Von, thank you so much for these reports. They provide a lot of hard things to think about. I think a lot of the answers to some of the questions you've been implying may be in some of the things my friend teribryant (or harriet_m_welsh) has written about concerning her own business, and in some of the earlier work of gapingvoidtest, but I'm not certain what goes with what, yet. And certainly there are always more questions.

Particularly Teri, who runs the Black Drop Coffee House and deals in something called relationship coffee. She'd be a good one to trade ideas with.

But you spur me. I need to get off my butt about a couple of things. Particularly reviewing my contemporaries' works.

Is there some way I could get a hold of one of your galleys to review on my main comic site?

http://www.harmlessfreeradicals.com/

I'll even buy it, if you have a Lulu store still up.

Excellent post...but next time I demand veto power on any picture with me in it. :P

Moggy

Sorry, man, I don't get it. I'm not in the business of comics to make it rich, but I can't justify LOSING that much money on it. I'd like to comment here, but it seems like our convention philosophies are so far apart I don't know where to begin.

I respect what you're trying to do here but I'm afraid I wildly disagree with your tactics. Best of luck though, and thanks again for sharing this with us--I think a public dialogue about this kind of stuff can be really helpful to all.

Found your post via The Comics Reporter.

I exhibited for the first time at MoCCA 2006, and gave away perhaps 20 ashcans to people who openly came out and offered to review them in their blogs. From those people, almost a year later, not one single review, blog post, nothing. Well, one of those 20 people did post the sketch I did in the back of his minicomic on his flickr account, but the promised review was not to be found. I don't know if those folks were deliberately deceiving me in order to get free stuff, of if they were well-meaning and honestly intended to get around to a review but never did, but either way, as far as I can tell, I got no tangible or intangible ROI for those comp copies. (your point about goodwill generating potential future customers is well taken, though, but I have no data yet to support whether or not that is happening)

So, as a result, I've decided that this year I will not be giving comp copies to anyone who does not have legit press or blog credentials (The Beat, The Comics Reporter, The Pulse, CBR Comics Should Be Good, Comics Buyer's Guide, The Comics Journal, etc) or is not a legit indie publisher (AdHouse, SLG, First Second, Top Shelf, etc). I just can't afford the cut out of my bottom line.

BUT! I did get some web coverage from people who paid for my ashcans. My sister-in-law has a theory about this, independent of my personal experience, that if people pay for something, that can increase their perception of the value of the thing, regardless of a thing's actual worth. There are two approaches to pricing in her theory. One is to price low (Hey, I got this minicomic, it is really, really good, and it only cost $1! What an awesome deal!), and the other is to price slightly higher than average (I paid $15 for these minicomics, and they are worth every penny). So the trick there seems to be in trying to balance an honest assessment of the quality of your work against what people have to pay for that level of quality from other creators. Charge too little, and if the quality isn't there, the buyer may be annoyed. Charge too much, and sticker shock can drive away even people who are genuinely excited about your work. Charge nothing, and risk the perception that the object is actually worth nothing, or very little.

Anyway, I'm not trying to say you should charge, or that comping stuff has affected anyone's perception of your work. I'm just saying that I noticed I didn't get any of the promised press or positive web-vibes on comps either, but that I did get positivity from people who bought.

Looking forward to reading the next post in the series. Thanks.

Hi, I just wandered over from Fenmere's lj and had some thoughts for you. Now, I see clearly that there's quite a long discussion already that I have only skimmed over. So, if I'm rehashing an argument, the blame is totally mine.
Anyways, as someone who has a fairly full con schedule each year and as someone who no longer loses money at cons (read: breaking even is a success, making proft is a TREMENDOUS success), a few things did send up a few red flags for me.
I tend to believe that giving away free stuff doesn't promote readership as much as one might think. Logically, sure. Give it to someone for free, they'll read it, and they'll love it and hopefully they'll come back and buy more. Right?
People go to cons with money. It's WHY they go. I would rather give someone a lower price on my comic who seems on the fence, than give it to them for free. And there's a reason for that. passing out dozens of free "swag" to folks as they walk by can be seen as a sign of desperation. You should go in with the attitude that your work is GOOD ENOUGH TO SELL. If you feel that no one will read your book if it's not free, then you might just be right.
Granted, I'm talking in generalities, but it's something to keep in mind. At a con, I was selling a 4 page preview of one of my books for $1. It was specifically made as a recap and intro into my main story and frankly, could have given it out for free. But I sold them all and sold my main book (which was $2) as well. There's nothing wrong with making people a deal, moneywise, but the fact is that if they like your book, they'll buy it.
I have a rule about cons, and it's not steadfast, but it's been right more than it's been wrong:
The level of someone's hustling has a direct correlation to the quality of their book.
More often than not, I'm scared away by people hollering out to me and sticking fliers in my face at indy cons. And more often than not, their work is terrible. I have a deep, personal dislike for the Carnival Shill method of selling at an Indy con.
Again, I'm talking generalities and, as I wasn't at APE, I'm certainly not accusing you of any of this. Just things to mull over, I suppose :)
As a final note, however...
Ditch the candy bowl. I hate when people do that. It's cheap and usually drives me away from a table. It's less "Let's make a warm inviting atmosphere" and more "Let's lure them in with candy and then they'll buy books!" Let the quality of your books lure them in. :)
That's my golden rule. And it might be overly-optimistic of me. But I like to think that if the work is good, people will find it.
Best of luck, and I'll keep tabs on this conversation.

