So this month I’m doing a continuation of my Con write up. I made sure to take a picture of my display at Anime Boston. You can see all the display stuff I talked about last month.
RIGHT BEFORE THE SHOW
I make sure to get a good nights rest. Con hours can be 8-12 hours long. I don’t want to do that with very little sleep.
I also make sure I get a good breakfast and coffee. And then I get some snacks for behind the table.
I make sure my flyers are easy to grab.
SELLING AT THE SHOW
So then the people start coming in. I make sure to say hi to people who stop and hesitant in front of my table. I ask them what caught their eye, because that will help me where to start. That first hello is important. One time at con a man told me he was gonna by something simply because I was the only one who said hello to him.
Once someone starts browsing I give them an elevator pitch of each comic. An elevator of pitch is an explanation of your comic that you can tell someone in an elevator ride. It’s usually a sentence or two. Here’s all the elevator pitches I got.
- Sorcery 101 is about an inept sorcerer learning magic from a grumpy vampire.
- Misfits of Avalon is about magically girls who are jerks.
- From Scratch is about demon gangsters in the 1920s.
- Fame and Misfortune is a bodyguard with magical powers protecting a spoiled celebrity.
- The Better to Find You With is about a veterinarian and a werewolf solving a small town mystery.
- Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales is a series where each volume are tales from a different continent. The green one is Europe, the yellow one is Africa, and the pink one is Asia.
- Can I Pet Your Werewolf is cute goofy werewolf stories.
After giving those basic run downs I answer questions the customer has but mostly try to be quiet so they can flip through and think about if they want it. If someone asks what book is my favorite I usually say which ever book is selling slower than I expected. Or I say Sorcery 101 because that’s the heaviest book and I don’t want to take any of those home.
I also have a few deals at the table. People think of money in terms of $20 bills. Someone is just as likely to spend $15 dollars as they are $20. So From Scratch which is usually $7 goes down to $5 is it’s bought with another comic. People are most likely to get it with Misfits of Avalon since that is $15.
My totebags are also free for anyone who spends over $50 on books. That causes a lot of people who are buying Sorcery 101 which is very heavy to grab one more book, usually the 2nd volume.
BREAKS & STUFF
So I usually try my best to table next to a buddy who can watch my stuff while I grab lunch or look around the con. Being fed is kinda what’s most important. That’s why I mentioned having snacks beforehand.
I usually write down my elevator pitches for my table bud/helper to read so that it’s easy for someone who isn’t me to sell my books.
This also helps when I’m on panels. I try to be on panels a lot because they honestly help sales. I often have to be the one to organize it or at least know who is organizing it to be on them. So even if you’re a newbie at comics don’t be afraid to try and take steps to put together your own panel. Very often you can get new reader/customers from being on the.
AFTER THE SHOW
After I go home I count how many books I have left over. That’s the other reason those book numbers on the flaps of each box are helpful. If I brought 40 and have 12 left I know that next time I go to the show I should only bring 30. My notes look like this.
- Con Name
- plane/bus ticket costs _______
- table costs _______
- Hotel costs _______
- Sold _____ s101-1
- Sold ______ s101-2
- Sold _____ MOA1
- Final Cash _______
- Final Credit Sales ________
- Profit ________
That is what I will use when I pack everything up for the next time I’m going to the show. I will also note if anything special happened like a big commission.