Con Plans 2015
I just got the email for Rose City. Anyone else attending in 2015?
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It was a very fun show. Saturday sales were MUCH stronger than Sunday, but still worth going.
the link is 404. You say it's a "guest application"... as in a guest of the show? Or do you mean a guest as in paying for a table?
JAN: Kollision Con
FEB: Anime Milwaukee
MARCH: off
APRIL: C2E2 (only attending, not exhibiting)
MAY: Appleseed, plus FCBD
JUNE: off
JULY: Anime Midwest and Fanboy Expo Tampa (not yet public, shhhhh)
AUG: Count-i-Con (Illinois)
SEPT: Rose City or something tba
OCT: off
NOV: Hopefully Vegas Valley again
DEC: off
My first convention of the year is a show I wasn’t able to do last year because of the wedding, but I was super looking forward to doing. Not only is it a fun time, low-key with lots of opportunity for us guests to interact with friends and fans on the floor, but the guest roster was also all of my nearest and dearest comic book creator friends that live in the local area!
Seriously, we had Alan Evans (Rival Angels), Sean and Sara Lindsay (Spinnerette), Steve Horton (Amala’s Blade), Steve Wallace (Reading with Pictures), Russell Lissau (The Batman Strikes, Will), and my partner in comics, Gabo (Albert the Alien, The Life After). We also got to meet Blake Packard (Will) and his wife, as well as hang out with married partners in comics Comfort Love and Adam Withers (The Uniques, Rainbow in the Dark).
If that’s not an impressive line up of talent, I don’t know what is. So let’s get into the adventures of the weekend!
FRIDAY:
Friday morning I packed up the car with my wife and headed out to Rosemont for a weekend of good times and great people. We got in early so we could set up and say hi to everyone, and check out the convention layout. Being in a new location (but one I am intimately familiar with), I wanted to see how Kollision Con decided to use the space and where they decided to put their rooms. They had a lot of fun activities for their attendees: game rooms, video games / arcades, a room dedicated to cosplay photos, tons of panel rooms – and a room where you could hit other people with padded bats!
The comic book guests of the show – all of them my friends, all of them amazing people!
Before the show started, my friends and I took a quick picture in front of our booths and then got behind them to start selling. Traffic was light but steady (it was Friday, after all). Thankfully with smaller shows like this, there’s more opportunity to connect with the fans on a more personal level. And that’s exactly what we did. It was awesome to see friends and fans alike coming out to the show, catching up after our holiday breaks and our New Years parties and having an opportunity to chill in a fun and social environment, like a convention.
There were also panels throughout the day. I jumped into the Making Webcomics part 1 panel lead by Alan Evans, and joined by myself and Sean Lindsay. We’ve given the panel before, and we had a small but interested audience who asked great questions.
After the floor closed, the gang went back to one of our rooms and ordered pizza. We had a fun time unwinding after the day (and enjoying some delicious Chicago-style deep dish), and then left to do more panels. I had my Evening with Trevor Mueller panel, which was populated by a loyal group of friends who know my best stories. They started off by doing a bit of a roast – taking over the panel and coming up to the front to tell their favorite stories of mine from cons or other experiences. It was a fresh take on the panel, and a great opportunity for people to rib me a bit in front of an audience. Because they know all of my stories, they also requested their favorite stories – which I was happy to oblige.
After the panel ended, the group split – with some going to the bar to hang out and others headed back to their rooms for sleep. I went to bed, because I wanted to get up early the next morning and go to the gym. Sadly this meant missing the improv that night (which runs from midnight until 2am, and I’ve done it every year I’ve attended Kollision Con), but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.
SATURDAY:
Saturday morning Beth and I got up early and headed to the gym, where Alan was already hard at work on his cardio. Alan usually starts his day with some DDP Yoga, so he had already warmed up, too. Beth hit the treadmill while Alan and I focused on lifting and dynamic resistance exercises. I was working chest, shoulders and arms, while he was working arms. I don’t usually work out my legs or do cardio at a con, since I stand all day at the table, but he also got in a little biking before we were done.
After a quick shower, the group met downstairs for some much needed breakfast. Despite the heavy dinner we had the night before, the group was pretty hungry. After breakfast, we headed to the floor to open our tables and get ready for a day of sales.
