[dc]T[/dc]his past weekend, I drove down to Fort Wayne, Indiana for Appleseed Comic Con. This was my first time attending the show, and I really enjoyed myself.
My table at Appleseed Comic Con.
Comic pal Dean Stahl joined me on the trek to Appleseed, keeping me from talking to myself on the long drive (too much). Fellow comic buddy Jay Jacot planned to come as well, but was sadly unable to attend at the last-minute. Drat! Next time, Jacot. Next time.
A Focus On Creators
Appleseed Comic Con puts a focus on creators over pop culture media guests, granting creators a free table after passing a jury process. I don’t have anything against shows with a pop culture focus, as they can bring in a lot of people. I do like it when shows go out of their way to focus on creators though (see also: MSU Comics Forum and SPACE). And yes, actors are creators too—you can’t have an on-screen character without an actor.
The Crowd
Since this was my first year at Appleseed, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of the crowd. I also don’t know how this year compared to earlier shows in terms of attendance. The crowd was steady though, and plenty of people stopped to look at my comics and art, and chatted with me—always good!
I keep a lucky cat (aka a maneki neko in Japanese) on my table, which I bought at EPCOT’s Japan Pavilion while on our Disney World honeymoon. My lucky cat works as an eye-catcher, as lots of attendees stopped to look, pet, or pick-up it up. I had so many people wanting to buy it, I ended up painting this cartoon to sell.
That darn lucky cat.
Making Connections
After the show on Saturday, Dean and I enjoyed dinner, drinks, and chats with fellow creators Bruce Worden (Goodnight Keith Moon, Woodstalk) and Travis Horseman (writer/creator of Amiculus: A Secret History).
I spotted a familiar print on my way into the hall on Sunday and met Greg Schmidt, who I’ve followed on Etsy for a while now (his shop is the brilliantly named Schmidt n’ Giggle). Greg and I talked Etsy shop for a bit. I didn’t even know Greg was attending Appleseed, so it was a nice random surprise to meet him in person.
I need to get better at leaving my table to meet folks during show hours, but it is difficult when I’m at a show by myself.
Still, even a few new connections are better than zero new connections and make the trip worthwhile.
Being Social
I upped my social media game at Appleseed, trying to use my Instagram and Twitter with the #AppleseedComicCon hashtag to attract attendees to my table. If it worked, I can’t really say, as no one mentioned seeing my updates or photos online. I will keep this up for future shows though, including this weekend at Cherry Capital Comic Con.
I have ideas about trying to tie-in social media updates with deals at my table (ex: show me this tweet/Instagram photo, get a discount or a free sticker or whatever).
What Sold at Appleseed?
A random watercolor cartoon. Ghost + flying + wizard + dinosaur.
Considering it was my first time at Appleseed, and it was an out-of-state show (no home ice advantage), I’m happy with how I did. I’ve learned the more times you attend a specific show, the better you do (folks remember you, want your new stuff, etc).
I sold two coloring books, two copies of Chocolate Quest, two random cartoons (one black and white, the other watercolor), a 4×6 watercolor cartoon, a mini-watercolor cartoon, several mini-comics, a few buttons (new item!), and stickers.
Random cartoon at Appleseed. Ghost + happy + angry + dragon.
I didn’t sell as many coloring books as I hoped, but two for the event is still great (and close to my average so far: 3 to 4 per event). I am very happy I sold two copies of Chocolate Quest though, because those books are over a year old (dating back to last year’s SPACE). I only have one copy left of the original 15 I made available–and when the last one is gone, that’s it for those books.
My new mini-buttons (made for me here in Lansing by Mouse and Monkey) caught plenty of eyes and sold well. They acted as a good conversation starter too, because I could talk about my characters on each.
My new buttons. Or pins. Whatever.
Wrap Up
I talked to a lot of attendees at my table all weekend, which is good: people at least stopped at my table to chat and learn more about my comics and art. All in all, a great convention weekend. Appleseed is a fun show with a good vibe and a great crowd.
