This is a quick show debrief. It is not specifically technology related, but I thought some of you might find it interesting.
Traditional wisdom suggests that having a table at a comic con is not really the best use of your time and resources if you only have a single issue to sell. Doing so is unlikely to be profitable.
However, when an industry friend, John Anderson of Soaring Penguin Press, offered me a section of his corner table at Westcoast Comic Con for a very reasonable price, I took advantage of the offer. I had no aspirations of making any sales. Instead, I wanted to use it as a learning exercise. The opportunity to do a trial run, trying to sell The Lump Sum Saga at a smaller, low-cost show, was just too good an opportunity to pass up.
A few things I learned and a cost/revenue breakdown follow.
Location, location, location
Held in the Maritime Labour Centre, this union building was ideal for this show. It was just the right size, with great air conditioning (on one of the hottest days of the year, this was critical) and lots of parking. It was easy to find even though it was in an unfamiliar part of the city.
Our table placement was perfect as we were directly visible to the people at the entrance who were lined up to get into the hall. We were even provided padded chairs, although I did my best to stay standing most of the day.
To ask in the future:
◦ Is the venue easy to find?
◦ Is my table easy to discover?
◦ Is there air conditioning?
Who was there?
This was the perfect show to find that special issue for your list, with many tables covered in long boxes. I’d venture to guess that only about a quarter of the tables were occupied by creators. I didn’t have a sense of whether that worked in my favour or against me. I suspect the latter.
I sold way more to female customers than expected, given the approximately 70M-30F mix of people at the show. That insight will affect my marketing decisions in future campaigns.
To ask:
◦ Who is tabling at the show?
◦ Who is likely to attend the show?
Cats
John set up on the corner of our booth, and I watched which of his books attracted the most attention. The two books featuring cats on the cover were frequently picked up, a trend that gives me hope for my next issue, Lump Dog. I believe having a pet-themed release of The Lump Sum Saga will make the story more accessible to a wider audience. Pet lover affinity drove interest.
◦ Is there a way to tap into the pet owner market with “Lump Dog” and future characters?
Revision Needed
I need to work on my pitch. I quickly discovered that “Redwall Meets the Martian with a Twilight Zone Twist” failed hard as it referenced things the young whippersnappers people just did not know.
I also did not sell any variant covers. This could be the nature of this particular show, but one modification I will make in the future is placing more items “higher” on the table. Creator John Ward (The Acausal) had a cool collapsable stand at his booth that I think I want to get.
Oops! The Learning Tax
There were two things I purchased for the show that were a mistake.
I purchased a WisePad 3 card reader. I didn't realize it required my Shopify store (tlsscomics.com) to work in Canadian dollars. Most of my online traffic is from the US, so the default currency is the US dollar. The $30 restocking fee made it not really worth trying to send it back. (Does anyone need one?)
The other thing I’d buy differently is the dolly that I purchased. The one I used did not include a fold-flat option. In retrospect, I’d like to have a collapsible wagon.
Do that again!
Two things I brought were lifesavers.
The first was water. I brought two “swell bottles” and probably could have used three.
The other was a set of interlocking foam tiles. Standing on concrete all day would have been brutal. Thank you to everyone who suggested these!
Oops! Not here.
My only regret from the show is that I let myself get sucked into a debate about NFTs. In the grand scheme of things, it was a cordial discussion but from the “read the room” perspective, talking about NFTs at this comic con was still a bad idea. It was like hyping the merits of baseball at a European soccer match. Even if it’s not offending anyone, it was still not the place for it.
Reminder to self: You wrote a dang book already. Deflect!
Networking Opportunities
Even standing behind a table, I had the pleasure of meeting some cool folks at this show. I had a good chat with one of the principals of the BAM! app ( I may talk about this in the future). I was also reminded that grant opportunities from both the Provincial and Federal governments may exist. Last, there was no shortage of people looking for tips on how to get into the business and be published. (I need to start carrying cards for Comics Experience!)
For follow-up:
◆ BAM app
◆ Grants - Canada Council for the Arts
◆ Grants - BC Arts Council
The Financials
Technically, I lost money (not to mention time) tabling at this show. But if you take out the items I’ll be able to use again at future cons, I came pretty close to breaking even, even with my “oops” purchases. I had low expectations, so my first experience tabling at a show exceeded my expectations. As they say, “I’d do that again.”
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