My First Con in the Bag!
You Always Remember Your First.
I did it! The curtain has fallen on my first tabling experience at a convention and while there were some ups and downs, I had a blast. I even had a few people come up to grab one of my newer books because they had purchased MORSELS from me a few years ago. It was definitely a nice ego boost.
J., why haven’t you been doing more conventions? What’s the hold up? Why do you write such amazing stories? All questions that I’m sure are running through you mind right now. And the answer to the first two questions is simple; I wanted to wait until I had a few books ready to offer readers (now I do) and a fear of failing (which has softened a bit).
At this point in time I have been doing comics for about five years now and in that time I have made some amazing friends, worked with amazing collaborators, and have successfully completed three comic books that I’m extremely proud of. The last five years have been quite the journey into the comic book world and while I still have a lot to learn, I’d like to believe that with each project I’ve completed I’ve grown as a storyteller, and will continue to do so as my career continues.
This is a big reason why I felt I was ready to take on my first comic convention selling my books and that INDY GEEK MEET was the perfect con to do so. The work had been put in and now I was excited to get out there and meet cool people and talk horror. And that I did! I spoke with a lot of fellow horror lovers and sold some books. It was enough to rejuvenate the soul and help refill the old creative tanks, but the day wasn’t without it’s worries.
The beginning of the day was extremely nerve wracking. I was excited as I set up my table for the first time but I worried about what the day would bring. I didn’t know if the crowd sizes would be big or if anyone would even be interested in my books. And at first not a lot of people came to my table and panic instantly set in, making me doubt why I was even writing comics. Dramatic? Sure, but so many talented artists have put their hearts and souls into these books along with me, so it’s easy to feel the pressure of failure pushing down on you. The important lesson I learned from this weekend is to have faith in your work, focus on the positives, and most importantly, have fun.
I’m always going to remember this first convention visit not because of the number of books I sold, but for time I got to spend with my daughter. She worked so hard helping me prep for the show by bagging books and setting, and was super excited to go hang out at the show with me. Sure, I heard I’m bored multiple times throughout the day, but she seemed interested in the process of doing the show. I’m going to remember getting to meet fellow artists, such as Will Bresley from Dreadtime.Creations (check out his work!). And most importantly I’m going to remember Billy Cooper for giving me a shot at being a part of GEEK MEET INDY.
I feel like the only way to really wrap this up is to say thank you to everyone out there that has supported me and my dream. It will never be forgotten!
Cheers to all and here’s to many more conventions!
J.
Oh, before you go! FAMILY MATTERS is so close to our prelaunch goal. We’re only 25 clicks away from hitting 100 sign-ups for our prelaunch goal and the more we get, the higher up the old algorithm we climb. As a little treat, I’ve attached a little teaser for the book. Enjoy!
Heck yes dude! 🤘🏼