Beth and I work the booth
Sales were a little lighter for me on Saturday (which was a strange occurrence I had noticed the last few years, since fans typically find me right away and buy on Fridays), but the fans came out strong and we had a blast. I was even invited to participate in a new panel with Comfort and Adam about creating a character. The two started off by giving a presentation on the elements of a character:
– Personality: Who is this character, and how does their image reflect them?
– Simplicity: Is their design easy to replicate (e.g.: would it look good as a character image)?
– Utility: Is their design functional, and does their design have a purpose to it?
After the presentation, the two engaged myself and Alan (as well as the audience) to make a new character right there in the room. It was a fun exercise that had a lot of audience engagement and participation. While we discuss the character, Adam started drawing a sketch of what the character might look like. It was a fun time.
After the panel, we all returned to the floor to keep selling. After the floor closed, the bulk of the group went to the casino to grab burgers (and try their luck at some games of chance) while I went to the restaurant to grab a quick bite with Blake and his wife before my panel.
My next panel was a self-publishing 101 panel, and since the audience was also interested in digital publishing, we talked about both physical and digital opportunities. My motto has always been “it’s never been harder to be published, but it’s never been easier to make a comic.” As someone who has mostly self-published their work, I wanted to provide an opportunity to how to get started, and more importantly how to finish making a comic.
After my panel Blake did a demonstration on oil painting. It was an interesting look at physical coloring (and there were a lot of engaging questions, especially from audience members who are more versed in digital coloring). The theories and approaches appear to be the same, but the execution is quite different – since oil paints are physical.
Blake even called the audience up to do some of the demonstrations, and to see his paint sets and the tools he uses to turn illustrations into stunning pieces of art.
Blake Packard gives an oil painting demonstration – this is my learning face (the face I make when intently learning something new)
After Blake’s panel, I went to grab actual dinner with Beth before her panel. Yes, that’s right – the wives of comic book creators panel actually happened at this show, and it was amazing!
Sara Lindsay had requested an opportunity to host a panel along with Tracie Evans and my wife, Beth, to talk about what it’s like to be married to someone who works on comics. Each brought an interesting and unique perspective to the table:
Beth and I are newlyweds and comics are very new to her (plus I had told her to give me a good ribbing), so her perspective was more focused on the time commitment and the newness of the world of comics to her.
Sara has been a comic fan for a long time, so she talked about her enthusiasm for being on the selling-side of the table and meeting her favorite celebrity creators.
Tracie, having been married the longest, talked about how comics has played a role in their marriage and how she supports her husband in his comic-making endeavors – or how she just shares similar passions in wrestling and helping him with his art.
All had some very insightful things to say, and then took questions from the audience (which was peppered with their husbands and friends), who challenged the girls with questions like, “If you could change anything about your husband, what would it be and why?” or “What kind of crazy con stories do you have about being at shows?”
The first (hopefully of many) “Wives of Comic Book Creators” panel. From left to right: Tracie Evans, Sara Lindsay, and Beth Mueller
After the panel ended, some of the group went to bed and others went to the hotel bar (which was closing) to meet up with some friends. We had tried to get together for drinks throughout the weekend, but unfortunately timing wasn’t on our side. Since the bar was closed, we went our separate ways – they went to hang out with their friends, and I went to the con suite to hang out with some of the staffers and volunteers that made this weekend possible.
It was a fun time in the con suite, hanging out with people who I have known for years (having met them through other shows in other roles), and talking about our future cons we’re attending this year. I’m looking forward to seeing most (if not all of them) at my next show in February, Anime Milwaukee!
After hanging out for a bit, I headed back to the room to get some much needed rest.
SUNDAY:
The final day of the show started with packing up and grabbing breakfast, and then heading downstairs to the show to set up for the day. The group was pretty tired after the long weekend (late nights will do that to you), but still in good spirits. The weather had turned for the worse, though, with icy conditions and snowfall making some of the guests need to rebook their flights and some of the local guests wanting to take off a little early.
Sales were still on par with where I figured they would be, and I even participated in Alan’s Making Webcomics part 3 panel. It was nice to get to hang out with everyone one last time before going our separate ways, and to get some final last-minute sales in before the end of the weekend.
