I went to a lot of conventions this summer – Book Con, New York Comic Con, Special Edition, and Flame Con – and I always take a look to see how the self-published authors are doing, and how much of a presence they’ve got. I’ve been tempted for a while to get an exhibitor’s table at a con, but I’ve been wary about the expense involved. They tend to be pricy, especially when you add in the cost of materials. Received wisdom has been that financially it’s not worth it – I’d never make back the money I put in. The reasons to do a con are to connect with readers, do some networking, and build readership indirectly by getting people to sign up for your mailing list or take some swag that will hopefully get them to go look at your books once they’re home and recovering.
At most of the cons I’ve been to, the self-published authors have been a little sidelined. It didn’t seem very cost-effective to spend all that dough to be somewhere where I’d have to struggle to reach people, so I’ve held off. At Flame Con, though, the self-published authors were front and center, right in with everybody else. When I thought about how well-run it was, how friendly the organizers at Geeks Out are, and what a perfect target audience it is for me (queer sci-fi fans), it seemed to make sense to make this my first con. So, Flame Con 2016 it would be.
But two weeks ago I saw that the first ever Newark Comic Con was happening on Saturday, September 12, and that tables were only a hundred bucks (that’s pretty cheap, as these things go). It occurred to me that maybe I didn’t want Flame Con to be my first con experience as a vendor – I was bound to make a lot of mistakes the first time out, and I’d hate to waste what might be a great opportunity. So, on somewhat of an impulse, I bought a table at Newark. It’s a small con, first time out, and the stakes are low. I can screw it all up without consequence!
Of course, I don’t want to screw it up, I want it to be a day filled with magic and wonder (and book sales). So I’ve spent the past two weeks in a frenzy getting everything together. The first thing I did was email my friend, guru, and self-publishing mentor Kate Danley for advice (she was a treasure trove, as always), then searched the the Kboards’ Writer’s Forum for more tips (it’s a great source for info on self-publishing). Combined with what I had gleaned from my own experiences as a con attendee, I was ready to dive in.
The first thing to do was to order everything I’d need printed. Two weeks wasn’t a lot of time and I didn’t want to risk having an empty table. So from my printer I ordered twenty copies of the first book, ten of the second, and five each of the third and fourth. I’m not expecting to sell too many books, but I want to have a nice display, and it’s not like they’ll go bad – I’ll have what’s left over to sell at Flame Con next year.
I wanted some bookmarks to give away, because I myself always grab bookmarks at cons, they’re a great freebie for any event where readers will congregate. They’re pretty cheap to print in bulk, but I needed to design them myself. My Photoshop skills are passable for the basics, so I came up with something I think looks pretty good.
They’re double-sided, so there’s room for all four book covers, plus my name, website, the stores where you can get my book, and a new tagline I’m trying out: “Horrible Things Happening to Interesting People.” (What do you think?)
Kate had a great suggestion – pins. The main titles of my books work well as stand-alone text on a button – “Temp Job of Doom,” “Commute from Hell,” “Flume of Destiny,” “Wastes of Time.” I feel like people would like these even if they don’t know the books. (Okay, “Flume of Destiny” is a little random.) This was a little more challenging in the design department, but I was able to erase “and the” from the cropped cover and make a pretty good “Temp Job of Doom” image.
I started on “Commute from Hell,” but Caitlin’s hair overlaps with the text and it was a lot harder to isolate. Time was short, so the rest will have to wait. I was able to get these made at a still-cheap but non-negligible cost, so I’ll be selling them for a buck a pop. I think they’ll be a great attention-grabber for my table. (And if I’m wrong, well, that’s why I’m doing this test con in the first place.)
I also signed up for Paypal Here, which will let me take credit cards as payment via my phone. They sent a reader which plugs into the headphone jack – it works perfectly. And I made a dedicated page on my website just for sign-ups for my mailing list from this event, which people can do on my phone or their own tablet. I’ve also printed up a physical sign-up sheet, which I’ll have on a clipboard.
One very important thing was to register to collect sales tax in the state of New Jersey. The process was quick, if a little complicated, but after a few missteps I got my Federal EIN number, which made the whole process go much smoother. My certificate came in the mail quite promptly, so I’m all legal and ready to render unto Caesar.
The rest of what I needed is mostly for display – I want to make things look attractive and professional. There was one more item to be designed – I don’t know what kind of signage the con will provide, if any, so I designed a small banner and had it printed up at Staples.
I don’t know about the colors, but it gets the job done, I suppose. And my brother Jon (who’s coming along to help out) got some posters made out of the covers of my books, and they look fantastic.
Everything else came from an Amazon spree and a trip to Staples. I’ve got two black tablecloths – a large one to cover the six-foot table provided, and a smaller one, which I think I’ll spread over a milk crate or a box, something to add a level so the table isn’t just flat. I picked up two pretty vertical file sorters, to stand the books up in (four rows for four books), which I hope will look cool, plus a bunch of stands, each of which will display a single book. A nice pencil cup will serve to hold some bookmarks. A whiteboard, for my price list. A receipt book. A rainbow flag – I haven’t decided if I’ll hang this up or not, but I’m thinking it might not be bad to make my commitment to diversity obvious. And a rolling suitcase, to carry it all in. (Yup, the suitcase is definitely just for business purposes, Mr. Tax Man.) I’ve thrown together an emergency bag with various supplies – pens, tape, thumbtacks, scissors, clips. I think I’m ready. I’m kind of nervous. But excited.
The con is tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes.
