Geek Syndicate
Despite the size of the con, there’s a growing “family” feel in the small press area which is very similar to what we’ve experienced at UK conventions. Everyone’s friendly, eager to help and some sales were made by an open willingness to support fellow creators. It really helps push us through the tiring final hours of a marathon day. There’s also the revelation – at least, to me, as Yomi seemed to be aware of this already – that there’s a massive steampunk community in San Diego, which makes Clockwork Watch a far easier sell to many customers. In fact, the superb “chap-hop” rapper Professor Elemental said he’d swing by our table tomorrow to say hi and add even more to our steampunk kudos. Now, if we could only find a way to make the All-Seeing Eye of Comic-Con to give us a shout out… time to dig out my running shoes…
Days 3, 4 and 5
First of all, an apology. I’ve had to write these since getting back to the UK. Initially it was because Day Three was uneven tful until the night, when I got home very, very late. However, little did I know that the following day I’d have an accident which would totally kill my laptop. As in: I couldn’t even switch it on. Don’t ask. Just be careful what you wish for… In any case, it put me behind these write-ups. So please, grab a cup of joe and prepare for a rather “Giantsized Man Thing” Celebrity Special report for the final few days of Comic-Con. Swampy!
Day 3
The calm before the storm? Day Three was surprisingly quiet. Not in the sense of there being fewer people – there was the now expected Early Morning Exclusive Toys rush at the start and crowds were plentiful – but more in the sense that it felt more like a usual con, albeit with larger crowds. Sales were great, with the combined Season 1 and 2 edition of Magic of Myths and Tick Tock IPA flying off the table. Interest in the books was high and lots of smiling, friendly faces made it a fun affair. Fatigue started to creep in, but it’s overcome by the pleasant enthusiasm by all involved. I even discovered that one of our table neighbours is part of the dev team SuperGiant Games, who is developing Transistor for PlayStation 4. Looks like I’ve got another feature for my day job at PlayStation.com in the pipeline…
SDCC Exhibitor Tip
30
Days at SDCC are LONG. You may well know this, but as they start from nine AM and finish around six or seven PM, you’re on your feet a substantial amount of time. For consumers it’s essential to wear comfy footwear, but it’s just as important for exhibitors as well. You’ll never sell as well sitting down as you will standing up, so chances are you’ll be standing most of the time, even if you’re just welcoming passers-by to your table. While tip #4 (dressing up) is handy, make sure you factor in something which won’t leave your feet like two tender beef patties on a BBQ by the end of the day.
As more people start to attend wearing more elaborate costumes, Yomi and I start to reel them in with photos of them holding our books. It’s a great tactic as many oblige and it creates a buzz around our table as well as furthering interest in our stories. Although one guy dressed as Bane – or maybe it WAS Bane – refused to play along, shaking his head when we try to hand him a book. We couldn’t tell if his words were muffled or he just couldn’t speak past his breathing mask. Or maybe it’s because he’s still sore that no one liked his freestyle rap.