Ride of the Valkyrie
Saturday (September 9, 2017) was day one of TopCon Geek Expo. It was my first convention as a vendor/author. It was the first time I had set up my complete booth on a full eight-foot table. It was the first time I had experienced the joy and preliminary anxiety of meeting new convention neighbors (I lucked out big time). I was also fortunate enough to have one of my best friends go with me for that first day since I was insanely nervous about how everything was going to go down. (As in I got exactly zero hours sleep Thursday night before Friday's booth setup day, I was that kind of nervous).
Here's how the day started:
As the day wore on I got to know my neighbors a little better. Seth Groves was an artist on my left. He stayed pretty busy working on a new The Flash piece, but we had a good time chatting with him and his wife. (We actually got to talk even more and do some plotting on Sunday.)
Lynn Main was another author on my right (Zombie horror/thriller "Zombie Waltz"). We had some really great discussions and got to be pretty good friends over the course of the convention.
There was all sorts of activity going on around us, which is to be expected at a comic book/pop culture convention. Cosplayers, musicians, all sorts of fun and interesting shenanigans. Unfortunately, I wasn't doing especially well on my sales. I had quite a few window shoppers, and a fair number of inquiries- I just didn't seem to be getting folks to buy my book (I wasn't the only one struggling to get sales, so I didn't feel especially bad about it, just a little frustrated).
I decided to roam around a bit and go say hi to some of the convention friends I'd met when I was doing my original research and investigations back in the spring. I went to go visit my author Obi-Wan, Susanne Lambdin (author of the "Morbid Hearts" supernatural thriller series and "Seeker of Magic" fantasy series). Instead I found Captain Brunhilde and her very large sword. She asked how the day was going, and I mentioned my lagging sales. The Valkyrie warrior led me back to my table, sword still in hand. She took one look at how I'd set up the display and the table exploded. Valkyries don't mess around, man. Not even a little bit.
Susanne Lambdin as her Valkyrie villain, Captain Brunhilde. Photo by Brad Passow.
Books went flying. The stuffed cat landed on the other end of the table. Concept art got displaced. My big empty space in the center of the table (that I assumed made me accessible and approachable to potential buyers) got filled in with my display stand and books in multiple piles. When she was done, the Valkyrie looked at me, and I wondered for a moment if I was next.
Instead she said, "You want what you plan to sell most at the center of your table. What was there before?"
I stared at the rearranged space in confusion, "Nothing." I continued to mumble a lame excuse about wanting the space open to talk to customers (because apparently an eight inch tall book was going to prevent that from happening IF I was sitting down).
She looked at me expectantly. "And what did you tell me you've sold?"
I stared back into her brilliant blue eyes as my jaw dropped under the weight of the epiphany. "Oh, shit."
Susanne (Brunhilde) smiled. "Try this out. See if things go better tomorrow. If not, we can always try something different."
Sunday looked a little more like this:
Photo by Lynn Main
I did, in fact, sell twice as many books that day even though the traffic was significantly slower. (I do say, that Valkyrie knows her stuff!) This is why I (and just about every other author or artist that interacts with her) appreciate Susanne Lambdin so much. She has no issue sharing her experience and lessons learned the hard way with the goal of helping the rest of us do better. She'll be the first to tell you, she does it because helping other authors/artists improve makes the community better and stronger, which is good for everyone.
Near the end of Sunday, I moseyed back over to Susanne's table and gave her the update. She was happy to hear my sales had improved, and we swapped books. I got a definite sense of appreciation from her that I had gone from the dreamy-eyed stranger talking to her about my first book going to print, to the guy who was able to actually hand her a signed book at a convention we were both attending. Looking back on it, there really has been a lot of progress accomplished since the last time I saw her. A lot of that planning and preparation was completed thanks to her and other authors like her sharing their knowledge and offering their input.
Overall, TopCon was a pretty fantastic learning experience. My success wasn't necessarily financial this go around, but it was definitely a worthwhile opportunity and a source of growth. My travel limitations aside, I've learned to look forward to future conventions instead of considering them from a place of uncertainty and fear. Like a Valkyrie, I will face my fears head on and I shall triumph!
ON TO LACE!!!!
My next big event will be:
Little Apple Comic Expo (LACE), Manhattan, KS, Saturday, September 23, 2017. KSU Student Union, Second Floor. 10 AM-6 PM. $5.00 General admission (kids 10 and under free with adult ticket)!
