#22: Baltimore Comic-Con:
Thoughts from my First Big Show- Part I
Hey everybody! I'm back with a special post-Baltimore Comic Con edition of Creating Comics! Baltimore was the biggest comics convention I've ever done. The guest list was incredible, the Harvey Awards took place in Baltimore that weekend, and it was all comics in B'more. The many hours of solo driving travel to the show took its toll and I think I'm still recovering. However, I have had time to digest my experience (it was awesome!) and I wanted to share Ten Things I Think I Think (to borrow from SI's Peter King) about major cons and Baltimore in particular. This has unexpectedly turned into a two-parter, as I have a lot say. This article will cover the first five, and then I'll wrap it up next week. A word of warning- I will be doing a fair amount of name dropping of people I interacted with and I'll be talking more about my own stuff than I usually do, because that's the filter through which I experienced Baltimore. Let's get to it.
(Issues of Super Seed, Over, prints, sketch cards, sketch books, an anthology book, promo postcards and portfolios. Yup, I used every square inch of my table.)
# 1. It's time for a cart with some wheels! I came fully loaded to Baltimore. I reserved a table in artist's alley, and I was going to make damn sure I filled every square inch of it. All in, I carted over 100 comic books, about 1000 postcards, a stack of sketches, three plastic display cases, a toolbox full of con supplies, multiple art portfolios and prints, and my 3' x 6' banner with homemade 10-piece PVC pipe banner stand. Maybe that doesn't sound like all that much, but all told I was probably hauling 75 pounds of stuff to the show. And (as a man) I was determined to carry it all by myself, in one trip. Let me tell ya, I was sweating and in need of a back cracking by the time I made it the three blocks from the parking garage to the convention center. And while I'm not a violent person, I almost accosted the smiling creator with a handtruck who cruised right on past me Saturday morning. So, yeah, next time, I'm carting my stuff with something that has wheels.
# 2. Less might mean more. (Sales that is.) About halfway into Saturday, having done my pitch multiple times, I had a bit of an epiphany. I had too much stuff on my table. On the one hand, I'm pretty happy with the work I've done to expand my brand and branch out into different genres. "If you're into superheroes, you might like my book Super Seed. If you could care less about supers, well, Over or Tears of the Dragon might be more your speed. No? Well, check out ICE: Interrogation Control Element for something a little more serious and topical..." This was basically what I was doing. I had a table full of different genres of comics I was trying to sell. I was promoting my webcomics. I was selling sketch cards, sketches and sketchbooks. I wonder though, if I actually would have done better had I had half as much on my table and a stronger, clearer pitch message. Think about it, when Brad Pitt goes on the late night promo circuit, he's there promoting one movie, his latest movie...not everything he's ever done. Looking around at most of the creators who were tabling, they were all primarily pitching one series. Maybe they had one or two other things, they were selling, but most were more focused than I was. It would be tough to go to a show and leave some of the products I have available back home, but I might experiment at the next show I do by focusing my message on just one or two products.
(Sketch cards were a lot of fun. I probably drew 12 over the course of the con.)
# 3. It's a great thing when people live up to their good reputations. One of the greatest things about making comics today is the wide array of social networking tools that enable those of us who love the medium to interact. Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to "meet" a number of great creators doing cool stuff online. One of the best things about conventions, though, is it provides an opportunity to meet some of these people for real. I had the opportunity to talk with a bunch of guys I've been chatting with here and there online, guys like Daniel Govar, creator of Azure for Zuda Comics, and Stephen Lindsay, the writer of Jesus Hates Zombies and a host of other cool webcomics. I also got to meet Comic Related's own C. Edward Sellner of Visionary Comics. It's always fun to putting actual faces to online personas, and cons are a great place for that.
In addition to people I've had previous online interaction with, I enjoyed the opportunity to introduce myself to Brad Guigar (Evil, Inc. and Webcomics.com) and Danielle Corsetto (Girls With Slingshots.) There's a reason these guys are so popular in webcomics. Sure, a lot has to do with talent and hard work, but it helps a ton that they are incredibly approachable, engaging and just plain nice folks.
