Gush Post – Kansas City Comic Convention
Good afternoon to all four people who read this blog with consistency!
Hah, just messing. It’s more like 30 at this stage, but I digress.
I AM ATTENDING MY FIRST COMIC CONVENTION AS A BOOK SELLER.
Granted, not my books, buuuuuuut….
I’ve learned more about how to work a convention successfully in the last 24 hours than I would’ve in five years of experience. No joke. It’s… mind-blowing just how much little details can have an enormous impact on your success. Apparently, especially towards the beginning of your career, conventions will be how I make the vast majority of my book sales. My situation may be unique, because of how I am approaching my career (through short stories and online social media / streaming / podcast presence), but it’s still important. Plus, as I have been led to understand it, I will be selling myself at these conventions. So, all the brand-building I’m doing now will do nothing but pay dividends.
I wanted this post to be a story post, and I wanted very much for me to keep on script for the website, but the honest to god truth is that isn’t going to happen. I woke up at 8 AM, and didn’t even get home till 7 PM. Between the driving and the release of Temple today, which has surprisingly become a footnote in this weekends antics, I am so utterly exhausted that it defies reality. Who knew, but apparently moving a mountain of books takes work and stuff!
#themoreyouknow
Seriously though, it’s slightly intimidating. One of the authors I met started the same way I did, falling in love with the life at a convention. He actually has three books so far? In a year? So I very much felt like a man who was playing with tinker toys at that moment. As for me, since my own journey started in July, I’ve…. gotten one short story up just now. Ten months on. Not… not very good. So my ego took a severe blow, but that’s honestly not a bad thing? Ego tends to just get in the way anyhow. I don’t think I’ll miss what I lost very much.
As it stands, I look forward to tomorrow with great anticipation, eager to see how absolutely mind-blowingly hectic it is going to be at ground zero.
Catch you there!
Justin
