“The best things in life are free, but you can give them to the birds and bees! I need money!” –Barrett Strong, Money (That’s What I Want).

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An uncomfortable subject for many artists and creators is money. Creatives (including myself in this) typically don’t like dealing with boring finances. Whether it’s doing your taxes, setting prices, or even deciding how much to spend— Creatives prefer to live in a world where that’s never an issue, and we continue merrily along in our dream worlds creating.

Unfortunately, creator, you need to deal with money for various reasons. You can’t bury your head in the sketch pad or half-ass it; it’s time to be a real professional and take charge of the funds. It may be awkward at first, even a little overwhelming, but rest assured, once you’ve done it awhile, it becomes second nature.

Managing Your Costs

Your first step is figuring out how much money you spend at a comic-con. Everything from the gas you use to drive there to the food and the office supplies you purchase is usually tax deductible. The most efficient way for those who are not math savvy enough to do it in their head is to collect receipts for all purchases connected to the con. Even purchases you don’t think will be tax deductible. The idea is to understand just how much money is going out. Then, the goal is to ensure you’re bringing back more money.

Typical costs for a one-day comic-con for me, ten years ago, might look like this:

• Gas: $10
• Tolls: $5
• Food: $20
• Photocopies: $10
• Total: $45

This didn’t include the inventory because that was spread out over several comic-cons. An excellent way to calculate is by only counting the profit on each comic. So if you have a cover price of $3.99 and you’re only making $1 profit, only measure the dollar in terms of profit. Your inventory is eating the rest.

So, based on this metric, I might go to a show ten years ago and sell to approximately ten percent of the room. (If 300 people showed up, I usually made about 30 sales.) That roughly translated into a $40 profit. Sometimes it was more or less, and these aren’t my actual numbers, but you see where I’m going here. My yield was $40, but I spent $45. Translation: I’m losing about five bucks every comic-con. That’s not good.

Analyzing my costs, what do you find? Well, the gas and tolls are unavoidable. However, the photocopies were necessary for promotional handouts, so they stayed. (Although the gas might not be all burned up in travel, the photocopies might last me more than one convention.)

The big glaring red flag is my food costs for the day. I realized I was eating all my profit, so I had to bring this down to manage my expenses. The quickest way was to pack my lunch for the comic-con. Food at home is just the cost of living; it’s not part of the equation if you take it from there. (You would’ve bought some anyway had you not gone to the comic-con.) Some convention organizers sometimes feed you, or sometimes you tough it out and eat when you get home. Eliminating this cost takes my profit from negative five dollars to a positive fifteen!

I know, small potatoes, but the point is— I started controlling my costs once I stopped blowing money on hotel burgers and stopped at the diner. Now, this doesn’t mean you don’t go out if there’s an opportunity to network (see my previous column), but it does mean you don’t live like a French monarch when you’re trying to squeeze profit out of your small business. This is what you’re doing, creator; you’re running a small business.

Start-Up Costs and One-Time Costs

You usually only put out these costs once—for instance, your backdrop and signs. Perhaps you build a table display or buy a trade show tent and chair for outside events. These are all one-time costs because you’ll reuse these items at multiple shows. These costs can be factored into your yearly profit reports. And while we’re at it…

Profit Reports

Windows Excel Spreadsheet or a similar program will allow you to input all your costs and profit in an easy-to-read chart. It sounds boring (and it is), but if you get into the habit of filling this out after every convention, it’ll only take you a few minutes. The critical deets are the cost, the date, and the comic-con. You might want to input the company if you have trouble reading the receipt later for your taxes. Your expenses go into a chart like this. If you learn the basics of Excel (and believe me, I only know the basics), you can highlight the money column and get it to total at the bottom. This is especially useful later in the year after you’ve done a dozen comic-cons.

The profit report goes on a different spreadsheet. You want to add up the profit you made, when you made it, and where. Bonus points if you differentiate the difference between cash and credit card sales. (This might be handy later when you get home and you are counting the actual cash. You want to make sure everything adds up correctly. If it doesn’t, well, someone made a mistake. Don’t freak out. There’s a learning curve, and you may have just added it wrong.)

