Shaky finances be damned! I'm still doing an exhibitor comic convention tour this year-----albeit a much smaller one. Despite my low funds, I've gained so much more momentum and experience doing podcast, video, and radio show interviews promoting my comics and convention appearances last year, that I'd really like to keep that momentum going as much as I can. Even if I can only do half of the shows I did last year, it's better than nothing. So, I'd like to use this week's blog to talk about the conventions that I'm planning to do (along with some that I'd like to do), and a little bit about them----note: There's one show on the list that I've never done, so I'll have very little to talk about there.
Tulare Sci-Fi Con: March 7-8 (saturday and sunday). This is the new show I heard about while attending last year's Long Beach Comic Con. It takes place in Tulare, California, which is quite a drive outside Los Angeles. While it's a two hour drive from North Hollywood, the tables are free. So, yeah. Can't really turn that down. It's also a smaller show with a loyal customer base around it----or at least that's what I'm hoping for. No matter how I do there, the only risk is gas money.
San Fernando Valley Comic Con: March 29, 2015: I've done this show several times before starting last March, and it's a small but nice, laid back, fun show. It takes place in a multipurpose activity hall in Granada Hills, on the corner of Balboa blvd. and San Fernando Mission rd. What's great about this show is while the crowds aren't as big, the people who come in really want to be there, and appreciate the talent of all of the vendors, and a smaller show with an enthusiastic crowd is better than a larger show with a crowd that could care less about anything they see ( I'm looking at you Wizard World, when you were back in Los Angeles and Anaheim). One of the biggest reasons I do this show is one of the shows organizers, Joe Williamson, has become a good friend of mine, and has helped me a great deal promoting my work through podcast interviews and radio shows. It's always great to see him, even if we're both busy during the show and only have time to speak before and after the event.
Wondercon: April 3-5, 2015. I saved the best for last. Ever since it moved from San Francisco to Anaheim back in 2012, this "younger sibling of San Diego Comic Con International," has quickly become the convention to attend if you want to avoid San Diego's insane crowds, and----let's be honest here----because Comic Con sells out months in advance. Wondercon has been my most consistently successful show in the three years I've exhibited at the show. They know how to balance entertainment panels, large comic company booths, and independent creators (me), in a way that everyone gets some level of foot traffic and sales. There's always room for improvement, such as placing their Artist Alley and Small Press Areas closer to the front of the exhibit hall, but for a three-day easter weekend extravaganza, it always manages to impress me every year.
So, those are the shows I'm set to do so far. There are some others that I'd like to do again if I had more money, such as the newly expanded "Long Beach Comic Expo," "Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con," "Alternative Press Expo" in San Francisco, and "Long Beach Comic Con," (which occurs in the fall). Some shows that I'd like to try for the first time are: "Phoenix Comic Con," "Big Wow Comic Fest," and "Emerald City Comic Con." I just need to take these all in one day at a time. I may be only able to do three shows this year, but who knows what next year will bring, financially and professionally. All I can say is: Stay tuned.