First Time Selling my Art! Here’s What I Learned:
My booth is all set up and ready for business!
I recently had the opportunity to sell my art at a local comic book event hosted by Elite Comics. It was the perfect size to “dip my toes” into the proverbial pool of the Artist Alley realm. It was an amazing experience and I learned useful tips which I will share in this post, so read on!
Start Small if Possible
My first event! How exciting - and also nerve-wracking!
If you want to break into the Artist Alley scene, but you’re hesitant about starting with a big convention, then my first tip is: start small! If possible, take part in a local event.
My fiancé, Alan, and I (but mostly him) go to a local comic book store weekly. We are lucky because Elite Comics is well-known in our area. The owner, William Binderup, sponsors events like the one I attended called Free Comic Book Day or contributes to bigger affairs like the KC Planet Comicon.
Starting small is helpful - it means you don’t have to spend a lot of money ordering a bunch of merchandise to sell because the crowd won’t be overwhelmingly huge. In the same regards, a small crowd helps you practice interacting with people if you’re not super social or not used to talking to people about your art (ahem, me). A smaller event usually involves other local artist like you, so networking is easier too!
Elite Comics sponsored Free Comic Book Day!
Research the Supplies Needed
I’m really grateful that Alan looked into what other artists usually take for setting up their booths. Among the items suggested, I found that a tablecloth was very useful. The event didn’t supply one and being able to cover the worn table made a huge difference in how nice my booth looked.
On that note, I would look into what the event DOES offer. They provided a long table and two chairs, but that was about it. We didn’t even have a little trashcan, so when we put prints into the plastic sleeves and peeled off the strips, we had to find somewhere to discard the strips. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it’s something to think about.
We also saw that a wagon was an item a lot of artists use to transport their stuff to their booth location. We didn’t get one because I didn’t have a lot of merchandise to bring. But, after lugging the backdrop and the couple of totes through the vast parking lot, along the ground floor, up the escalator to the top floor and down the long hall . . . we were wishing we had gotten one, haha.
My booth setup! Prints and cards were displayed for sale. Promotional material was out too!
Network with Other Artists
Alan and I finished setting up about 30 minutes before the event started. Looking around the room and seeing other artists setting up, I could feel the energy building. I started getting nervous again. In an effort to distract myself, I started chatting to the artists sitting next to my table.
I had fun getting their perspectives on being an artist and attending comicons. One of them told me that they usually attend the comicon in Wichita, KS, and there was going to be one in November! Another artist gave me great advice, like don’t focus on perfecting a style, just keep creating art.
Interact with the People
This one is really important!
Finally, people started to roll in and make their way around the Artist Alley hall. My nerves were back up at this point because I’m not super outgoing and social. It takes me a minute to feel comfortable talking to people, you know?
At events like these, you only have a few seconds to connect with people before they move on to the next table. So, I had to push passed feeling uncomfortable.
I will admit that my first couple interactions were a bit salesy - I blame my retail job for that, haha! Luckily, Alan pointed it out to me, and from then on, I just focused on the person walking by my booth.
What do you say to a stranger? Well, I asked people what comics they were hoping to find, or if they saw the cool Star Wars character costumes, or what anime character was on their shirt.
I had a much more enjoyable experience with people when I stopped leading with a sales pitch. I also felt like the passerby had a more genuine interaction with me too!
Ending on a High Note
Overall, the event was awesome! Free Comic Book Day happened to be one of the first events after the Covid mandates had lifted in our area. The weather was also beautiful, so I think these factors led to a surprisingly high turnout.
I was really satisfied with how many prints and cards I sold. I actually made back the money I spent on all of my signs and merchandise, AND I still have inventory left over to sell at another event! Woot!
I had an amazing first time setting up my booth and selling my art and I learned a lot! The main takeaways for me were: start small, research the items provided and what additional items will be needed, network with the other artists, and interact with the people!
Now, I’m excited for the next event and I’m definitely looking into the comicon in Wichita, KS, so be on the lookout for that!
Did you find this information helpful or interesting? Let me know in the comments below! Also, if you have set up a booth before, tell me how it went and if you learned anything in addition to my takeaways!