Kollision Con was a lot of fun, and a great con to start off the year doing. The smaller con allowed for more one-on-one interaction with the attendees, more interactive panels, and the opportunity to hang out with friends and fans (as opposed to everyone feeling rushed to get to their next event or table). The new location was much more convenient and accessible from the city, especially for someone who lives off the train like me. And the new venue is one that I frequented often, so it was just like going home again.
Thank you so much to all of the staff and volunteers at Kollision Con for bringing me out again, to my friends and fans (new and old) for supporting me and my work, and to the attendees for supporting the show and attending my panels.
Valentine’s Day weekend I spent with some of the most awesome convention attendees, staffers, and volunteers a guy could ever hope to work with – much less actually get to work with! That’s right, I’m talking about my triumphant return to Anime Milwaukee!
Here is where you could find me (more or less; they did move us down a bit) at the convention. Great positioning!
Last year myself, Alan Evans (Rival Angels), and Russell Lissau (The Batman Strikes, Old Wounds) were all put on rotation with the show. This is very common, as it allows a convention to refresh their guest list and keep programming fresh and new. However, I really missed the show (I’ve been a guest of the show for the last 4-5 years with Alan), and so did the guys. And at every Anime show I attended I kept running into the convention heads, and they kept asking, “Why didn’t you come last year?” And I would say, “You put me on rotation.” And they would say, “Well, let’s fix that.” And so we did. And all was good again.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy my recounting of an amazing weekend at Anime Milwaukee!
THURSDAY:
From work I took the AMTRAK train up to Milwaukee, which was a nice relaxing ride. The last time I took the train wasn’t good, because they wouldn’t let me board unless I was 10+ minute early. Well, this year I was definitely 10+ minutes early, so no issues getting on the train. I sat back and watched Guardians of the Galaxy on my iPad during the 1.5 hour trip. Before I knew it, I had arrived.
Now, Milwaukee isn’t too far north from Chicago, so the weather isn’t very different. That said, it was still bloody cold up there. So the 4+ blocks I had to walk from the train station to the hotel were EXCRUCIATING. My hands and face took the brunt of it, despite having a hat and gloves on. It was the wind that really did it.
In any case, I got into the hotel and found con-ops so I could check in and drop off my stuff. Low and behold, Russell had arrived almost exactly the same time I had. And by the time I had dropped off my stuff in my hotel room, Alan had also arrived. The three of us were pretty hungry, so we hopped into a cab and drove to a nearby casino for dinner.
Anime Milwaukee signage at the hotel. You have now arrived!
The Casino was not good. Granted, I’m not a big gambler, but that wasn’t my issue with the place. The problem was that they allowed smoking indoors. For someone who is allergic to smoke, who dislikes the smell (and let me tell you, it’s potent for everyone else who doesn’t smoke. Trust me – we can smell it), it was rather fowl. We walked through the entire place (since the restaurants are on the far side of the building), and eventually settled on the burger place they had in there. Thankfully, they had some kind of super mega air filters in the place, because it smelled much less. It was at least tolerable. It may also have been all of the greasy / delicious fried food.
After dinner, Russell and Alan decided they wanted to play some craps. I’ve never been able to figure this game out, but the two of them made a little money. Eventually the smoke even got to them, though, so we took off back for the hotel.
Back at the hotel, we all regrouped in Russell’s room for some beverages. Eventually our friend Sandi showed up, and she proceeded to give us all manicures (a pastime that Russell loves to do before a convention). I was really just in it for the hand scrub and arm massage she threw in – and also to hang out with Sandi, of course, because she’s awesome – and it was a nice night of hanging out.
By the time we were done with the manicures, it was already 1am and it was past time to go to bed.
FRIDAY:
Friday morning Alan and I got up early to start working out at the gym. I love doing this at shows for the boost of energy, so I look and feel better, and also because, well…there’s almost never anyone in the gym at the conventions. However, this show was quite different. There were a handful of kids who came in to work out, as well as some women I didn’t recognize (I’m assuming they were just at the hotel, and were not attending the con). However, one of the voice actor guests, Bryce Papenbrook, eventually came in to do some running on the treadmill. I somewhat recognized him from the website, but left him alone so I could finish my routine.
