Pesto Comics - Audio Edition

Con Journal: A New Market in Newmarket

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Con Journal: A New Market in Newmarket

Tabling at the inaugural Wayside Creator Con.

Adriano Ariganello

Oct 30, 2024

Transcript

Welcome Back (00:15)
Project Updates
- 7 Days until Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1 (1:09)
- Archetypes Issue 2 - Crowdfunding Now! (1:47)
Event Updates
- Thought Bubble: Coming Soon (2:23)
Main Story
- A Shop Like None Other (2:43)
- Out in the Cold (3:50)
- A Comic Convention with COMICS (4:55)
- Different Approaches to the Same Thing (6:23)
- An Eye to the Future (7:53)
- One to Go (9:38)
Release Info & Updates
- Upcoming on Substack (10:49)
- Upcoming Conventions
- Pesto Comics Release Calendar
- Instant Ink Comic Book Podcast
- Secret Bonus Audio (11:14)

Welcome Back

This newsletter is coming out an hour later than usual. I could lie to you and tell you it’s because I’m just getting ahead of Daylight Savings Time this weekend, but everything just caught up to me this week. I doubt anyone is eagerly waiting my update at Noon every Wednesday, but if that’s you, feel free to let me know your disappointment with me in the comments.

Project Updates

7 Days until Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1

One week and this project is live! Any of the authors included could tell you that it’s been a long time coming. I’ve reviewed hundreds of entries and came out with the cream of the crop.

I’m very excited to share this with everyone. I’m hoping for a huge launch so we can repeat this on an annual basis. It’s a lot of work, but getting these authors in front of new audiences - ones that I know would be fans of the stories within - is very rewarding. If you like anything I’ve written in the past, you’re going to love all these stories.

Follow 'Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1'

Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1 will be on Kickstarter starting next week on November 6th.

Archetypes Issue 2 - Crowdfunding Now!

Anyone who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s can remember going to the grocery store and perusing the magazine racks. The internet was still in its infancy, so this was the primary way you’re getting information - especially niche stuff like comics. Wizard Magazine was an easy pickup for me.

Back 'Archetypes' on Kickstarter

Last year, I wrote an article for Archetypes #1 which harkens back to those magazines with a mix of Heavy Metal and 2000 A.D. It’s a really cool project that’s giving indie creators, like myself, another platform to grow. I’m very grateful to be a part of it twice now!

Event Updates

Thought Bubble: Coming Soon

I’ll be brief on this update as I cover it in our main story, but a reminder that I’ll be at table C14a in Redshirt Hall.

And, of course, I’ll be hosting the workshop Crowdfunding Indie Comics at 11:00am in the Queen’s Suite.

Now, let’s review the weekend that was…

Main Story

A Shop Like None Other

I've mentioned my love of Wayside Comics & Coffee in this newsletter before.

I've seen a lot of examples of the Cafe/Comic Shop concept out there and the environment's always been more comic shop than coffee spot. Sure, you have your game nights and your opportunity to chat with fellow comic fans, but Wayside is closer to a proper community hangout. It’s like if the gang from Cheers also read comics.

Plus it’s unique as the entire shop, from the owner, Omar, to the customers who visit really embrace indie creators. It’s not just the regular comic reader who is there to pick up their weekly DC and Marvel pulls. It’s readers who are interested in the medium of comics, regardless of the brand. Moreover, they want to know what local creators are up to and I've actually made more than a few sales off of the spinner rack at this store.

So when Omar mentioned that he was planning a convention, I knew I had to be a part of it. It ended up being serendipitous as I had a hockey trip planned with my brother and that fell through (dang day-jobs). I was going to get some serious FOMO if I wasn’t myself there in some form or fashion.

It was great to be a part of the inaugural con. That said, not everything was perfect.

Out in the Cold

Before I say anything too negative, I really want to mention that Market Brewing were excellent hosts. The inside of their venue is pretty great. It felt like a natural extension of the cool environment you get over at Wayside.

However...

I was outside, albeit with a lot of other really awesome creators. A lot of which I already knew from chatting online (or read this newsletter! Hi!)

The risk with a late October in Ontario is you don’t know what you’re going to get weather-wise. Although it was 25°C the week before. It was closer to 9°C throughout the day with the sun only peaking out occasionally.

Between the cold weather and how the tents were hidden behind the brewery in the parking lot, there weren't too many patrons that came to see us. Almost everyone that came by the table were fans from the shop and knew how to find the place. The location, not being terribly walkable, didn’t allow for anyone who didn’t make a special trip.

Unsurprisingly, given the turnout, this is the fourth con in a row that I have not made table.

All that said, this is easily the best experience I've had of all of them. There's a few reasons for that.

A Comic Convention with COMICS

Every convention I've been to this year, I've had a form of the same complaint. There is rarely much respect for those of us trying to push comics at these comic conventions. Celebrities, or cosplay, or Pokémon cards, or wrestling, or stickers, or buttons, or pins take precedence over those of us trying to sell our stories.

