What Is The Best Indie Event To Sell And Promote Your New Comic?

[peculiarpapel]

I'm new to the whole comic thing but love to draw and have so many ideas. Finally created my new series and am excited to promote it. I like art events and am looking for events around the country that may help further my circle. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.

[PotooGryphon]

Comic conventions and comic book store events are always great fun and a great way to get your art known within your own community or nationally if you travel from convention to convention. Also making little postcard flyers or mini comics to leave at comic book stores for costumers to pick up is a great grass roots way to do it. And most comic book stores are really cool about that, if you ask permission to leave the freebies for their costumers. Here's a great website that lists a bunch of comic conventions: www.conventionscene.com . I use that site to plan out my convention season. And for comic book stores, just follow them on social media or ask them what events they have planned. Some of them are willing to create an event if it means having an artist at their store (I give free sketch cards to kids at those events).

[PotooGryphon]

However, conventions and events can be very expensive upfront with little returns, in the beginning. Internet is the best way to promote. Post your artwork everywhere you can, join forums, and become apart of those internet communities. That's the best way.

[TheWhiteRose]

In a recent interview I did with Mike Collins from Marvel studios his words to me where.
Show it to your friends, you're family, everyone you know and random strangers just share it.
Go to local hobby stores and share it there.

I should really get that interview up on YouTube.

[MylCreates]

Nice topic, I think I'd actually like to hear the vibes of certain conventions and whatnot. The cons I go to around my place are pretty big, but have become more about fan-art based profit and franchising rather than indie-creator type. While some of the other Tapastic user's I've talked to on here have been to conventions where their mentality is completely different and support indie users more than mainstream fan-works.

[PotooGryphon]

I've noticed a big incline in fan-art based sellers are conventions as well. I sell a few fan art pieces as well at my table, though it's more of an ice breaker to draw people in since my comic characters aren't as recognized yet. Artist that sell fan art prints usually do very well at conventions. Comic book store events have been the best place to sell books for me. Costumers are already there with the idea of buying comic books, where I think at some conventions it's more of what novelty items catch their eye and show off their cosplay. It depends on the convention. Small Press Expo is all about indie creators and do it yourself creations, and some of the larger events you'll see more fan-art and cash grab stands.

[thejollity]

I agree with @MylCreates in that each con has its own vibe. I personally think you gotta attend the con first and feel it out—how's the Artist Alley? Are there a lot of indie creators? How's the fanart to original work ratio? Is it more of a cosplay scene than an indie artist scene? You can generalize sometimes, like most anime conventions skew heavily toward cosplay and fanart, etc but it's way better to actually attend. Attend a show first, talk to the creators and ask them about it. Of course, this can mean not even having a booth at the con for the year (or all the cons, for the entire year), but it's well worth your time to do your research this way and get some real advice. Heck, you can even promote your comic to them! I find that most comic creators love to talk shop with others so it'd be totally cool to just say "hey I've got a comic too, wanna see it? Have any advice?"

So yeah, go forth, do your research, and be patient... you wanna have some idea of what you're gonna do before you do it

[peculiarpapel]

Thanks for the link. I will check it out.

[MylCreates]

Almost all the conventions I've been to have been on the larger scale (not too many around where I live which are on the smaller scale. But I think I've started to develop a preference for the smaller conventions just because the vibe isn't so strained and intense as it is at big cons. However big cons do allow a ton of foottraffic

[PotooGryphon]

I love the smaller conventions. They're usually cheaper to table at (sometimes even free to table), and I usually make back all expenses and a little extra profit. They also have a great intimate chill vibe about them. I love conventions ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
There's a great kids comic event in Michigan each year called Kids Read Comics. It's completely free to table, and it's all about encouraging kids into art and reading. There's a bunch of panel/events for kids, where the artists tabling host the panel and teach a room full of kids some fun art themed thing. Last year, I was apart of a Art and Music panel where they'd play a range of music from classic to rock and the kids had to draw the first thing that came to mind from the music. It's hosted by the Ann Arbor District Library and they provided free coffee and lunch for the artists. Events like that are the greatest!

[michaelson]

It's really dependent on the type of convention you are planning on attending.

If you're going to a bigger, more commercial convention such as Wondercon, San Diego Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con, then you might want to try selling more fan art. Bigger conventions usually are comprised of fans of already existing properties (i.e. Marvel Comics, MLP, etc). It's just what sells better.

But for smaller events, like a small press expo, you've got a great audience that is looking for content that isn't based on existing IP.

I was at Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco the other weekend and about 95% of the convention was all creator owned work - I saw very little fan art and sales were great at that show.

[slimejello]

Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD is wonderful. You don't even really need a table, I've seen quite a few people trading and outright giving away their work for the exposure. It's all indie comics for the most part.

[peculiarpapel]

Thank you for the reply. This looks like an intimate gathering. I will definitely check this event out.

[Bree_Mana]

one thing I do just for fun which has had the occasional result is I draw one of my characters on those little pen tester papers you find at art stores and leave links to mu comic and social media. wouldn't say its the best way but it doesn't take much time and its free

[ratique]

[ratique]

Closing thread due to old age.