The free-weights in the gym had to have been brand new and unused, because whenever you picked them up the grips were so sharp they cut into your hand. It was rather painful, and made me wish I had a pair of workout gloves. I’ve not really encountered this before at a gym, but I sucked it up and continued with my routine all the same. I was quite relieved when I was done, though, and I had texture on my hands for the rest of the day. My hands felt like they were on fire!
After a quick shower, we went downstairs and met Russell and Shana for some breakfast across the street. The diner had some cheap breakfast specials, which were tasty but not very filling. Still, food is food.
After breakfast, we had some time to kill so Russell and Alan went back to the Casino to try their luck, and I went back to my hotel room to relax a bit and do some writing. After a while I started to get anxious for the show, so I decided to take my stuff down to the floor and set up a little early. I figured I could at least walk around and chat up some people I may know from the con circuit.
Trevor’s booth is set up and ready to sell some comics!
When I got down to the floor, however, I discovered they had moved our tables around a bit. Thankfully this was quickly and easily remedied, and within a few minutes my table was next to Russell and Alan’s again. When I received the text they had returned, I told them to come on down and start setting up – and I started to walk the floor and check out some of the other vendors and artists.
I chatted up a few friends, looked at the usual assortment of wall scrolls, plushies, figurines, and yes – tons of anime – and eventually made my way back to my table before the VIPs entered.
This was the first show I was using some new signage my wife had designed and made for me, and it looked great. I thought it gave the table a respectable and professional look – and it was much better than my handwritten signs on sticky-notes.
Check out the sweet new signage – compliments of my beautiful and talented wife!
I also had a lot of books new to this show (@$$HOLE! volumes 2-3, KILLER QUEEN, READING WITH PICTURES volume 2, and ALBERT THE ALIEN volume 1) and I was also premiering a brand new book (my first horror book), THE FAN. That’s a lot of new books!
More of the new signage – highlights the awesome new books on the table! By the end of the show, we were almost sold out of everything!
The con floor opened, and sales started quick and maintained strong throughout the first day. I even sold out of ALBERT THE ALIEN volume 1 (thankfully, my wife was showing up on Saturday with more copies), and almost sold out of READING WITH PICTURES volume 2. THE FAN was also selling like hot cakes. I couldn’t keep that book on the table. As a guy who has primarily written comedy, and most of my fans are people who like to laugh, I was amazed at the positive reaction to the book.
A little before the floor closed we shut down so we could grab a quick bite to eat before panels. We ordered some Thai food from the place across the street, and I went to get it while the group headed to the Green Room to relax a bit. We chowed down, shared our meals with each other, and had a fun and relaxing time before we left for our panels.
First up was MAKING WEBCOMICS PART 1, which Alan was kind enough to let me sit on with him. We went through our usual talk about why digital distribution is helpful, talked about how to set up some basic webcomic elements, and then did something new. Alan wanted to brainstorm a webcomic we could launch for the next WEBCOMICS panel that would occur tomorrow. It was a fun exercise, with people coming up with the elements of story (characters, conflict, environment, etc). It got people really energized about the story, and wanting to come back for more.
Trevor, Alan, and Russell drop wisdom bombs on the audience during the Writing Comics panel.
After that panel, we all went to our WRITING COMICS panel. Russell took the reins and really lead the discussion (it was his first panel of the weekend, and the dude’s been published by DC comics…so he’s got some good advice). It was a good time.
After the panel we were free for the rest of the night, so we headed to the hotel bar and hung out with Shana, Sandi, and Elaine (our handler for the weekend. The joke was that we don’t actually need a handler – we’re professionals, we know how to get to our panels on time and sell at our booths – but Elaine is also awesome, and we were so happy to have her). After a bit of hanging out, we headed for bed.
SATURDAY:
We got up earlier than I would have wanted and headed down for breakfast. We ate at the Hyatt buffet, which was expensive but tasty. Elaine and her husband joined us, and we chatted the morning away talking about our sales from the previous day and what our goals were for today. Also, my wife and Alan’s wife were showing up today, so it was going to be an amazing day.
This man is ready to sell some comics!
Beth texted me at the end of breakfast, and I collected her and together we went to the floor to set up. She also liked the way the new signs looked on the books, and her restock of ALBERT THE ALIEN was much needed after having sold out on the first day. Together we sold a bunch of books throughout the day, she learned some of the new pitches, and we generally had a fun time together. My wife doesn’t always enjoy the conventions – it’s not really her thing – but I do enjoy having her at the table.
