My first ever comic convention with a table! And only my third convention ever (Bristol and Caption the previous year). I'd been planning for it since the date was confirmed last year but was still drawing and printing the night before. I had to scrap one unfinished minicomic as there was no way I would have completed it without losing a night's sleep. Despite that I had quite a range of things to sell, although I was a little stressed that I'd not printed enough. I felt generally prepared thanks to some very useful tips from Cliodhna posted at the Thing message board.
Stuff on sale from me at the Thing:
Tozo: Chapter 1, badges and a small army of paper Klikkers;
Minicomics: "Nice Cat, Evil Cat" (proof that I am not the biggest animal lover in the world), "The Map" (Arabian Nights cautionary tale), "The House of Mrs McGrisly" (jolly horror poetry), "010207" (hourly comic from last year).
Also I had a bunch of miniprints from my portfolio and an A3 sized poster of this view of Via Sixtus:
Luckily I live a couple of Tube stops away from Mile End so I didn't have to get up extraordinarily early and didn't have to carry anything very far, a bonus considering the foul weather. I did wonder if the weather might put people off, plus the fact that it was the Easter weekend (I wonder if Mr Thing had realised this at the time of venue booking).
The tables looked very small and I had a feeling my table resembled some kind of bric-a-brac stall with my stuff squashed onto it. I was however, very proud of my table cloth [Tesco Value paper table cloth (50p for a 4 pack) with two iron-on T-shirt transfers. Remember to leave the steam off or you'll end up with very hot papier mache]. Here's my table:
Note the tub of sweets to tempt the punters in. I was seated next to Dan Lester (who is planning to do the rather impressive feat of one 24hr comic per month) on one side and a group consisting of Richard Peel (very striking b/w minicomics including one made out of a sheet of stickers, a brilliant idea I think I may steal), Richy Chandler (lovely little folded up minicomics utilising a whole bundle of different story styles) and Francesca Cassavetti (wonderful series of autobiographical comics - a genre of which even the mere mention normally makes my blood run cold - that I read in one sitting). They were all very friendly and I was very grateful to them for keeping an eye on my stall on a few occasions during the day.
After the table was set up I went for a wander around the hall to check out everyone else's tables and picked up a copy of the Thing anthology. See my contribution here (you can buy a copy of the anthology from the Thing website). Sean Azzopardi (who I've nicked a couple of photos from, below) was in good voice and a I met a Livejournal friend Will Kirkby for the first time which resulted in a fan-art trade. Here's Will's version of Tozo:
The doors opened to the public at 10am and I had my first sale at 10:30 which was a real confidence boost. There was a slow trickle of people during the morning but things picked up at about mid-day and were busy for most of the afternoon, although people around me felt the numbers were a bit down on last year. I needn't have worried about the quantity of comics I'd printed as they'd seemed to be just about right. Towards the end of the afternoon I'd sold out of Tozo Chapter 1 and "Nice Cat, Evil Cat" (proof that anything with a cat on the front will sell) and most of the cutout Klikkers, with healthy sales on the remainder. The only disappointment sales-wise was the poster, with a number of people saying they wanted to buy it but were worried it would get crushed on the way home. I had thought about this to the extent that I'd bought some tissue paper to wrap-and-roll the poster but hadn't forked out for cardboard tubes, something I regret. If you bought a poster from me and it didn't arrive home unsquashed, please email me and I'll send a replacement (in a tube).
Klikker and I (nicked from Sean Azzopardi's Flickr photostream)
Most visitors to the table were very chatty and friendly and interested in what I was doing (even if they weren't buying) and one anonymous buyer went and brought the gent from the Gosh! table over who said they'd be happy to stock Tozo in the shop. Thanks, Mr Unknown!
I also picked up quite a few great comics for myself, including quite a lot through trades. Apart from my table neighbours and Will, I acquired comics from Bridgeen Gillespie ("Rocket" - inspired by a Kate Bush song), a collection of humour-with-a-radical-edge strips by Jimi Gherkin (I was fool enough to wonder - aloud - if this was his real name), "Celph" by AndyP (high quality sci-fi/fantasy) and the amazing "Spacedork in Trouble" by Doctor Simpo and Graham Manley (huge detail-crazy anarchic comics in the style of old-skool UK comics). It was also my pleasure to meet another super-talented Livejournal friend Sarah McIntyre and get a copy of her recent hourly comic.
The afternoon passed pretty quickly and all of a sudden it was time to pack up. It was then that I noticed how exhausted I was (and how much I needed a drink). Luckily, Cliodhna and had the foresight to organise a post-con social at the local pub where I managed to get a bite to eat and chat more with Will and others.
I had a great time overall and the Thing was an excellent introduction to the small press scene. I managed to cover my costs for the day, got more people interested in my art and met a load of enthusiastic, creative people in the process.
Part of the hall (nicked from Sean Azzopardi's Flickr photostream)