To Be Clear, I Don't Make Money at Conventions

I am not shy about how hard it is to make a living as a writer. Anyone who follows me on social media, or who reads this blog, likely knows more about how the sausage is made than they ever wanted to at this point. However, this week I wanted to take a second to address something people have been repeatedly saying to me ever since the vaccine came out, and in-person events have become possible once again.

"Maybe once conventions start up again you'll be able to make some money!"

Roll on snare drum. Everyone laughs. Good joke.

Now, I've been going to conventions in a professional capacity for about a decade now. I've been to shows as big as Gen Con in Indianapolis, and as small as Windy Con in Chicago. I've been a panelist, I've held down a signing table, and I've actually had some dealer space. So let me be very clear here.

I have almost never made money at a con. The sheer amount of costs that have to be cut, and the amount of books I would need to sell to make a profit, is outright laughable. And since I just got back from Gamehole Con in Wisconsin, and I have some hard, recent numbers, I figured I'd share for folks who could use a real-time break down.

Before we get into hard numbers, those who want to stay updated on my content should subscribe to my weekly newsletter. Also, if you want to help me keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron... even a little donation makes a big difference!

Seriously... Making a Profit is a Bastard And a Half

So, for those of you not familiar with Gamehole Con, it's up in Madison Wisconsin. It's been steadily growing, and while attendance was down a little bit, it was pretty comparable with pre-pandemic numbers according to folks who keep track of such things. I was there because some friends of mine who run Gargoyle Forge (an awesome LARP weapon company, whom you should follow on Facebook if you haven't already) had a booth, and they offered me a side table so I could sell books to passerby. They also let me crash with them in their hotel room, and made sure my badge was covered. Keep that in mind going forward.

All right... let's get into the numbers!

Now, I brought 30 or so books with me to this event, including my sci-fi dystopia Old Soldiers, and the two installments in my Hard-Boiled Cat series Marked Territory and Painted Cats. I sold them for $10 each, which is something of a steal considering the Amazon price is usually $13 and change, and that's without taking shipping and handling into account.

By the end of the con, I'd sold 23 books. So far, that's $230 in pure profits. If this story ended here, and I could make a couple C-notes and change in sales even at a small con, I wouldn't be writing this entry. Because now we have to talk about the costs.

Right out of the gate, It took my about $40 round trip in fuel to drive to the event, plus $10 in tolls. That's $50 in costs, which brings us down to $180 in profit. Still, that's not terrible. Of course, with most of my books sold, I had to re-stock. That cost $120. So we're down to $60 in profit for the event.

But what if I had tried to do this on my own without glomming on with my friends? Well, that $60 I hadn't spent likely would have just been my badge fee. Leaving the several hundred dollars in hotel room cost, table cost, and food costs (my friends made sure I was fed, too... seriously, I cannot overstate how much they helped make this show a success for me). So, even selling a majority of the stock I'd brought with me (a stock which I hadn't paid for, mind, as Ring of Fire gave me 10 free copies of every novel that I'd published with them) would have probably resulted in my spending $300-$500 just for the privilege of being at a show.

Cut Costs, Increase Sales

There are probably people out there right now who are thinking of all the things I could do to cut my costs as much as possible. Only go to local shows, or ones where I can crash with someone else instead of paying for a hotel room. Only attend events where I can share a table, and thus pay as little as possible for it. Volunteer for programming to get my badge comped after the show. And so on, and so forth.

These folks aren't wrong, but I chose Gamehole Con and my experience there very specifically to make a point. The point is that I showed up with a free stock of books, didn't pay for a table, didn't pay for hotel, didn't pay for food, managed pretty decent numbers for an independent author, and I still barely made $60 for three days worth of work (and even less once I square away the taxes and such). Work where I wasn't writing new articles, putting out fresh gaming supplements, or polishing off new blog entries.

Pizza's on me this week, I guess.