As the day pressed on, sales continued strong. We had a slight lull in the traffic around lunch time, which is pretty typical, but overall sales were solid and strong. I almost sold out of THE FAN again, which was incredible!
We had to shut down our tables a little early again this time to do MAKING WEBCOMICS PART 2, which Alan and I lead and continued the story from the previous panel (about Harold the Dragon Princess, a 25 page comic about a princess who’s turned into a dragon and has to drink the magic milk to turn back. However, she’s being stopped by her evil uncle the magician, and a storm that she can’t fly through to reach the floating island where the magic milk is located). We had a lot of fun with the crew, and then headed up to the Green Room for some dinner.
Now THAT’s a big pretzel….
We had ordered some delicious food, including one of the largest pretzels I’ve ever seen, and hung out until we had to book it for our next panel: BREAKING INTO COMICS.
This panel was a little more balanced, with each of us taking our turn to tell our stories and how we got to where we are in the comic industry. Thankfully we each know each other’s stories pretty well, so we could set each other up pretty well to keep the conversation flowing. Russell and I even did our bit on how to meet editors and exchange contact information. It was a very informative time.
Alan tells the folks what page his bio is on in the brochure. It’s on page 20, in case you were wondering.
After that panel ended, however, I had to book it to my next panel which was pure fun: THE EVENING WITH TREVOR MUELLER. It’s an hour of me telling goofy stories and generally having a fun time with the audience. The panel before mine was running a bit long, however, due to technical issues when they set up. It gave me a chance to take a break and relax a bit before the panel, and about 10 minutes later we were able to get started. This delay in start time did impact the attendance at the panel in the beginning, unfortunately, however by the end we did have a much larger group.
I went into my fan-favorite stories, with everyone in stitches the whole time. Stories about meeting famous creators, embarrassing myself in front of my comic book idols, and why you shouldn’t watch horror movies when your college roommate is on something in the other room. Yeah, it was a good time.
After the panel ended, we headed for the bar and had some drinks to relax. Unfortunately the kitchen closed early (like 11pm!), and I was starting to get hungry. Thankfully, Elaine my handler was there. I did something I’ve never done before – I asked my handler to do something for me. I asked what nearby places were open that we could order food from and bring back here. We found a sushi place nearby, made an order, and walked in the freezing cold (it was cold even with our coats) to get the food and bring it back to the Green Room.
The voice actors were hanging out in the Green Room as well, unwinding after their long day, too. I shared some of my favorite whiskey – Elijah Craig – and hung out until way too late in the evening.
SUNDAY:
The view from the hotel. Who wants to read the paper while they enjoy their sausage?
I woke up not feeling so great. I was pretty tired, since I hadn’t really slept the whole weekend, and could barely eat any food at breakfast. I’m pretty sure it was exhaustion I was feeling, but who knows – late night thai food may also not have been sitting well with me. As the morning pressed on I felt better quickly, and sales continued to be strong up until the end of the show. Fans who said they would come back actually came back to buy stuff – which is always awesome!
A fan bought the limited edition box set of @$$HOLE!, including all of the books, bookmarks, and some original art. Plus, I drew all over the box! How sweet is that?
When the show ended we all parted ways, heading home as it started to snow outside.
Anime Milwaukee is how I’ve usually started my convention season (although one show beat it out this year as my first show of the year), and it was a strong start indeed! Great fans, amazing guests, and fantastic people who run the event. Special thanks to all of the volunteers, staffers, and loyal friends I’ve made at the show. You guys make everything awesome!
Hey guys, I had the longest / hardest working weekend at Anime Boston, but my goodness did it translate into high sales! I made my highest bank of all time at this show (possibly influenced by an artist alley that runs 4+ hours longer than the typical midwest anime show floor), and had an incredible time at this show. Check out the below con report for details:
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I was invited out to Anime Boston as a featured artist of the show. It was my first time at Anime Boston, and my goodness was it an amazing time! They do shows a little differently than how we do them in the mid-west, which isn't a bad thing by any measure, and in fact actually resulted in some great fan interactions, amazingly attended panels, and yes - killer sales!
