Geoff Habiger's Blog - Posts Tagged "comic-con"
Musings After A Con
That's a Comic Con, not some scam that I was running.
Just finished the Albuquerque Comic Con this past weekend and I had a blast. Maybe you think that means I sold a bunch of books, raking in the dough. Well, I did sell books (and I'll be honest, I'd have loved to sell more than I did - what author doesn't!), but that was what made the con a blast for me. (It helped, but it wasn't the main reason. Maybe not even the second reason.)
For me the con was a blast because I got to meet so many great people. Everybody I spoke to, whether those coming to my booth, or the other vendors around me, was having a great time and really enjoying themselves. People that I pitched my books to almost always bought one of my books, sometimes both! But everybody I spoke to loved the ideas for the books, remarked on how unique the stories sounded, and were intrigued by what I had written. That to me was the best thing about the weekend, being able to interact with so many people and create new fans for my work.
The other fun thing for me was to meet the other authors who were there. By the end of the weekend I had traded many of my books for theirs (the barter system is alive and well among vendors!) and I hope I have made some new friends. It is fun to talk craft with fellow authors, and to give and take advice about writing, marketing, publishing, and basically what it means to be an author today. I wish the best to the authors I met and I hope you enjoy the books I traded with you. I know I am looking forward to reading what I got.
So overall it was a fun and amazing weekend. Even when things were slow at the booth it was just great to people watch and see everybody who had come to the con. There were some amazing cosplay outfits by young and old, and it was always fun to see them (even if on many of them I had no idea who they were supposed to be). I am definitely looking forward to my next convention (which is just over a month away).
Just finished the Albuquerque Comic Con this past weekend and I had a blast. Maybe you think that means I sold a bunch of books, raking in the dough. Well, I did sell books (and I'll be honest, I'd have loved to sell more than I did - what author doesn't!), but that was what made the con a blast for me. (It helped, but it wasn't the main reason. Maybe not even the second reason.)
For me the con was a blast because I got to meet so many great people. Everybody I spoke to, whether those coming to my booth, or the other vendors around me, was having a great time and really enjoying themselves. People that I pitched my books to almost always bought one of my books, sometimes both! But everybody I spoke to loved the ideas for the books, remarked on how unique the stories sounded, and were intrigued by what I had written. That to me was the best thing about the weekend, being able to interact with so many people and create new fans for my work.
The other fun thing for me was to meet the other authors who were there. By the end of the weekend I had traded many of my books for theirs (the barter system is alive and well among vendors!) and I hope I have made some new friends. It is fun to talk craft with fellow authors, and to give and take advice about writing, marketing, publishing, and basically what it means to be an author today. I wish the best to the authors I met and I hope you enjoy the books I traded with you. I know I am looking forward to reading what I got.
So overall it was a fun and amazing weekend. Even when things were slow at the booth it was just great to people watch and see everybody who had come to the con. There were some amazing cosplay outfits by young and old, and it was always fun to see them (even if on many of them I had no idea who they were supposed to be). I am definitely looking forward to my next convention (which is just over a month away).
The Librarian from Pratt
This past weekend my Coy and I attended the Wichicon comic convention in Wichita, Kansas. It was the second year for the con and our first year of attending it. It was a small con, though it benefited from being attached to the much larger Wichita Riverfest, a 9-day long event with live music, fairs, and other fun activities.
Coy and I had a great time for the two days of Wichicon. Traffic was steady both days with a great mix of genre fans and just regular folks who came in to get out of the heat. We made a lot of sales - selling out of the card games we brought with us - and met a lot of wonderful people.
One of those people was a librarian. I am a bad author, because I did not catch her name, but I know that she works at the library in Pratt, Kansas. (Pratt is a small town about 80 miles west of Wichita.) This librarian was filled with enthusiasm for the comic con, and was very interested in our games. She explained that she has been getting the kids in town to come to the library in the afternoons and weekends to play games. They play board games and card games, and they have even been playing Dungeons & Dragons. The library purchases the material (the games, the books, the dice...everything) and makes it available to the kids to use. I don't know about you but I think this is a great use of a library. What a wonderful way to engage with kids (and adults) and provide them a fun place to interact.
Coy and I had a great time meeting everybody at Wichicon, but I will remember our interaction with the Librarian from Pratt the most. It was great to experience her enthusiasm and interest for games and gaming, and a lot of fun to talk with her for those few minutes at the con. We hope that she continues with her library gaming and that other libraries out there think about starting up a similar program if they haven't already.
Coy and I had a great time for the two days of Wichicon. Traffic was steady both days with a great mix of genre fans and just regular folks who came in to get out of the heat. We made a lot of sales - selling out of the card games we brought with us - and met a lot of wonderful people.
One of those people was a librarian. I am a bad author, because I did not catch her name, but I know that she works at the library in Pratt, Kansas. (Pratt is a small town about 80 miles west of Wichita.) This librarian was filled with enthusiasm for the comic con, and was very interested in our games. She explained that she has been getting the kids in town to come to the library in the afternoons and weekends to play games. They play board games and card games, and they have even been playing Dungeons & Dragons. The library purchases the material (the games, the books, the dice...everything) and makes it available to the kids to use. I don't know about you but I think this is a great use of a library. What a wonderful way to engage with kids (and adults) and provide them a fun place to interact.
Coy and I had a great time meeting everybody at Wichicon, but I will remember our interaction with the Librarian from Pratt the most. It was great to experience her enthusiasm and interest for games and gaming, and a lot of fun to talk with her for those few minutes at the con. We hope that she continues with her library gaming and that other libraries out there think about starting up a similar program if they haven't already.