Hm.

This resonated with me more than your earlier "math" post because it better quantified the reasons you went to the cons -- getting the name out there, not trying to make money.

The two times I went to APE, I didn't get a table -- the whole purpose was to walk around, shake hands, talk to people, the whole "networking" schtick. Difficult to quantify the success on that, other than "did I have a good time?" (For the record, great time in 2004, not so much in 2006... but that may have had nothing to do with the con.)

Do you think you would have been better served walking around and finding people, as opposed to having them find you?

(I have more thoughts, but they're more appropriate for our ongoing email conversation...)

Von,

THANK YOU for sparking this discussion! I've read your posts but only browsed the comments, where I see plenty more meat in this meal, and frankly your thoughts have already filled me up! I need to digest and waddle back for more later. I've exhibited at APE for five years, the first time was APE's last in that wharf warehouse location, and while every year seems unique, every year also seems the same. I've been trying to pinpoint the science of engaging attendees, and I'm intrigued and dumbfounded that my selling and your free distribution seemingly offer little difference in whether or not folks will offer interest. I hate to gripe, but you made some implications in your post, that the Con folks simply don't help attendees unless they help themselves -- that full page is the only reason you made the floor, obviously. The fact that they wouldn't provide a list of attending media is indicative . . . oh, I can go on forever, as this post very well might. All this is to say, I'm the A Comic A Day guy and you were kind enough to comment on my blog. I DO have your mini and will review it in the next few days. Knowing your evaluation of the event (and DIGGING it) will jade me a bit, but in your favor, rest assured! Drop me a line at karaokefanboy@hotmail.com or acomicaday.blogspot.com soon.

Excellent con report, and a great discussion on con philosophy. Here's my basic approach, for what it's worth. A lot might not apply since I do a webcomic.

During the first year of my comic, I mostly walked around cons, talked to folks, and hung out at the bar at the end of the day getting to know people. It was mostly for work (Lulu.com), but it was a great education. This year none of the cons I'm attending are work-related.

When I felt that I had enough material and a basic understanding of what I felt comfortable with, I got a table (HeroesCon '05). My main strategy was to give away a simple 8-page mini, and chat up anyone who stopped to look. I made about $100. The next year, I got a half table - and sold at least twice as much. People remembered me from the year before, and were happy to see me again. They had that great 'Hey, I know that guy!' moment, and it made them want to support my work. I also has a lot more stuff to sell, and at a big price spread:

$20 - Color collection (2 of these).
$10 - B&W version of the same collections.
$5 - An essay collection (great counter-programming
for moms and dads)
$1 - Mini-comics (two of these).
$.25 - Buttons (Dozens of designs, I own a button maker).
Free - A micro-mini that I give away - it has the basic
introduction to my comics and the URL of my site.

This way, *anyone* who stops at my table has something they can afford, even kids with a handful of quarters. If someone lingers for a few seconds, I'll usually hand them a free micro-mini and it's enough of a novelty that they read it right there. At least half will laugh or go 'Aww!' and that's the point that I tell them about the strip, how long I've been doing it, how many are on my site, and mention that the collections are available in B&W or Color (and at that point I pick up a color book to show them, and put it in their hands if they are interested).

I stay seated for most of this to appear less threatening. I'm usually working on a comic so they know I'm the artist. You get a lot better response when people realize they're talking to the creator instead of a salesman. I recently found that making buttons is a good thing to do - people are really fascinated by that, and you can make someone a 'custom' button for fifty cents and they're really jazzed.