Even by cutting my costs to the absolute bone, and making a really big profit margin per sale (because even charging $13 for books I have to pay for, thus making them only cheaper than Amazon by cutting shipping and handling charges, I'd be making less per sale), I can barely scrape out ahead at even a small convention. And even if it were technically possible for me to sell more books at an event, I can only afford to buy a certain amount of stock to have on-hand... my margins are too thin for me to drop a few hundred on books I might not sell for months or years when rent is due by the 5th.

So why go to cons at all, then, you might be asking? Especially since, as I write this, I'm gearing up to go to Windy Con in Chicago this weekend?

Well, because conventions are where I get to shake hands, and make fans. It's where I get to stand up on a platform and discuss what I do for a living. It's where I exchange business cards with agents and designers, and where I find work. Attending conventions is how I got an in with my current publisher, and it's how I've pitched several projects directly to editors and creative directors over the years. Cons are also the closest thing I have to a vacation in this capitalist hellscape where I don't get days off, and they're the only real events I get to look forward to.

But for all the great things about conventions, they're not a viable way for me to pay my bills. If I could sell enough books at a convention to not just pay for costs but to turn a profit big enough to cover my rent (something like 200 copies sold in a weekend, by my calculation, or 10 times better than my best performance so far), my fan base would likely be so big that I wouldn't need to do that in order to break even at the end of the month.

So remember that when you're at a show, and you see someone there trying to move copies of their novel. If you're interested, and you have the dosh, get a copy. If you're not, move along, because we're under a lot of pressure to avoid losses, and it takes a lot of energy to have your game face on all day, every day at a show like that.

One More Shout Out For Gargoyle Forge!

Also, because I cannot say enough good things about Gargoyle Forge, check out this video review of their product. They're likely the main reason I'll be at any cons in the future, so give them some love if you can.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing!

If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

The Strangeness of Professional Possibility (You Never Know Where Your Ideas Might Go)

We've all had those moments as writers where we sit back, and imagine what it would be like to get a chance to contribute to a favorite property of ours. A shot at writing for a beloved TV show, getting to tell a story for your favorite comic book, or to have your fiction be part of a game universe you love; these are the things we contemplate in our wildest flights of fancy. For a lot of folks out there, they think these ideas are just fan fiction that's never going to go anywhere, and it's just for their own amusement.

After all, we probably won't be one of those writers. The ones who get to drive the plot bus and lay the track for new canon. Surely there's a whole, secret process for how big companies pick who gets to contribute to popular media, and who is allowed to actually handle these properties that we love so much.

I mean, they've got to have a list, right?

I've felt this way for a long time, myself. I grew up reading Marvel comics, watching classic TV shows, and thinking to myself, "Man, I wish I could get some of my creativity into those things... but there's no way that will ever happen."

Funny thing, though... it totally could. And far more easily than you or I think.

No, This Isn't an Announcement Post

Let me be clear, I have not been picked to work on an Avengers script, or to provide my "What-If?" stories to Marvel's next edition (though if any folks with executive power on those properties is reading, shoot me a message and we can talk). I do have a new novel coming out from Ring of Fire September 1st (check the slate), but that's neither here nor there.

What I'm trying to say is that there's no hidden cabal of editors who pull writers' names out of a golden chalice. There's no creativity Olympics where only the best and the brightest are offered a chance to let their work shine in the public arena for all to see. You get these opportunities the same way you get practically everything else in the writing world; connections, impressions, and sheer dumb luck.

I'm serious... lucky opens at LEAST as many doors as talented.

As an example, I've sat on panels with people who've written comics for Marvel (Seanen McGuire has some killer insights if you get a chance to sit and listen to her, by the by), I've rubbed elbows with bestsellers, and I've shared drinks at after parties with the head editors of RPG companies. To be clear, I don't know a lot of these folks well enough to email them and ask for a job, or to give my input on the direction a property should go. But some of them know my name, and recognize my face when we pass in the halls.

