So this week most of my time has been spent getting ready for Jet City Comic Show which is Saturday. Unfortunately Maria (and her poor kids) are sickies so I will be heading out to the wilds of Seattle Center without her. I will be at Artist Alley table #48 selling my comics and handing out free chapters of my novel Other Systems.
It’s nice I got everything in my handy-dandy giant red hard plastic suitcase for Jet City, because it means I also packed for V-Con in the smaller suitcase–also red but with polka dots so I feel prepared.
A lot of new authors and artists wonder what should I bring to a con so here is a list of things that I bring to every con where I am tabling such as Jet City:
1) Comics and books to sell.
2) Posters and mini-buttons to sell
3) 3-step Acrylic tray style riser to hold Faminelands and Lure
4) Smaller literature holder to hold Out for Souls & Cookies
5) Easels and poster holder. I use a sideless slotted mail file–it works great
6) First Aid Kit with lots of Bandaids and Neosporen: you slice your hand on a piece of plastic and you will be lucky you have them. Also it’s amazing how many ladies are wearing uncomfortable footwear and get blisters. Ladies, unless you are confident and comfortable in heels stop trying to impress your boyfriend. It is fun for an hour at max, then not only does no one care that your feet hurt, we don’t want to hear you whine about it. Still as a generally nice person who happens to keep bandaids in my kit: I will give you one.
7) Food and Drink for me and any minions which show up
8) Binder clips, scissors, index cards
9) Pens for signing books, ball point pens for everything else.
10) Tally Sheet, Change bag, Credit card reader, Iphone and Ipad. It’s weird, but in different places I get better reception on one or the other so I always bring both.
11) Business cards, freebie chapters and other marketing materials, banners
12 Table cloth
13) A emergency kit for non emergencies: nail file, clippers, tampons, breathmints, hair brush, Tylenol, Advil, carmex, hand wipes, antibacterial gel, vitamins, and Zertec. Though honestly, I have been at a con without Zertec and I suppose Maria felt it was an emergency when I was having an allergic reaction, because we sent our minion out into the world and made her go buy us some.
I think that is everything I bring.
At a con away from home, I also bring two outfits for everyday. One for during the con wear which for me is business casual or a costume. The other is my off hours clothes. If the hotel has a pool, I always bring my swimsuit. If I am invited to a party I also bring a dress.
Finally, the other exciting thing: Perihelion is restarting their online science fiction magazine and bought my story Unintentional Colonists which is set on Jupiter’s moon Europa. It’s gone through editing and I okayed the galley last night so check it out 11/12/12!
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