I'm still only looking to break even at cons and build my audience, but it seems to work pretty well. I notice a 15-20% uptick in traffic after every con, and I'm not losing too much money - it's about the same amount as if I had merely attended the con as a fan.

Make sure you have someone to watch your table so you can take a break, lunch, etc... If there's a lull (Fridays are good for this), walk around and talk to folks, see how other people are doing. Buy some stuff! You're at a con, support your fellow artists. After the con, go to the hotel bar and hang out with a sketchbook - odds are good that someone you talked to during the day will stop by. Offer to buy them a drink and hang out. Pass a sketchbook around, it's a great souvenir.

Above all, be friendly, have fun, and be yourself. Cons can be a lot of fun with the right attitude. I mean, how often do you get to meet fans, make new ones, and hang out with your fellow artists? :-)

Von,

Interesting subject. (just to let you know, I found out about your blog via "Comics Worth Reading")

I just got back from the Pittsburgh Con this past weekend and was surprised how well it was run and how inviting it was for Small Publishers. I've done SPX a few times, MoCCA and APE in the past. I have various things for sell at different prices. Comics, cards, t-shirts, etc... (just to let you know, of all the cons I've done in the last 6-8 years my worst experience outside of Wizard shows was at APE.)

I see that your idea for getting your work out has a lot of merit, though through personal experience I've found that giveaways are for the most part disposed. (which I guess makes some sense since folks wouldn't toss out soething they bought).

Here's my plan for this year. I started by sending copies of my latest book to many online reviewers and bloggers and to printed publications, late in 2006 (just after I debuted the book at SPX). Thanks to reviews in ToyFare & CBG and along with Online sites, it gave me quite a lot of feedback and a lot of awareness (without ever leaving my house). This helped to set me up for 2007.

I decided to attend three cons (at least) this year (Pittsburgh in April, MoCCA in June and SPX in October) They're spread out through the year, are in different areas and are different sizes.

Much like I did this past weekend I sell comics and merchandise at reasonable prices and pass out business cards. I met a nice arrangement of people, some who have already got back in touch with me. I've discovered through past experience, unless someone is really blown away by your work, they tend to give you more notice if you're actually at a table or booth, rather than just walking around (don't ask me why)

I learned a lot of pros & cons this past weekend, and will use that to better my show in June.

Von, if you ever want to ask any questions or share ideas, feel free to e-mail me at baboonbooks@comcast.net (or stop by my site at http://www.baboonbooks.com/ )

After all, we're all in this together!

Richard

Forgot to add this in my last post.

I have and continue to place a candy bowl on my table. I never thought of it as cheap.
Why?

• I have a unique bowl, that always gets a conversation started (brought dozens over this past weekend)
• I like giving something to people, whether it's candy or stickers, etc... There are plenty of people they could be chatting with throughout a show and while I'm not the type to yell and get animated to bring people over, a thoughtful gesture shouldn't turn people away.
• And perhaps most importantly, I was an Art Director for this particular Candy/Gum company for five years. I feel that we produced a nice product and am proud of the artwork I did for the confections.


Richard

hey von--
thanks for posting your con report on trade secrets! i'll grant you, most of my pluses in the con were that a) i sold a fair amount of prints and b) i was starved for art people so just being able to talk with people was really enjoyable for me. it did seem quieter (more patchy) than i expected-- but then i also had a few deluges where i had several people at the table and that was good. but there were certain things (like the guy who runs fantagraphics totally overlooking my half of the table, but i guess that's fair) that were a little disappointing. my tablemates said it was quieter than usual, but i don't know. cons are tricky beasts, i think. it seems (from my outsider point of view) that they can generate some buzz but also publicizing (through the internet or whatnot) beforehand help. that said, i got pretty good traffic for being in the back on one of the sides... i don't know. i don't think i could do it constantly though-- there were times i felt like hanging myself from the rafters, i was so bored. (mostly on sunday and getting to the end of the days...time moved SO SLOW)

i think my main complaint with the con as a whole is it was a little disorienting-- i couldn't really check out everything. and also, a) i wasn't too into the con talks and b) had no idea where they were being held. when i went to MoCCA it was much easier.

i better shut up now. but it's good to hear your perspective on the whole situation-- i won't say it was the best thing ever but in its own way it helped a lot for me.
-meg
http://tradesecrets.wordpress.com
http://www.meghunt.com