... and those are my basic con-survival tips. Good luck!

[elixiadragmire]

Is thought Bubble a big convention ?

Rather big, 3 halls and around 300 tables in total. And yeah I was thinking a keychain of a characters NO ONES heard of wont sell. So yeah, cute things that are partly related would be best (small run too)

@AnnaLandin Yeah I've roped my husband into coming! We have a half table (since I wasn't sure I'd have enough stuff to sell) I'll have to research GOOD buttons, something cute perhaps. I was gonna use my logo but I'm not convinced. I'm actually printing a xerox version of my comic 6 pages in total to even sell dirt cheap or give away to gain interest.

[elixiadragmire]

also I think theres a zero tolerance policy on fanart (plus I don't feel comfortable)

[getsuart]

Oh yeah, that's big ! I checked the website, there will be cool guests too. Nice !

Fanarts sells a way faster than everything else. But if you don't feel comfortable with it, you're absolutely right to don't do it. I don't sell anything like this at conventions with my friends (only our comics and goodies from them !), and it works really well