Livingston Book Con and Other Thoughts (Patreon)

Our setup was very green yesterday at Livingston Book-con. It was also 95 and humid, so I am melting in all these photos.

The table was shorter than the 6' promised, and my dysgraphia made converting the setup a challenge. We wanted to focus more on selling books- book sales have been poor this year, but also wanted to leave space for the Louisiana Food prints and the new greeting cards. I like the look of the setup, and we DID move a few books, but I'm not sure how effective it was, especially as I was verging on heatsick all day.

Turnout was not what we expected- attendance was very low compared to their Comic Con (which we love), but all the library staff were amazing and they kept us supplied with water and snacks.

So I ran a very unscientific experiment while we were vending. The table behind me was empty for half the show, so Joseph filled it with books. While sales were SLOW, he made 4 sales, and I sold the rest of the $133 we sold today. Joseph's table was made up of scraps from my setup, no banner or signage, so that may also have contributed, but the show was so slow I doubt it.

Joseph is the better salesperson btw, but it was fun to change things up!

This doesn't mean anything really, but last week Bsky had a little discourse about indie comic peoples setups and 'anime con' setups, so I was open to trying something different. I have done all sorts of layouts over the years and have worked hard so that everything on the table is original to me, but I still get dirty looks at indie comic cons sometimes. My customers seem to love the setup though- I aim for a self serve hybrid that caters to folks with hearing issues and anxiety issues.

We had some new art prints and a BUNCH of new greeting cards in for this show- I've been painting a lot this summer with the intention of launching new greeting cards focusing on puns, Animals, and food.

i have done several book fests- Southern Festival of Books, the Louisiana Book Festival, a tiny children's book festival in Jefferson, and the Livingston Book Con, and I find that hands down, I do better at library comic cons.

This was a free event, hosted by the Livingston Parish Library system, so I am grateful for the opportunity, but it was also an hour drive each way and in full heat. I REALLY need to find more events that suit my work closer to home- while I love the folks in Terrebonne and Livingston, I need to earn money locally too.

I used to do a lot of outdoor events, but as yall might have gathered, my heat tolerance is show. My anxiety meds and one of my Sjogren's meds wrecks my ability to handle heat, and many of Louisiana's vending opportunities are outdoor, rain or shine.

Sales have been really poor this year, but we're working on a site revamp and relaunching the comic, so I hope you're excited for a whole new shop and a bunch of prints, cards, and stickers! I also wanted to sincerely thank yall for your support this year- and wanted to share my honest experiences with you because so many of yall are also convention/craft fair artists.