Convention Recap: Dragon Con 2025 - Selling and Signing
TRANSPARENCYEVENT RECAPDRAGON CON
If you want to skip to the punch line, I broke $2,500 bucks for the first time ever. Now that's settled, how did I get there?
So I had three ways by which I sold books:
1. Once again I was in the Sidestreet Book Market. The brainchild of Ben Meeks, this year things were a bit different. First of all, Matt Dinniman of Dungeon Crawler Carl fame, was part of the booth and did a signing there. Secondly, I gave up all my signing times to help me achieve some balance (see the Balance post to learn more). And frankly, after Friday I worried that I had made a huge mistake. I had only sold 65 dollars worth of books, which...is not good. So Saturday I took one of my yard signs that I had randomly decided to bring, and put it up where my books were, and prayed. I fully expected it to not help at all.
Then I sold about 1,100 bucks worth the next two days or so. So yeah, the sign helped.
2. This year I was once allowed to set up at the Fantasy Gather, a four hour book market for Attending Professionals and Guests of the Con. Last year I sold 430 dollars worth of books here, and anticipated doing around the same. I did over 1,100 in sales though. Over 900 of that came in the opening two hours. 450 bucks an hour? Yes please. Why can't every event be like that? I actually sold out of Omnibus 1's, which was wild. The reason I sold more this year I think was twofold: first, I did more panels, and folks came to me because of that. Second, the fucking yard sign. I am not joking, those things have already paid for themselves like thirty times over or something.
3. I was invited to participate in a one hour signing as part of the Urban Fantasy Track. Shockingly, with Charlaine Harris also doing a signing at that time, folks weren't exactly swarming my table. That said, I was very happy to sell 240 bucks worth. For an hour's work? Yes please.
What will I do different next year?
I will bring less Burning Wisdom and less Southern Saudade. I would have brought more of The Devils That Haunt Him, but I didn't order enough. So I only have two copies of my best seller going into the Southeast Fandom Fair this upcoming Saturday. Oops.
Next year I will have zines on hand again. Not sure how many though.
The yard sign will be in the booth from day one, I can tell you that much.
I should also have some new books on hand, from fancy editions to new horror novels.
The Numbers
Booth Sales:
Bringing Home the Rain: 18 for $355.00 (17 last year)
The Demons That Haunt Him: 14 for $560.00 (19 last year)
Burning Wisdom: 1 for $35.00 (8 last year)
Southern Saudade: 7 for $90 (6 last year)
Total: 40 books (50 last year) for $1,174.66 ($1,451.65 last year)
Gather Sales:
Bringing Home the Rain: 17 sold for a total of $340 (6 last year)
The Demons That Haunt Him: 16 sold for a total of $640 (9 last year)
Burning Wisdom: 4 for 160 (Didn't bring last year)
Southern Saudade: 1 sold for a total of $20 (1 last year)
Total Sales: 38 for $1,130 (16 books/1 zine for $430 last year)
Signing Sales:
Bringing Home the Rain: 2 sold for a total of $40
The Demons That Haunt Him: 5 sold for a total of $200
Total Sales: 7 for $240
Dragon Con Overall:
Total Book Count: 85 (67 last year)
Total Zine Count: 0 (Didn't bring any)
Total Sales: 2544.66(1896.65 last year)
Table Cost: 0
Total Profit: 2544.66
Total Brought/Sold:
Bringing Home the Rain: 42/37
The Demons That Haunt Him: 36/34
Burning Wisdom: 15/5
Southern Saudade: 20/8
Zines: 0/0
Ultimate Bundles: 0/0
