Convention Recap: Chattacon 2025
TRANSPARENCYEVENT RECAP
General Thoughts
Last year Chattacon was a lot of fun, but not super lucrative from a financial standpoint. This year it was also a lot of fun, but a lot more lucrative from a financial standpoint! That's a winner any way you care to slice it in my books!
This year was the 50 year anniversary of the con, which means it's the oldest con I have ever been a part of (Dragon Con is under 40 years old still I believe). This meant more attendees as folks came out for the celebration, which was nice to see. It wasn't a huge number I don't think, but even 100 more folks can seem like a lot at a smaller mid-sized con like this. And while the weather wasn't ideal, it wasn't as bad as last year.
I was back in Author Alley again, which was nice. Ben Meeks and I were the only two returning, so there was some fresh meet in the hall haha. Venessa Giunta and Keith Robinson I have boothed with before, but there was one new to me author, Moonflower Press. Yall...possum kids books. How perfect is that (for me lol)?! This was also their first convention, though they have done other sorts of in person events before. But yeah, it was a fun crew in the Alley for sure.
I also got to spend some time hanging out with Dr. Darrin Kennedy, as we shared a room in the host hotel. I've shared a table with him before, but this was the first time rooming, and it went as smooth as butter! Great roommate, not that he needs my endorsment lol.
So yeah, lots of panels, good sales, great weekend! What's not to love?
Small Thoughts
I have a few small thoughts.
When am I going to remember to start packing zip ties? Seemingly never (he said for the third event in a row).
I have a vision for what my booth is going to look like come 2026, in how I am using my racks and such, and it's gonna be so pleasing to the eye.
I love my banner. I really do. But...it doesn't work. Folks don't 'get it' and just think I am selling pins. A good banner shouldn't confuse folks. So I am going to start planning a more conventional banner, while using my current one as a backdrop for podcasting and such I think.
I am going to investigate Inkarnate to make maps with. A good friend was singing its praises to me.
What...?
This section is where I relay the occasional WTF conversational moment(s) we get into at booths sometimes:
I had a wild (but really fun) conversation with a woman about the time she bought a table with a tie to a famous cryptid from another person in the backwoods of the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. One of those conversations where each sentence was more fun than the one before it.
Also a fellow author alley denizen and all around rad Brit, Keith Robinson, told me about the Aldgate Pump...that shit is terrifying.
Panels
Yeaaaaah! I got to do a bunch of panels!
FRIDAY
1. Be Their Guest
Moderator: Tyra Burton
Starting off the con with a bang, I got to panel with the dream team of Tyra Burton, Charles McFall, and Joseph Ard, all folks behind the Digital Media Track at Dragon. I have done a number of panels and podcasts with them, and we always have fun together. This panel was all about how you become a guest, and how to act once you are.
SATURDAY
2. Getting Started In Podcasting
Moderator: Tyra Burton
This panel was all the same folks as the previous, just on a different day with a silghtly different topic! Instead of talking about how you become a guest, we talked about how you become the creator of the podcast!
3. Indie Gaming as a Business
Moderator: Michael Bielaczyc
This panel consisted of two of the team behind Sagaborn RPG and myself talking about things to consider when making games for money. Stuff like Creative Commons vs OGL, sourcing art, all that fun stuff.
4. Marketing for Creatives
Moderator: Tyra Burton
Tyra is the real expert on marketing, but she lets a few of us scrubs come on so she's not just up there by herself. Another fun one, we talked about a variety of marketing related issues.
5. Ultimate WHAT-IF Party 2025 Edition
Moderator: Venessa Giunta
Originally this was my only panel! Shows you the power of asking! In this panel, moderator Venessa pitched us questions like "What would have happened if Galadriel hadn't resisted the One Ring? What would be different if Loki was on the Avengers instead of Thor? And how would it change things if Luke had been put in carbonite instead of Han Solo?" It was too much fun!
SUNDAY
6. Collaboration: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Moderator: Tyra Burton
Besides Tyra and Charles (seeing a pattern here) two of the Guests of Honor, Delilah Dawson and Chelsea 'Little Red Dot' Steverson, were on this one. It does what it says on the tin: we talked about best practices around collaborating.
Sales
Last year I moved about 430 bucks worth of books. This year I came close to doubling that! What was different?
Well I wasn't sharing a table, which may have made a small difference. Not much though I suspect.
I have honed my layout a bit since the previous year. I've gone more vertical for one thing, but I have also been tweaking how I put out some of my secondary books a bit.
I had slightly better room placement, but that was only a fractional improvement really.
To the negative, I sold almost no zines. In fact, I gave away more than I sold. Not one zine bundle was sold. This makes me think that my zines may sell better to a younger crowd. Typically I have avoided more anime centered events, as they draw younger crowds which I usually sell worse to. This makes me think my zines may be a hedge for events like that.
I might have made more but I sold out of Omnibus 1!
I also almost sold out of Southern Saudade, and only have one copy of Omnibus 2 left. This was intentional...I am trying to sell through my stock at the moment.
This was the 50 year anniversary, so there were more folks on hand this year.
I usually do better the second year I am at a Con.
St. Dino showed up, with some pent up demand. Though while he was a huge chunk of my sales,
All that said, even though I sold almost 300 bucks less than I did at Fan Expo Nola, I ended up profiting almost exactly the same amount! In fact, I made 4 whole extra dollars over. But yeah, I netted a grand this month in event sales...that dog will hunt as my dad would say.
Daily Sales Numbers:
Friday: 150.00
Saturday: 555.00
Sunday: 99.00
Total Sales Numbers By Item:
6 Bringing Home The Rain
0 Books 2 or 3
12 Omnibus 1
0 Omnibus 2
0 Omnibus Bundles
4 Southern Saudade
2 Create Your Way To Freedom
2 Zines
0 Zine Bundle
2 Ultimate Bundle
Total: 804.00
Fixed Expenses:
Badge: 0.00 (included in booth fee)
Booth Fee - 100.00
Parking - 28.00
Hotel - 170.00
Other - 0.00
Total - 298.00
Grand Total Profit - 506.00
