Have books, will travel. Lately, I’ve spent a lot of time selling books in Virginia, first at the Virginia Comic Con in on August 19, then at Fairfax Comic Con on August 26-27. The results couldn’t have been more different.
Virginia Comic Con
After a very successful three-day stint in March at Galaxy Con in Richmond, I was hoping that my return would be just as good. In hindsight, the warning signs were there: though only being one day, VA CC had a very high vendor fee ($186), and it was being held at Richmond Raceway, not the first sort of venue I would have thought of for this type of event. Descriptions on the website made it sound like it was going to be held in the infield of the track, but I couldn’t be certain.
The email that the organizers sent to us vendors a few days before didn’t clear up the matter, or provide many other details. Nevertheless, I loaded up the car with my books and my youthful nephew Daniel, and we left my house on Kent Island, Maryland.
Three hours later, we arrived at the racetrack, and the lady directing people at the front gate sent us not to the stadium, but to the Exhibition Hall nearby. We drove down there, but the place was dark and locked up even though it was only 45 minutes until the start of the con. I drove back to the lady and asked again, but she assured us that the building was the place to go.
Plainly, it was not. Across the parking lot was another, smaller building (the “Old Dominion Building”), with many cars parked nearby. We drove over and found out that it was the actual place. We went around back, hurriedly unloaded and set up, and were ready shortly before the doors opened.
I would like to say that despite that rough start, the con was a success, but it was not. There was a steady crowd of a few thousand, but not many buyers. There was nowhere to get food, and not much to catch Daniel’s interest. While I met some very nice people there, I only sold 19 books (about half my goal), and we endured a 3 ½ hour drive back.
Factoring in the high entry fee, the cost of printing the books, and gas and tolls, I barely broke even. Virginia Comic Con was the worst book signing event I’ve had this year. Very frustrating and discouraging.
Fairfax Comic Con
After moping for a few days, I bounced back and got ready for Fairfax Comic Con, to be held at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly. Even before it started, I felt better, because the vendor fee was lower ($158), it was a two-day event, and the location was only 1 ½ hours from my home.
It was also much better organized. The pre-event email that the organizers sent had clear instructions and set my expectations. Check-in when I got there was quick and well-run, with someone showing me to my spot in a very large venue.
Once the doors opened, many thousands of people came, a steady stream of enthusiastic customers on both days.
I went solo on Saturday; my neighbor Dylan came with me on Sunday. Dylan picked us up popcorn and delicious meatball subs from the café there at the Expo Center, so we were well-fed and in fine spirits. Dylan’s a pro wrestling fan, and he got his photo taken with Sgt. Slaughter.
I sold 29 books on Saturday, 17 on Sunday, a little fewer than the 30 books and 20 books that I was hoping for on those respective days. After the entry fee and printing costs, I made a tidy sum, well worth the investment in money, time, and gasoline. And the people I met were great fun! I’ll definitely do Fairfax Comic Con again.
Looking Ahead
The two Virginia conventions have kicked off a busy season for me. I’m off for a few weeks, then I’m going to be selling books at Annapolis Mall on September 22-23, then at the West Annapolis Oktoberfest on September 24.
At the end of the month, I’ll be at the Fright Reads Book Festival, where I’m hoping that my dark fantasy/horror novel This Wasted Land will celebrate its 5th birthday by going over big. More about those events later!
Kenton Kilgore writes killer sci-fi and fantasy for young adults, and adults who are still young. He also dabbles in children’s books. Follow Kenton on Facebook for frequent posts on sci-fi, fantasy, and other speculative fiction. You can also catch him on Instagram.
You’re doing great!
(I sold five books at Balticon, and that was more than either of the booksellers within eyeshot of my table. Organization was fine and the staff was very helpful, but I still can’t recommend Balticon as a book sales event. I’ll have to try to get into Fairfax next year.)