Across the globe, zine and comic creators regularly create new material sold specifically at events – major comic cons, zine fairs and more. Some have more success than others; and the ambience of events means creators find they have more success selling their work.
So, are there general tips for selling more zines, art and other items at such events? Which are the better events? What are the things creators can do, on a practical level, to encourage sales?
Marc Fischer of the US organisation, Public Collectors (find him on Instagram @publiccollectorslibrary) has compiled and posted a useful, though US focussed guide, and has complied a spreadsheet of events, with information and feedback on each of them. The guide does offer useful advice to sellers no matter where they are based, however, so it’s well worth a read…
Practical tips in his guide include thinking carefully about what you are selling (weird formats might be fun, but can be off putting; and engaging with possible buyers (not looking at your phone when you’re at your table, for example). Marc also lists the many reasons why attendees at events don’t buy books or art, which may suggest ways to persuade them otherwise! (Click on the images below for larger size, sorry alt text not currently available)
Comic auteur Paul Gravett published the guide on his Facebook, an old hand at zine selling himself as one of several creatives who ran Fast Fiction at the Westminster Comic Marts back in the 1980s. The guide prompted a number of general and useful responses from creators on both sides of the Atlantic you can read here.
“This is super useful advice,” said Nevs Coleman, part of the Titti Graffiti project, who recently dressed up as a werewolf when selling his stuff! “I think there’s a thing to be thought about that there aren’t many creators who’ve had to deal with the public in another role.
“The likes of Bryan Talbot or John McCrea are usually quite entertaining once you’re in their range but on the whole people don’t think too much about what they’re displaying at events like this and a sea of either bored people looking at their phone or overly eager people just doesn’t, well, attract.”
As for the werewolf thing Nevs says it “might have been out of place but I was cleaned out of stock by 3.00pm just by having a presentation going on of costumes and jokes and being more interesting than the bloke next to me desperately trying to update the price of his Pokémon cards.”
“Art Book Fair / Zine Fest Public Sales Transparency was created to help artist publishers manage their expectations if they are thinking about participating in an art book fair, zine fest, or other regular event,” he explains. “Organisers often survey participants after the fact to see how fairs went for them but the results of those surveys are not normally made public.
“Given the cost of participating in book fairs and zine fests, which can include travel costs, table fees, food, lodging, shipping and other expenses, the more data publishers enter, the better publishers (particularly people who are new at this) can try to understand if something is worth doing.
“There are many non-monetary benefits and reasons for participating in events,” he continues, “meeting people, sharing new work, visiting a new city, building community, and more – but this document should help others think about the economic dimension with more care as they plan their participation.”
Public Collectors was founded upon the concern that there are many types of cultural artifacts that public libraries, museums and other institutions and archives either do not collect or do not make freely accessible. Public Collectors asks individuals that have had the luxury to amass, organise, and inventory these materials to help reverse this lack by making their collections public.
Public Collectors features informal agreements where collectors allow the contents of their collection to be published or exhibited, and permit those who are curious to directly experience the objects in person. Collectors can be based in any geographic location.
The purpose of this project is for large collections of materials to become accessible so that knowledge, ideas and expertise can be freely shared and exchanged. Public Collectors is not intended to be used for buying and selling objects.
• Public Collectors is online at publiccollectors.org
• Here’s the spreadsheet of US comic fairs Marc curates with feedback on each event
• Follow Marc Fischer on Instagram @publiccollectorslibrary | You can Contact Marc Fischer via marcATpubliccollectors.org (replace “AT” with @)
• Find out more about the Titti Graffiti project here on Facebook | Follow Titti Graffiti on Instagram
Are you a comic creator who regularly sells their work at events? What’s your advice for new and veteran attendees when selling? Please comment below: comments are moderated but we try to approve constructive feedback quickly
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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