Taxes

All this information can be used later on your taxes. If you run a small business, business expenses are tax deductible. Initially, you may make so little money that your accountant might advise you not to bother filling out a longer form. However, if you do your taxes and you’re making a little bit of cash— These write-offs can save you money at the end of the year. This may vary from state to state for state taxes, but it’s the same for your federal taxes. Please consult with your tax account or find a good video tutorial online to figure it out for yourself. Keep in mind the rules sometimes change from year-to-year. Most recently, the Biden “Rescue Plan” changed the rules so that if you make more than $600 in the gig economy (online through Paypal, Venmo, etc.), the IRS will know about it.

Using the Information to Maximize Profit Per Show

Okay, let’s assume you’re using all my advice from previous columns and this one. You’re putting on a professional appearance, promoting correctly, and now you’re monitoring your income stream— money going out and money coming in. Now you have to use that information to maximize your profit, creator.

Now comes the hard part: you must ask yourself some tough questions. Are you selling enough comics? What are you selling? What’s making you money? Is there something you spent money on that isn’t selling? For me, it was T-shirts. Unfortunately, they didn’t work out for me. I sold a handful, but I probably printed too many and ended up trying to carry too many sizes. Ultimately, I dropped shirts, and now I do them through Redbubble.

You have to carefully analyze (after several comic-cons) what’s selling and what’s not. There are many variables, so don’t jump to conclusions. You want to tweak your business model, not constantly upend the entire thing and start over. Keep in mind some factors that may be out of your control:

1: Weather: Weather is a huge factor in whether anyone comes out of a comic-con, especially if the venue isn’t air-conditioned or outside. You may not want to include a comic-cons severely hampered by extreme weather, even if you somehow make it out to sell some books.

At the Wildwood, NJ Convention Center, during the summer show I used to do, great weather meant everyone was on the beach and the boardwalk — Not the convention center. A rainy weekend can also kill that show because people would stay in their resort house or hotel. However, one year it rained right after 7 PM. By this time, the beach was empty; everyone had eaten dinner and gone to the boardwalk. The rain drove everyone into the convention center, and it was a gangbuster sales day!

2: Major Comic-Con Changes: I had done a well-known con on the East Coast for two or three years and did well in sales. Then, one year, the comic-con had a big art auction, and the entire nature of the show changed. The customers saved all their money for the art auction at the end, and I did terribly since I don’t sell art. I don’t fault the convention organizers, but I could do nothing. So the show changed, and selling actual books became less of a priority, and I could no longer justify the expense of attending.

3: Regional Differences: You may attend a comic-con and find out your material is not for the audience. Going out of state might mean a steep decline in sales if you’re doing stories dependent on local folklore (as I do with the Jersey Devil and The Pineys). You might have to kick up your game. (In South Jersey, I rarely have to explain what the Jersey Devil is.) Unfortunately, this may not be enough, or the crowd doesn’t want your material. It doesn’t mean it’s terrible; it just means it’s not right for them. Your audience must exist somewhere else.

4: Unforeseen Events: I showed up at a comic-con in Houston. I had booked eight months in advance, and the entire hotel was being renovated. This killed attendance. Unfortunately, I did not know the situation until I arrived on the show’s first day.

Another time, a pipe burst in the hotel of a significant comic-con and nearly shut down the dealers’ room. Fortunately, we were far enough away from where the water was leaking that we didn’t get hit, but one gaming company with a double-sized booth lost everything in the indoor flood. (On the upside, I think the hotel’s insurance bought their entire stock and booth!)

Sometimes things happen, so you might want to leave these particular conventions out of your calculations. And in some cases, after doing the math, you’ll realize that specific comic-cons aren’t cost-effective, regardless.

Cost-Saving Measures

Setting aside those aberrations, you need to start thinking about how you can lower your costs. Remember, there’s a limit to how much you can cut back; usually, when you miss prices, you might up the cost in time.

For instance, I built a booth out of PVC pipe while working for Silent Devil. The owners had arranged for us to attend the New York Comic-Con and got us a sweet floor space. The homemade booth saved us a lot of money, but it took hours to construct and longer to build than a more professional one.

Here are a few cost-cutting measures to explore, depending on your situation:

1: Carpool: If you’re a single creator with very little material, carpooling with another creator attending the same show might be best. Splitting the costs helps everyone, assuming you get along with your fellow creator and they’re not crazy. (I’d advise some vetting process before agreeing to this.)