#4. Big shows are expensive. Let's not sugar coat things here. Conventions are a lot of fun, but you're going to pay for that fun. This year, I've really tried to approach my comic creating as any other business. As such, it's important to be realistic about costs. Here's a basic rundown of what the
Baltimore show cost me:
$200 - Full 6 foot table in Artist's Alley - $75 - Gas (3 Tanks )
- $40 - Tolls
- $20 - Parking (2 days)
- $20 - Marketing
- $107 - Print Cost of Comics Sold
$442 - Total
I'm not even including the money I spent on food, which wasn't much (although con food is notoriously pricey.) And I'm not including anything I purchased at the show (actually the only thing I picked up was Book 1 of Girls With Slingshots from Danielle Corsetto.) I'm also not factoring in the opportunity costs of what my time is worth, as I spent close to 40 hours last weekend either at the show, setting up, or driving. And I managed to keep costs down by crashing at a friend's place Friday and Saturday night in DC. It could have been a lot worse had I had to fly and get a hotel. Creating comics is incredibly fun and conventions are great, but don't kid yourself...it can be an expensive endeavor and those costs add up quickly.
(Don't be silly. I'm not in comics for the money. I'm in it for the chicks.)
#5. "Breaking even," "Doing well," and "Having a good show," mean different things to different people. I just shared my costs with you. Now let's talk sales. By the end of the day Sunday, I totaled $261 worth of sales. Here's what I sold (Title, Price, Quantity, Total):
- Over #1, $3.00, 7, $21
- Over #1- Artist's Edition, $10.00, 7, $70
- Super Seed #1, $4.00, 4, $16
- Super Seed #2, $4,00, 1, $4
- TJC Presents #1, $5.00, 5, $25
- TJC Sketchbook #1, $15.00, 3, $45
- Sketches, $8.00, 4, $32
- Sketch Cards, $2.00, 4, $8
- Comics Bundle (5 Comics + Print), $20, 2, $40
When it comes to numbers in comics, many of us hide the truth. Creators often inflate their sales numbers for books or page views for webcomics, or just choose not to speak in specifics. I'm not going to do that here. I want to be completely honest with readers, so they know exactly what they're getting themselves into if they choose to give this comics thing a shot. Hence, me laying out exactly what I did at Baltimore above.
Was this a "good" show for me? It's all in how you look at it. On the one hand, this is the most I've ever made at a show. I beat my previous sales high (Boston Comic Con) on the first day. So, sure that was nice. I've found creators will vary in their opinions of what makes a successful show. Some come realistically hoping to simply "make table" or cover the costs of reserving the space in artist's alley. Sure, I made table. The problem with that measure is it doesn't take into account ALL those other costs I listed above, which are considerable.
Another measure some creators strive for is simply to "break even." Clearly, I did not break even. And in fact, had I not been sketching my butt off, which wasn't something I necessarily planned to do at this show, I might not have even made table. From a straight business perspective, some might not look at a show as successful until you make a profit, that is, sell more than your total cost. I'd definitely love to be able to make a profit from these shows...maybe next year.
For me, I'd be lying if I said sales didn't matter. One of the ways we express valuation in our society is through the transaction of money, so selling books, art, and what have you does provide a feeling of validation. However, there are plenty of other reasons to attend a show than purely financial. Ken Drab at the table next to me was there just to promote his webcomic Rick the Stick, and seemed to have a blast doing it. And for me, it'll definitely be the people I met and the conversations I had that I'll remember, not the dollars.
So, yeah, it was a good show.
NEXT: Baltimore Comic Con- Part II
Tyler James is a comics creator residing in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He writes and draws Over, a romantic comedy online graphic novel updating every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He also writes Tears of the Dragon, an epic fantasy webcomic. His work has been featured at Zuda Comics, and includes Interrogation Control Element, a political action thriller, and Super Seed, the story of the world's first super powered fertility clinic. When not making comics, Tyler works as a game designer and content producer for a software company.
Contact Tyler directly at tylerjamescomics@gmail.com, keep up with him at his blog, or follow him on Twitter.
Previous Columns
1: Big Goals
2: Resolutions
3: The Great Idea
4: Research Part I
5: Research Part II
6: The Killer Pitch Part I - The High Concept
7: The Killer Pitch Part II - The Synopsis
8: Pay Your Artists
9: Zuda Comics- A Tale of Five Submissions
10: Creating Great Characters Part I (Or Why Wolverine is Everywhere)
11: Creating Great Characters Part II (Or Why Wolverine is Everywhere)
12: Structurally Sound- The Beginning
13: Your Reputation
14: Structurally Sound- The Middle
15: Structurally Sound - The End
16: Your First Con
17: Beat It
18: Memorable Scenes
19: Mailbag
20: Comics Dialogue - Part I
21: Comics Dialogue - Part II
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