THURSDAY:
Thursday night after work my wife and I made our way to the airport to catch our flight to Boston. My wife was coming in from the north, and I was coming in from the loop - but somehow we arrived at the airport at the same time and met up in the security line. We didn't plan this, I swear.
My travel snacks!
After going through security and finding our gate, we grabbed a quick bite to eat (actual food, not just my travel snacks) and then waited for our flight. I typically download a movie or play a game while I fly (I would write, but I get motion sick if I write or read while in transit), and this time I enjoyed X-Men 5: Days of Futures Past.
We checked into the hotel, dropped off our stuff, and decided to have a little snack before heading for bed. Thankfully, the restaurant bar was open and the kitchen stays open late. We ordered some sweet potato fries, beverages, and had fun unwinding after our flight. We did have an early day the next morning, however, so we went to bed soon after.
I'm a sucker for sweet potato fries!
FRIDAY:
Our hotel room was on a corner of the building. Here's the view from one side....
...and the view from the other side.
Super early in the morning we went down to the FedEx to grab our shipped boxes, and then went to grab breakfast real quick before heading to the convention for set up. For artists, you have to go through two registration processes: the general badge registration to get into the con, and then again in artist alley once you get in. This is a little different from what I'm used to, but I guess it makes it easier for security to identify who belongs where and when (because artists need to have access to artist alley prior to everyone else so we can set up). This process was pretty seamless, however, so no complaints about this change here - and if it makes security's job easier, I'm all for it.
All set up and ready for business!
I set up with Beth's help, and then she went to go have fun in the city and I stayed to work on selling books. I brought what I thought was going to be too many books, and was kind of nervous about being able to move this much inventory. But thankfully, I was greatly mistaken.
As the afternoon went on, traffic in artist alley came in fits and spurts. Since the dealer's room was on another level of the convention center, I assume people kept going between the two or attending panels from some of the guests. There were the usual slow periods - typically around lunch or dinner - but the location of the convention is perfect because it's attached to a mall. Attendees don't have to go far to get a quick bite and then can come back to the show! This is another magical thing about Anime Boston.
So as the day kept going, it eventually came time for my first panel of the weekend: self-publishing 101. I invited my good friend Sean Lindsay (Spinnerette) to be on the panel with me, and together we hiked to the other side of the hallway for the panel.
Anime Boston also did a fantastic thing with their panels: they allowed for 30 minutes in between them so breakdown and set up. We walked in about 10 minutes early, and I approached a room I quickly questioned if the previous panel had ended yet. Why? Because the room was full of people. Like, "there was a line outside the room and they weren't letting more people in because of fire code" full. The guy hosting the room breathed a sigh of relief when we showed up, saying, "I was wondering if you were going to show up." We were 10 minutes early, and it took us only a few minutes to set up. I opted to start early, but then was quickly told that, no, we had to wait for the hour mark to start. Not a problem: I'm a professional. I told some jokes for a few minutes to keep people entertained.
My "Self-Publishing 101" panel attendance. Standing room only. They had to turn people away at the door.
When the time came we started the panel, and in my usual fashion it was a mix of entertainment, information, and then leaving time at the end for questions. It was also a great chance for me to be on a panel with Sean. Sure I've been on panels with him before, but usually with other people. This time I got to moderate a bit and ask him some things about his comic-making past and present, and take insights from that and apply them to the panel topic and each sub-topic. There was actually some coverage of our panel here, and after the panel I had a lot of people thank us for the great insight. If I come back again next year, I may do this panel again - and maybe some about Kickstarter, making webcomics, or another educational panel.
A sketch of Sean Lindsay and myself during the "Self-Publishing 101" panel
After the panel we sold for a bit, and then returned to our respective tables to continue selling on the floor. Anime Boston's artist alley is open from 10am-10pm (12 hours! Which is a lot, compared to the usual 8 hour artist alley in the mid-west), but I must say by this point in the night I was pretty tired. And hungry. But I'm glad I stuck around until about 9:30pm, because half of my sales for the day occurred after the dealer's room closed at 7pm.
Ronald McJoker bought a box set!
I was exhausted, but really happy with the sales I had. Plus the fans I had met were super awesome! Anime Boston was off to a stellar start.