2: Sharing a Table With a Creator: Again, if you’re a single creator, maybe with your first or second book, you might not need a whole table space. It might be better for you to share it with another creator. This might work out exceptionally well if the other creator has a higher profile than you. Just be aware that you’re the second banana, and most fans will probably be looking at him first. Be patient. Most people will be polite enough to look at your stuff too.

3: Sharing a Table With a Comic Dealer: If you have a friend that has a store or is a dealer, you might get invited to sign your books at his table. This is usually ideal, assuming he doesn’t ask every other comic creator he’s met. Of course, you might have to get up early, carry comics, and help set up and break down, but it’s probably a win-win. My only advice is to ensure you talk to the dealer and understand his expectations and that you need enough table space to operate.

4: Staying With Friends and Family: This is a huge cost-saving measure on multi-day shows. Next to food and gas, hotel costs will be a considerable expense. Additionally, your friends and family will likely be happy to feed you one of those nights! But don’t be too stingy. It’s appropriate to take your friends and family out to eat if they let you do this. As long as you pick a reasonably priced place and your hosts don’t order off the wine list, you’ll still save money.

A good strategy when booking cons is to book them within driving distance of the places you can stay for free. (Got a grandma that lives in San Diego? I know where you’ll be going this summer!)

5: Bringing Food: For multi-day shows, you may not be able to bring all the food you need, but bringing a cheap case of water for the table and some granola bars can help you get through the day. Some larger venues ban bringing your food, so be prepared to hide it in comic book boxes to sneak it in. And no, they won’t check.

For God’s sake, stay away from the convention center food unless you’re desperate. It’s usually priced way too high. The ideal situation is to send someone from your table out to make a pizza run or to run down the street to whatever is close. Doing a good search in the immediate area of the convention center might give you some clues on how you don’t have to spend $10 on a hotdog.

6: Take Advantage of Amenities: Hotels usually provide at least a Continental Breakfast. One chain, the Hampton Inn, used to have that area open all day with fruit and various snacks. Don’t be shy if you’re staying there and paying for it. If you’re particularly crafty, you might make an extra bagel with cream cheese for later and take a different apple or orange juice. Save it for lunch; you’ve just scored two free meals. Pro Tip: Bring Ziploc bags for the extra food you’re taking. The hotel might frown on this, but they usually waste a lot of food anyway. Worst case scenario, you might have to put it back or eat it before you leave the buffet or have an uncomfortable conversation with the manager. (Tell them you were taking it to your room to finish eating quietly.)

7: The Con Provides: There is a chance that the comic-con you want to attend will provide lunch. For example, Pittsburgh used to have a deal with McDonald’s, and we got access to a giant pile of cheeseburgers in Artists’ Alley. (I still see that pile of cheeseburgers in my happier dreams.) Also, I’ve been to plenty of comic-cons where they order pizza and some (Dragon Con) where they have several green rooms for the guests full of food.

Depending on the size of the con and who is running it, you can often take advantage of many extras. Free rooms, per diems, free food, gas money, travel expenses— The sky’s the limit, but you won’t know unless you ask. I got flown out to Arizona for a con one time. They paid for my plane tickets, gave me a hotel room, and a fruit basket, per diem, took me out to dinner, and assigned a liaison to answer my questions and take care of me. Pretty sweet!

8: The Publisher Provides: If you’re super lucky and have a publisher, they might front you a lot of the expenses. It depends on the size of the publisher and the con. This is the only cost-effective way to do a big con. When I went to show with Kenzerco, I tried to be as valuable as possible at the tables, being a positive, professional presence that sold a lot of comics enthusiastically. It was hard work sometimes, but also a lot of fun.

Smaller publishers might be able to get you a badge and a free signing-in table for a few hours. Do the math. Selling for two hours at a booth at a large con for the cost of a car ride is probably more cost-effective than staying in a hotel for three days at your expense. Remember, the publisher might have you only sighing their books, but this is probably worth it for the exposure and the networking opportunities. If you’re at a big show with much free time and no signing space, it’s a perfect time to visit comic book store owners on the floor to promote and sell them your creator-owned projects.

9: Mailing Inventory: If you’re doing a con that requires a plane ride, it’s often more cost-effective to mail out the inventory ahead of time using ground service. The airline is going to charge you by the pound. If you got room in the box, you could also ship your clothes and whatnot, so your carry-on bag is nice and light. If you follow this advice, mail the stuff to arrive days ahead. Hotels usually have no problem holding packages for guests for a few days.