That was not the case at all with Wayside Creator Con. This was a show that was about comics above all else. You could really feel that throughout the show.

Aside from seeing all the cool work that everybody had on display, there were some advantages to not having so many patrons at this convention. Sure, it would have been great to make my table back, but the networking was better than any convention I’ve been to.

Getting to pick other creators brains about how they approach this whole business, learning tips and tricks, even just complaining about how it could all be going a lot better business-wise for all of us trying to make it was kind of cathartic.

It was truly a lot of fun. I made a lot of friends. I met a lot of people that I had known online only and put faces to names. I said it early on that the networking was easily the best part of the day, and that continued to be true right through to the last moment when the unfortunate rain began to set in.

It's way too early to talk about it, but some connections I’ve made at this con will spawn projects coming in the new year. It’ll be a different approach than what you’ve seen me do in the past, but if you have been reading this newsletter for a while, you might be able to figure it out.

Speaking of meeting cool creators…

Different Approaches to the Same Thing

One of the highlights of the day was a panel with Fell Hound and Emilia Strilchuk.

Being tucked away on a tiny stage in the corner of the sales floor while everyone was still wheeling and dealing was a little bit different than what I'm used to panel wise. Yet, it was a lot of fun getting to talk about marketing comics and hearing the different approaches to getting your books out there, especially given the different levels we’re all at.

Emilia and I were on opposite ends on the spectrum with every answer, which was kind of interesting, with Fell Hound acting as the tiebreaker.

As we ended the panel, Emilia made great point of saying that the person I described as my ideal reader was actually her even though our approaches to finding our readers were entirely different. I learned a lot from our brief conversation. I hope to run into both of them around the con-circuit soon.

Konrad was an excellent host as always, asking a lot of interesting questions that I didn't have immediate answers for. A lot of times I was caught thinking out loud, but I think it led to some interesting insights. Being in a brewery and having an extra beer while we were up there definitely didn't hurt in getting the words out.

The most surprising moment of all was when we finished our panel and thanked everyone. And a lot more people than I assumed we're actually listening as they clapped and thanked us for the talk. It was almost like a podcast playing in their ear as they were going about their business until we all said thank you end of it.

I definitely enjoy having these talks and I'm going to try to do them at every convention that I can get myself into. The question is: which cons am I going to aim for?

An Eye to the Future

In talking to Omar, it was clear this year was really a proof of concept more than anything. There are a lot of lessons learned and many things that can be improved.

If Wayside gets to grow this convention to what they hope, it's going to be one to travel to from abroad. That all takes some funding and, frankly, some help from the city to make it happen, but if they get it, this could become an epic festival rather than just a regular con. As much fun as I had being a part of this one, that future vision is something I need to be a part of.

Personally speaking, with this con being 4/4 that I haven’t made table, I’m going to need to re-evaluate the approach going forward.

Do I focus on panels?
Do I try to table and chase that table rate every time?
Am I doing this for the long game of people seeing my work?
Do I want to spend my time networking instead?

Right now, most sales are coming from Kickstarter (which I thank all of you for helping with, of course.)

When I look at my sales on Kickstarter, 90% is coming from the US and those aren't people I'm reaching at a local con in Canada. Therefore, maybe my best approach is just to go as an attendee or get a professional badge, where those are available, and get on more panels, which I love doing and being a part of.

It’s so fun getting to talk to people before and after panels too, instead of running back to Artist’s Alley. Maybe this is the focus going forward rather than being trapped behind the table and trying to make a few bucks.

That said, as I previously mentioned, I’ve already applied to three more cons so far in 2025. What I didn’t share is that I've done so with my good friend and Instant Ink Comic Book Podcast co-host, Roberto Viacava.

That will help with the table fees quite a bit as we're splitting it right down the middle. Maybe not having to chase the full table rate will make it a lot less stressful.

We’ll see how that all goes next year, but first…

One to Go

In just over two weeks, I'm going to be at Thought Bubble in the UK.

This con has been on my mind for months as I have no idea what it's going to be like when I get there. I don't imagine I'll have too much on my table as bringing anything over the border is a challenge, let alone the limitations of not being allowed to make sales to UK citizens directly.

I'm planning on bringing something unique and exclusive to folks at Thought Bubble just so they have something to share and stand out from the other 500 vendors that will be there.

I won't be alone though, I already know that I'll be meeting Aaron Thompson in the in the flesh for the first time after talking with him online for at least a couple years now. I'll be able to meet up with my panel buddy, Emilia Strilchuk, as she'll also be tabling there. Maybe I won’t be as lost as I think.

Most importantly, it'll be kind of refreshing to go having no expectation of trying to make my table back. This event is just for me to visit and meet the people on the other side of the pond that have supported my work on all these projects. It will be easy to find me since I have a table, rather than just milling about the floor.

I'll share how all that goes with you once I get there.

First, the focus is launching Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1 next week and lots more to share before the year is up.

That’s it for the week…