The Ten Comic Convention Commandments
A short note analyzing and improving convention performance.
Look, let’s establish one thing. I do not have this machine figured out. But I wanted to share my meager experience after a very small book tour. I attended five conventions this year so far. This last stop was the Philly Fan Expo, if you are keeping track at home.
I forget if I told you- I am a writer.
First up- the marketing end.
TABLE COST- I am a guest pretty often, sometimes with my Antarctic Press publishing partner David Doub. (You are the best, David!) So I am comped a table basically. Thank you Kevin and team for being so great to me in Philadelphia. Guesting is also a part of my new book tour strategy and it works so far. Basically Doub and I try to “buddy system” our way through certain conventions. For example, a two man team has advantages in splitting hotel rooms, booth maintenance, and even the load in process is easier.
HOTEL- About $240 was my half for two nights.
FOOD- I packed most of my food, as I try to eat healthy on the road. We went out to dinner one night, that was about $50 USD.
GAS/TOLLS/PARKING- About $180 USD.
At the table, our sales were up, on all titles. WATER WARS: CHRONICLES sold out of its 3rd(!) printing, and the 2288 line sold out of Volume One, Volume Three, and Volume Four. CALL OF THE CRYPTID sold out all four covers. All floppy books are now a ten dollar price line. Customer response was very positive.
So, somewhat significantly, Earth Dog Studios sold more graphic novels than floppies. Which means we sold more $30 books than $10 books. For us that is a pretty positive sales metric. We will market the product now a little differently.
Also notable, for the second time, the CGC “slabbed books” were a hit for us with collectors. We offer 9.8 pre-screened books from our line, typically the Volume Ones, or the chrome enhanced covers, as seen below. These slabs are a $100 USD price point item, and now we sell three or four at each convention. Market indicators suggest this trend in collectibles will increase. Expect that we will increase this CGC presence, maybe even offering some high end Silver Age collectibles as well.
So, based on my recent experience, here are my Ten Comic Convention Commandments:
Drink enough water.
Eat healthy foods. Take a small cooler with your lunch and snacks. Try to avoid the processed food if possible.
Stretch before the load in! Haha. Seriously though.
Sleep at the right time. Protect your mental health. I know, this is kind of two things, but they go together. You will be exposed to a lot of sensory overload. Try to turn your brain “off”” when possible.
Try to experience some of the culture of the host city. Meet new and weird people. Whether it is the food, or the music, or even the architecture, this will be a great memory of your time.
Offer your potential customer some small free item. In my case, cool stickers, and sometimes trading cards. It’s kind of bait for the sale, truthfully, what we sometimes call the Elements of Discovery. More on that in the next post.
Engage with the customer. Ask about their tattoo. Ask about their favorite videogame. Ask about artists, or musicians. Make a connection. If a customer makes a lowball offer, consider taking the offer. You are in a huge pool, and you just got your shot. Try to upgrade the sale if possible, but the truth is, a customer found you… and that is what you wanted the whole time.
Anti-Fatigue Mat! This tip was suggested by Madeleine Holly-Rosing, and I love it. Since you will be essentially standing on concrete for three days straight, these small cushioned mats make a world of difference. Try it! If you don’t have one, you better have some comfortable shoes.
Use the buddy system, if it applies. A friend, or spouse, or just cool helpful person. Conventions are the definition of multi-tasking, and there is a ton of noise and visual stimulation. Some one to help count the change, to organize the racks, to politely chat the next customer… this is critical. I get it, though, some of you are solo acts. See the Tenth Commandment.
Become immediate friends with your booth neighbor. Offer any water or snack that you might have. Offer to cover the restroom breaks. If they have a problem (broken banner) help them fix it! Do not interfere with your neighbor’s process, which might be different than your own. Be respectful.
So I am very grateful for this learning experience at Four State Comic, Clandestine, and Fan Expo Philly! I hope my little review might be helpful to someone else. Thanks for following, and best of luck with your projects.
If you have any tips you would like to share… I would love to hear it in the comments!
Timothy B. Fling
Writer and Creator
"Ars longa, vita brevis."