Another strategy is to mail them to a reliable friend that lives near the con that’s probably coming to see you anyway. You’ll save if they can show up early on the first day and hand you your inventory.

Warning: There is a slight risk in this. It’s possible your inventory will get delayed, lost, or damaged. The bigger problem will be if your flight or the con is canceled. In the worst-case scenario, you might have to pay to ship everything back. It’s rare, but it can happen. Hopefully, if you’re keeping track of your inventory and are realistic about what you sell at a giant con, you’ll bring just enough stock and have nothing but money to take back on the plane!

10: Sharing Hotel Rooms: Make friends with your fellow creators, and you can all save money, especially if you’re attending a big show. I understand it can get out of control, and I think it might be uncomfortable jamming the room with six people (as we once did in San Diego or Charlotte). Snoring can be a problem in that situation. (Not for me; I sleep like a rock. The other people who hear my snoring seem to have the problem.) Depending how cozy you want to get and how you are with sharing bathrooms will determine how far you’re willing to go. My advice is to rise early and use the bathroom first!

Collecting the money for the room, people who show up late or not at all, and general obnoxiousness from people with whom you’ve never had to share a tight space — This can all be a formula for argument. Vet your fellow creators a bit, especially if you have needs like a humidifier or a dehumidifier or just get bothered by certain things. But, for the most part, I’d suck it up and endure. If it’s awful, you do not know who to bunk with next time.

11: Book Off-Site Hotels: If you’re driving to a significant city and paying for your hotel, you might consider booking outside the city. Hotels raise their rates according to demand and location, so the host hotel is often the most expensive. At Dragon Con, the host hotels clocked in around $300 a night depending, but staying in nearby Marietta was closer to $100. Even with the parking, I saved money.

Again, the savings translate into more work. I had to schlep my comics in and out of Atlanta daily, but I saved them. The same thing was true in San Diego; staying in the off-site hotels further away from the convention center was cheaper, but it was more walking and hassle.

12: Moving Inventory: Bigger conventions are usually held in union-run convention centers. This may mean (depending on what your badge says) you must use union guys to move your product. In San Diego, having your inventory brought to your booth space had to be done a certain way and was a reasonably significant added expense. A way around it is to use a hand truck and go back and forth from whatever car you used to move the inventory.

This sidestep is going to have its limits. You won’t have to move a hundred boxes as a small creator. (God Bless if that’s the case.) In a specific New York venue with the initials that begin with an M and end with a G, the union guys were— I’ll say, “interesting.”

Apparently, at this con I was attending, the rule was those with vendor badges were allowed to move some of their product on hand trucks. The creators were not. To this day, I’m not sure why. I suspect the vendors paid a fee, so the union guys didn’t care. The show was out of creator badges, and I got a vendor badge.

I was leaving with an overloaded hand truck at the show’s end. (I’m notorious for bringing too much inventory and trying to make as few trips as possible.) The union guy held the door for me and wished me a pleasant day. However, a creator (with a creator badge) was walking out with me with one tiny box— Well, the union guy started screaming at him to get back to his table and wait for someone to move it for him.

I never had this problem in convention centers in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Wildwood, Los Angeles, Baltimore, or Houston— But the point of the story is, be aware of the rules, especially if you’re skirting them. Remember, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission sometimes.

13: Saving on Dinners: You can often justify splurging on dinner because of networking opportunities; remember not to go too nuts. Over the years, I blew money on big dinners and sometimes strip clubs to hang out with my peers. I don’t regret it, but it cost most, if not all, of my profits depending on the show. Eventually, this led to other freelancing and publishing deals, so it worked out. Just be aware of your spending. I don’t have to explain the pitfalls of going out to eat.

Suppose you can find a fellow creative you are friends with and a local native; they can often point you toward an excellent local place that won’t break the bank. However, sometimes a publisher might take you out, even a potential one. If that happens, still be wary of your spending. You won’t win over your publisher by proving you have the most expensive taste in steak or ordering top-of-the-line drinks just because they’re free.

14: Parking depends on how much stuff you have and how far you’re willing to walk. These days, I have a hand truck that can carry almost as much as a hotel cart to make one trip. This increased my radius and how far I’m willing to walk to save money.

