[dc]C[/dc]onventions are great, and conventions are exhausting. This past weekend’s Cherry Capital Comic Con was no exception on both fronts. A great show, and greatly exhausting (in a good way).
Comic conventions (and similar events) are exhausting for any artist, but for introverted folks like me, it is like a triathlon¹. Every day of the show.
At my artist alley table on Friday. I’m so tired. Photo by Stephanie.
How Did I Do at Cherry Capital Comic Con?
Outstanding. Cherry Capital Comic Con (C4) was my best showing to date, and it may have been the largest I attended (I don’t know how the attendance compares to SPACE²).
The crowds were pretty consistent at C4, even during the three-hour ‘free preview’ on Friday night—which netted me a few sales.
Speaking of sales, let’s talk my C4 numbers.
Sleep is For Closers
My sales gross for C4 (Fri., Sat., Sun.): $219
This amount may not look like a lot to some, but this was my largest convention gross to date (a reminder: 2014 is my first year selling stuff at comic shows).
Feb: MSU Comics Forum – $37
April: SPACE – $18
May: Free Comic Book Day – $78
May: Cherry Capital Comic Con – $219
Yes, I did better at the MSU Comics Forum than SPACE, but I would say at least half of my sales were local buddies who came to show support. Plus, MSU Comics Forum and Free Comic Book Day are free events, and did not have an entry fee.
Worth noting: I overhauled my pricing structure after SPACE and saw immediate results on Free Comic Book Day (every show is a learning experience). Going to shows is the best way to learn what to charge for items.
What Sold So Well at C4?
Prints. Prints. Prints.
I collaborated on a C4 print with Adam Talley and Sherief Abouelseoud, and sold out my entire run.
I drew Donatello.
I bought extra prints off Adam and sold those too, so I sold 13 total.³
I additionally sold seven of my Wolverine “I’m a Michigan State Fan” prints.
Combined, I sold 20 prints.
Lesson learned: folks like show specific prints, and large color prints. I’m sure saying the print was a show exclusive (Adam’s idea) helped get me more than a few sales. I also made sure to point out Adam and Sherief would sign the print too.
Sketch cards sold well too. I had two ‘three for the price of two’ sales and one single card sale. Again, my binder of colorful sketch cards acted as a great eye-catcher for passersby. You can buy my sketch cards online now, via my Storenvy store.
Artist Alley Table Heat Map
Over the weekend, I think I figured out the sweet spot for selling prints: right in front of me on the table. This was where I placed the TMNT prints, and when they sold out, I filled the spot with my Wolverine print.
I also had the Wolverine print on my wire-grid tower, but the print sold better when it was directly in front of me (the tower location caught a lot of eyes though).
Art or Books?
The first random sketch I sold.
While I sold a few mini-comics (and one Chocolate Quest book), the art side of my inventory did the best. I even sold a couple random sketches (the second I sold mere minutes after creating a ‘buy a silly sketch’ sign on Sunday). Inspriation to do random sketches (combining words and drawing the result) came from David Malki’s Roll-A-Sketch system (read his hilarious comic, Wondermark).
The second random sketch I sold. I was asked to work in a black hole.
I will still sell my mini-comics, there is no reason not to (especially for only $1), but I probably won’t focus on them so much in the future—I’ll save that prime artist alley real estate for prints and such.
Of course, ‘real’ comic collections—not just a single page folded into a booklet—would probably do better. One thing at a time. I would love to sell nice collections of my comic strips, but assembling a book is a lot of work—then there is the cost.
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¹ And I took part in a triathlon a few years ago, so I know what I’m talking about.
² Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo. I exhibited there in April.
³ If you subtract my sales of the collaborative print, I still had a great show and made a little more than Free Comic Book Day—and, if I didn’t have the TMNT prints, I would have focused on my own more.
