Emily Skinner, Author a.k.a The Film Mom: Wondercon March 2016

I thought I had it all figured out.

Wondercon in Los Angeles was my first West Coast con.

I've done several in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

The fans of Wondercon are a great crowd. Those who are regulars to this con are used to it being in Anaheim -- so I'm not sure how many were attending Wondercon in LA for the first time?

I know I was.

Comic cons are where I sell my YA supernatural/paranormal books, the St. Blair series. And, for the most part, I have been growing response and sales with each con.

So here is what I have been measuring and learning as an author:

A small con of 2,000 people won't equal the sales of a con of 40,000+, but could still be profitable.
However, an artist alley table could equal the sales of a larger booth, if the location is in a high traffic area.
Location is king.
Booths that are positioned at the end section of a convention center, away from celebrity signings and a food court, are the road less traveled. Unless! it is a rainy day and conventioneers are stuck there.
Signs and banners must be positioned very high up and should be double-sided as the best option (I need double sided banners).
Better table display makes for improved sales.
Pricing should be easy to locate on items and signs.
Let people approach your table and browse before engaging in conversation.
Recognize the person who has taken the time to come to your table, as they could be elsewhere.
Thank people for their opinion.
Have candy for hungry shoppers.
Have an email signup.
Make notes by the person's name on the email list (Blogger. Producer...) so you'll remember who they are. You won't remember once you travel home.
Give something free. I give away bookmarks.
Enjoy yourself!

So how was Wondercon? It was good.

It was topnotch professional. Awesome fans.

The help the Wondercon staff provides at load-in and load-in is THE BEST!

Sales were low for the booth size I had.

I've had the same 10x10 in 4 conventions and near the same volume of traffic or greater at Wondercon. The only difference was location and visibility. My Wondercon location was further away from the action, but near the food court (a plus). It seemed like a great location. But once all our neighbors had their booths up, it was a competition for attendee attention. I'm not complaining. I was very impressed by the creativity of the other vendors. We can always improve.

I still scratch my head on this one. It seemed to have greater potential.

I'm not sure why sales weren't at least the same as other large conventions? But the fans were great! We met a lot of fun people and hope to keep in touch with them.

Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience. I think I'll try again, if they'll have me.