There have also been times where I've had a conversation with someone, and they said they'd keep me in mind if a future project comes up. Or a time when I sent in an email asking if there were spots open for something, and got the response, "Sure, what'cha wanna write?" For the record, that's how my short story The Irregulars would up as part of Paizo's canon for the Golarion setting.

My experience isn't new or unique, either. Every panel I've ever been on where someone asks the question, "How do I break into the writing business?" the answers are almost universally to be in the places where you can make connections. Because it's true that winning awards or selling huge numbers of books will get attention, you don't have to do that to get your foot in the door. Volunteer to be a panelist at your local con, help run the green room, and put yourself out there. Even if it's a digital convention, or a social media group, there is no telling who you'll run into and what connections you'll make.

And if you never thought you'd have the chance to write a story about what would happen if Frank Castle made a deal with Mephisto to get him out of Vietnam where he becomes the next Ghost Rider... just wait. You might meet run into someone who hears that, knocks back their drink, and says, "You've got my attention, when can I have the script?"

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing! If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

If You're Going To Cons as an Author, Wear a Hat

For those of you who aren't in the Chicagoland area, I was at Capricon two weekends ago. It's a convention that I love, and that I would highly recommend any sci-fi and fantasy fan attend. And like most Capricons, I found myself on half a dozen different panels, shuttling between readings and room parties, shaking hands and passing out business cards.

One panel I was on in particular stuck with me, though, and it was all about being a professional author. It was almost my first hall panel (when the panelists and attendees are there bright and early, but the hotel staff hasn't opened the room yet so you just start lecturing your gathered audience in the hallway). I was seated next to the very talented Jonathan P. Brazee, and we shared the space with authors like Tim Akers, as well as K.M. Herkes. And while we were all talking about what it takes to hand sell books, how to hustle, and how we got into writing professionally, we all simultaneously stumbled on one of the great secrets of standing out at a convention when you're an author.

You need to wear a hat.

No, seriously, do it.

No, This Isn't a Joke

Take a moment and think of several famous authors you can actually identify by sight. George R.R. Martin is one, but so is Sir Terry Pratchett. If you're a fan of unique cyberpunk, you might also think of Megan Mackie, author of the The Finder of The Lucky Devil. All of these folks might be known for their talent and skill with words, but they're recognized for their iconic headgear. And when you're at an event that will have between 1,500 and 50,000 people (depending on the size of your preferred convention) you need something that will let people identify you at a glance.

Maybe you've seen this handsome bastard around at shows, for instance?

For those of you who've never met me in person, I picked up that green leather beret for a song at a Renaissance festival about 7 or 8 years back. I started wearing it to cons mostly just so I'd get some use out of it, but also to play into the whole Literary Mercenary angle. And the point at which I really stepped back and realized how closely people associated it with me was when I was at Gen Con about three or four years ago.

Let me paint the scene for you. Gen Con was swollen to a fresh capacity, drawing roughly 60,000 attendees. There were hordes of fellow gamers, and a small army of professionals trying to keep the wheels turning. I was all over the dealer's room, and making my way into the Ennies with the intent of shaking a few hands and maybe getting a new job offer or two. At the end of that convention, not one person remembered my actual name. But more than two dozen designers, writers, and RPG professionals immediately recognized my hat, and remembered that I was the Literary Mercenary. Even if we'd just had a quick 10-minute conversation the day before, they remembered my beret, because not one other person at the whole con had one like it.

That one piece of information, and the name associated with it, was all it took. Because if you type my handle into Google, you can find my real name, and an email to offer me a job. Some did, and all because of that one, strong impression.

Crown Yourself

Why are hats (or in the case of K.M. Herkes, an eye-catching shade of blue hair) so effective? Well, it's generally because hats stand out. In addition to being something you instantly notice, a hat can be seen from a distance, and if your hat is unique then it will also be lumped in with your persona as an author.

Fortunately, a good hat can also last a very long time. So if you've got something that would make you easier to remember, don't be afraid to pop it on your head and stand out from the crowd. Because before someone can read your book, they actually have to notice who the hell you are.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing! If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!