However, cheap parking lots are not always in nice areas. It may not be worth saving a couple of bucks if you get your car busted. In Baltimore, I could unload on the curb and then move the car to a cheap lot while my artists watched the inventory. I probably wouldn’t bother these days, but your mileage may vary. Crime is spiking in significant cities, and convention center parking lots tend to be more secure.

15: Consortiums: Combining with other creators to share printing costs and some of the things listed here, including promotion and marketing, can be good. There are many pitfalls, which I’ll have to expand upon in another column. Again, ensure you vet these people thoroughly or be prepared to be disappointed.

Pricing Inventory

Now it comes time to talk about the hardest thing to do as a creator: pricing your work. This is a crucial step if you will keep your small business afloat and make it profitable. As a creator, you work hard and should be paid, but if you’re not thinking about and adjusting your pricing— You may be, as they say, “leaving money on the table.”

Comics: Marvel and D.C. sell books for four, five, and six dollars now. (That’s entirely out of control if you ask me!) So that’s the market now for a 32-page book with ads; the question is, how do you offer something to the consumer that’s a better value?

Cheaper Prices: Undercutting my competitors helped me sell comics. However, this was seen as a drawback in the world of collectibles. I aimed to establish a readership, i.e., people who followed the story. For Jersey Devil, when we got dropped by Diamond, I found a copy place that could make me zine-style comics for around 82 cents. This allowed me to sell them for $1.75 each. (You want to make at least double your cost when pricing.) This meant I had black and white covers, but to my audience (the readers), that wasn’t a factor.

More Bang For Your Buck: If your comic is the same price as Marvel and D.C. and it’s in color but has no ads— You now have your selling point. You’re offering more than your competition. Make sure you tell people this.

Better Service: Corporate comics are often cold and sterile compared to personal comics, where you know the creator. Responding to your fan base can be a lot of work, but it can pay off. Look at the recent success of Eric July’s crowd-funded comic, Isom. These projects feel more personal to the fan and to the creator. Remember that people like signed comics; you’re the creator and offer your signature.

Extras: Sketch covers, trading cards, giveaways, contests— Whatever you can think of that might tie into your comic. There’s a balance between being a creator and becoming a carnival barker. Remember, you’re doing these things to build your fan base and sell the comic.

Con Specials and Discounts: I have a lot of old inventory since I’ve been doing comics for so long. One of my strategies is offering free comics if someone purchases more than a few books. (Or I throw in a few freebies when someone asks me if I’ll do a discount.) Starting out, this won’t be an option for you, but when you get to issue three or four, you might consider some group rate, assuming the price makes sense.

 You have four issues of a $4.99 comic you sold through Diamond. Diamond has to sell it to the story at a 60-40% discount. Let’s make the math easy, 50%. Since they have to sell it to the store at $2.50, you sell it to Diamond for $1.25. That means your cost per issue (printing, art, writing, promotion) should be less than 62.5 cents per unit. (We’ll dive into more details in another column.)

Thru Diamond, you sell more but only make 62.5 cents an issue. However, if you sell them directly to stores, you’re making $1.875 per issue ($2.50 minus your costs), and if you sell them directly to fans, you’re making $4.365 per issue. ($5 minus your expenses). Therefore, you can afford to discount your comics to move more products to shows.

So typically, four issues cost $20. Drop a dollar off the cover for each case; you collect $16. Your cost is $2.50 for the four issues, so you’re still making $13.50 profit. Drop it to $15 to make change more accessible, and you’re still up $12.50 a set. Sell twenty of those sets at a show, and that’s a nice day!  

 Collectibility: Limited runs, unique covers, numbered editions, etc. I’ve never liked collectibles. To me, the market should decide what is and isn’t collectible. Creators engaging in this kind of marketing are not building a readership for their character; they’re running a short-term Ponzi scheme. You can make money for a while if you push it, start big and pay a few name artists; however, in the end— The novelty wears off, the fans drift away, and the model is ultimately unsustainable because the fans didn’t buy your product for the character and story. Instead, they bought it, speculating on the resale value. Finally, all you’re doing is a bunch of smoke and mirrors to charge an increased rate for the same product.

            The only exception might be…

Merchandise: T-shirts, action figures, pins, phone cases, etc. You might want to try whatever you can slap your character on and sell. In this case, limited or collectible stuff is okay because these items are being bought as an extra for the comic. In pricing these items, be ruthless. No discounts unless they bought a comic. Merch is usually very lucrative if it sells but remembers — The merch props up the comic, not the other way around. If no one follows your story, then who would buy the merch?