After 9:30pm, however, traffic slowed enough where I felt confident in being able to close down the table and then Beth and I went to dinner. We went across the street from the mall to a seafood place, and ate our hearts out with some of the best-tasting shrimp and fish I've had in my life. And it didn't break the bank, either!
By the end of dinner it was going on midnight, and we had been up since 6:30am that morning. It was a fantastic first day of the show, but we were definitely ready for bed.
SATURDAY:
We got up and met the Lindsay's for breakfast at a favorite spot of theirs, and then went to the floor to set up before the 10am start time. I'm glad I was there at the launch of the floor, because I immediately started selling. I'm sure there were some people for who Saturday was their first day, and you could tell from the eagerness and excitement in their eyes as they looked around the room. Artist alley was mostly prints, with a few artists selling books, but I don't think anyone had the books display I did...and mine was starting to dwindle. Clearly my concerns about bringing too many books was unfounded; now I was concerned I hadn't brought enough books!
Day 2 table set up: the stacks are noticeably smaller (because I was selling out of books)
Almost immediately once the doors opened, too, I sold my other box set (never thought I would move these at this show to a new audience, but again - Anime Boston attendees love new stuff!). I also sold out of my copies of KILLER QUEEN (the most expensive single book on my table), and that was the strong start to a great day of selling.
Another box set sold, another satisfied customer!
The afternoon got a little slow, but people kept coming by to look at the sketch cards. They weren't finding a lot of the anime characters they wanted, so I reminded them that I do commissions on them. Upon checking my sketch card stash, however, I realized I brought illustration board instead of the regular bristol cards. I decided not to charge extra for this, and suddenly commissions started flying in.
Sketch card commission: a character from Fairy Tale
Sketch card commission: Sailor Jupiter
Sketch card commission: GIR
Sketch card commission: I can't remember this character's name....
Sketch card commission: Psylocke
I spent the bulk of the afternoon working on the sketch cards, while also moving books, and eventually sold out of even more books on my table! It was an incredible day!
Around 8pm I had another panel to do (my "Evening with Trevor Mueller" panel), and I left Beth to hand out the remaining commission cards to people who hadn't picked them up yet. The panel room was "closed" because they were doing sound checks, which was unfortunate because apparently some people thought that meant the panel was cancelled and went away. Thankfully there were about 20 people waiting to get in, and I asked the room to let the people in to wait (they don't care if they hear people say "test" into a microphone a bunch of times). We started the panel soon after that, and the audience was in stitches! Some of the stories I told were the tried and true fan-favorites, but no one in Boston had heard them before and they were having a blast listening to my embarrassing stories about myself, working in comics, and attending conventions as a guest. If you were there, you understand the hilarity that proceeded. If you missed it, shame on you - but you can probably catch it again next year.
After the panel ended I went back to the floor for a little bit to try to grab some last-minute sales, and also to wait for the Lindsay's to finish up their day of selling before we all went out to dinner. They knew a local burger place nearby, and we all went and breathed a collective sigh of relief as our food and drinks arrived. We had all had an amazing day and a great weekend, and we only had one more day left to go!
SUNDAY:
Morning came quickly and we went back to the Lindsay's favorite place for breakfast where we had a hearty meal, and then rushed off to set up the table before the floor flooded with the final day of attendees.
Breakfast...with a smile!
I was mostly sold out of books by this point, which was a great problem to have. And in fact I sold out of the remainder of my Albert the Alien trades before noon! With the bulk of my trades gone from the table, and most of my other series volume 1 already gone from earlier in the weekend, there wasn't much left to do but talk to fans and hang out, shop a bit in artist alley, and plan to bring more books next year when I do this show (because I will be doing this show again next year).
Around 2pm, Beth and I packed up and said our goodbyes and headed to the airport to catch our flight home. Anime Boston was an amazing weekend filled with great fans, amazing volunteers and staffers, and fantastic sales! I highly recommend this show to people looking to attend an anime convention, because while they may do some things differently from the mid-west, that's not a bad thing by any measure. And whatever they're doing translates to happy attendees, amazing attendance at panels, and high sales on the floor! Thank you so much for the great weekend, Boston!
I'm curious: Is there a specific strategy behind pricing "Reading With Pictures" at $20, and "Albert" at $19.99?
I believe Ed is on in the afternoon on Saturday but I could well be mistaken.