1. What term are you, or when did you graduate? Talk about your experience at CTN. How was getting ready, what did you expect, was it accomplished, what surprised you, what would do different or better next time?
1. I graduated Spring term 2012, so it's been almost 2 years now.
Preparing
for CTN was a lot of work. I knew I wanted to have enough of my graphic
novel done to sell at CTN, so I pretty much stopped looking for
freelance work for a month or two. I was treating it like an investment
in future work and connections, this would be the first time most people
would be seeing my work, so I really wanted to make a solid first
impression.
There's a lot more to it than just filling out forms for a table, you need to come up with promo material, figure out what merchandise you're going to need and which vendors you're going to be using for that merchandise, make sure you've got enough business cards to go around, and make sure to send it all with time for shipping.
It was a lot more expensive than any of us expected, but we wound up getting pretty solid results, even when we were going with our cheapest options. I'd say if there's one thing that really helped us in making sure that things came together correctly and on time, it was graduation. During my graduation term, I scheduled a good week or so worth of time to make mistakes, backtrack or compensate for unforeseen complications, and I wound up needing almost all of that time. We treated preparations for CTN with the same sort of time considerations, so our team never panicked when we had to go back and fix something, we knew we had time.
The nice thing about doing this convention for the first time is knowing what to expect for the next time. If at all possible, I'm going to check out the space I get to present in next time prior to setting up, we vastly overestimated the amount of room we were going to have and wound up having to awkwardly wedge our banners together as a result. Space is at a premium, especially when you're sharing a table. What I'm really looking forward to is all the stuff I'm not going to have to make again, I've still got tons of copies of my graphic novel (only $8 a piece, plug plug), business cards, displays and a banner that I won't have to worry about picking up again. Other than that I'm going to pound vitamin C like crazy the next time I'm at a con, when you're around that many people from all over the place it's hard not to get sick.
2. Will you do it again? Was it good profit?
There's a lot more to it than just filling out forms for a table, you need to come up with promo material, figure out what merchandise you're going to need and which vendors you're going to be using for that merchandise, make sure you've got enough business cards to go around, and make sure to send it all with time for shipping.
It was a lot more expensive than any of us expected, but we wound up getting pretty solid results, even when we were going with our cheapest options. I'd say if there's one thing that really helped us in making sure that things came together correctly and on time, it was graduation. During my graduation term, I scheduled a good week or so worth of time to make mistakes, backtrack or compensate for unforeseen complications, and I wound up needing almost all of that time. We treated preparations for CTN with the same sort of time considerations, so our team never panicked when we had to go back and fix something, we knew we had time.
The nice thing about doing this convention for the first time is knowing what to expect for the next time. If at all possible, I'm going to check out the space I get to present in next time prior to setting up, we vastly overestimated the amount of room we were going to have and wound up having to awkwardly wedge our banners together as a result. Space is at a premium, especially when you're sharing a table. What I'm really looking forward to is all the stuff I'm not going to have to make again, I've still got tons of copies of my graphic novel (only $8 a piece, plug plug), business cards, displays and a banner that I won't have to worry about picking up again. Other than that I'm going to pound vitamin C like crazy the next time I'm at a con, when you're around that many people from all over the place it's hard not to get sick.
2. Will you do it again? Was it good profit?
2. I'll definitely
do it again, Max, Eric and I have already started talking about which
con to hit next. Money-wise I expected I'd either operate on a slight
loss or break even on CTN this year, so I was expecting not to make all
of my money back, which I didn't. Still, I moved a pretty decent amount
of books and prints, nearly ran out of business cards and made a lot of
great contacts, all of which are pretty good for a couple of no name
recent grads at their first convention. At this point, as someone who's
trying to grow his name recognition and the audience for his story, I'm
all right with taking a slight financial loss for a lot of really great
exposure.
Just in this particular instance, though. If anyone's thinking about paying me for a job in the form of "exposure", just understand I'll be doing that job in the form of "not doing it."
3. Did you learn anything new from doing this? Any tips for people that may want to have their own booth on the future?
Just in this particular instance, though. If anyone's thinking about paying me for a job in the form of "exposure", just understand I'll be doing that job in the form of "not doing it."
3. Did you learn anything new from doing this? Any tips for people that may want to have their own booth on the future?
3. I learned that
it can be pretty exhausting to sit and talk for 10 hours straight. Even
for someone like me with an on-again off-again love affair with the
sound of his own voice, you get tired pretty quickly. I'm hoping that's
something I can just build up a tolerance for over future conventions,
because by a certain point every day I felt like I was verbally
devolving into Tarzan-speak. I'm also thinking I've got to get myself
something that can scan credit cards, I lost a handful of sales because
people didn't have cash on hand.
I'd absolutely say getting a booth at CTN was positive experience, and to anyone thinking about doing it next year I'd say go for it, but make sure to err on the side of being over prepared. Make inventory lists of everything you're going to need (and then check them twice, Santa style, because you definitely forgot something), figure out the size of the space you'll be taking up, plan things as far in advance as you can.
If you're going to be sharing a table, make sure it's with someone you get along with, someone reliable, and someone whose art style complements yours. Communication on a team is key, Max, Eric and I would try to get together once a week in the months leading up to CTN. Mind you, a lot of that was to watch Breaking Bad.
Bring a sweater, too. Max, Eric and I wound up exhibiting in the tent outside, and it can get kind of chilly in the evening. Maybe bring something to snack on while you're at it.
Have fun!
I'd absolutely say getting a booth at CTN was positive experience, and to anyone thinking about doing it next year I'd say go for it, but make sure to err on the side of being over prepared. Make inventory lists of everything you're going to need (and then check them twice, Santa style, because you definitely forgot something), figure out the size of the space you'll be taking up, plan things as far in advance as you can.
If you're going to be sharing a table, make sure it's with someone you get along with, someone reliable, and someone whose art style complements yours. Communication on a team is key, Max, Eric and I would try to get together once a week in the months leading up to CTN. Mind you, a lot of that was to watch Breaking Bad.
Bring a sweater, too. Max, Eric and I wound up exhibiting in the tent outside, and it can get kind of chilly in the evening. Maybe bring something to snack on while you're at it.
Have fun!