Just like the comic, you will want to at least double your costs for producing the item. These days, there are lots of websites you can outsource the work. For example, I outsource the printing of The Pineys to Amazon and the t-shirts and merch to RedBubble. Ensure all your links are prominent on your website and any promotional material you hand out.

Original Art: As an artist, you have to decide your value. I advise seriously looking at your work and other artists at a comic-con of comparable skill. Add to that your time to finish a piece. Have a sign that maps out all your prices for commission at the table, get the money upfront, and provide contact info. Be realistic about what you can finish at a show. Remember to include shipping in your price. There’s no point in charging five bucks for a headshot if you must mail it out later. Prices should be tiered according to how much work. Faces and pencils are one price, inking another level, body shot another, multiple characters another, and color should be the top spot.

Regarding your original comic art, ensure you have clean copies and price according to your worth. Yes, later, if you’re a big success— You may have sold those pages for a song, but so what? Trust me, and you want that problem. So don’t sell them if they’re that precious to you. However, feel free to sell lovely prints of your originals for a few bucks all day long, but make sure they are clearly labeled as such at the table.

Bringing Change

If you’re handling cash, you need to bring change. If it’s early morning on the way to the comic-con and you forgot, ask the toll taker. Those guys are swimming in transition and are happy to eliminate it. You can do the same thing at the drive-thru if you stop for a quick breakfast, although they may not have the small bills to give you. Most people don’t do actual coins, so round your prices to the nearest dollar.

As a last resort, I will ask my fellow vendors before the show starts and prompt customers to give me small bills if they have them. Sometimes people just reflexively give you big bills, and it never hurts to ask, but remember to go to the bank the day before and get some change. I try to accumulate it during the week and keep a lot of change on me since I do so many shows. Fifty bucks worth is usually enough: 20 ones, four fives, and a ten.

Handling Money

Don’t screw around when dealing with your money. As a one-man operation, I must be careful where I spend my money. I usually make changes from my wallet, which I always keep on me, especially if I get up from my table.

Do you need a strong box or an envelope? Maybe. I’ve had artist friends who pulled in hundreds and even thousands of dollars at a weekend show. If you’re pulling in that kind of money, you should have at least an assistant or an S.O. to watch your back. I’ve seen people get robbed at shows. Never leave the money unprotected!

One time at a gaming convention, my publisher had made so much money we couldn’t fit it in the deposit envelope. We took the trash bag from the wastepaper basket and stuffed the money. My publisher and the four or five other guys there organized a run back to the hotel because we were carrying around $20K, mostly in cash. If you’re pulling that kind of moola, make sure you know where there is a local bank branch where you can deposit it. Again, this is a significant problem to have!

Credit Card Sales

Get yourself some app. If you’re dealing with a lot of sales and very little help, you might want to get something like the Square so you can physically swipe the card swiftly. The one I’m currently using requires me to type in all the info. It takes a minute but allows me to chat with my supporting fan. There are fees, of course, and when customers ask which I prefer, I always say, “Cash is king!” It is because there are no fees. Many people don’t carry any cash and tend to spend more if they put it on their credit card anyway.

Just like your cash, make sure you keep your phone with you at all times. The same sort of people taking your money might be watching to grab your phone and rob you digitally.

Conclusion

You might read this column and say, “Aw, I wanted to hear more real numbers!” Understand that when it comes to money, prices adjust according to the region of the world that you’re in. There are many variables, so I am reluctant to give you numbers since they constantly change. As a small business owner, stay on top of that and raise or lower your prices accordingly. (Again, I’m talking about tweaking over long periods, not adjusting your prices every hour or day.) Keep changing your business plan as you see things starting to move in a profitable or less profitable direction.

For the guys at Penny Arcade, they sold a ton of T-shirts, I heard. Tons of them. For my friend that used to draw Batman, his original art sold for hundreds and sometimes thousands. Single issues are tough to deal with these days (and have been for a while), so I urge new creators to do graphic novels or, if they can’t afford it, one-issue/one-story publications.

Whatever you decide, keep track of the money coming in and out, don’t act like you’re on vacation at a comic-con, and with some luck— You might just be able to make this whole comic creator thing work.

For information regarding networking at a comic-con, check out that article here!