ConQuest: The Art of Selling at Cons

By Megan Mackie

Congratulations! You have written a book and published it.

 

Now what?

 

If you are picking up this book, you have thought about selling

at geek and nerd cons. Or, possibly, this is a novel idea to you,

and then I'm glad I could offer you a unique solution.

(Pun intended) Whether you are Indie or Traditional or a hybrid of

the two, in this tome I will tell you everything I know about how

to sell your book successfully by hand, one person at a time.

 

I might even include pictures!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Megan Mackie
• Release date: Oct 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201525989

Book preview

Con Quest

Con Quest

The Art of Selling at Cons

Megan Mackie

Con quest: The Art of Selling at Conventions

Copyright © 2021 Megan Mackie

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the copyright holder, except where permitted by law. This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously.

The ebook edition of this book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share the ebook edition with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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ISBN: 9798758308752

Printed in the USA

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Contents

Special Thanks to:

Introduction

Who Should Read This Book

The Levels of Quest (Cons)

How You Find Quests (Cons)

Basic Quest Gear

Advanced Quest Gear

The Business Practices of Questing

The Brand

Finding Buyers

Dealing with a Line in Front of Your Table

A Brief Hunter’s Guide to the Kinds of Customers You Might Encounter

Audience Saturation

Hitting Up the Tavern (Networking)

Ye Olde Safety First

Conclusion (And Beginning)

Ye Helpful Checklist

About the Author

Also by Megan Mackie

Sooner or later you always find what you are looking for at the Lucky Devil.

Special Thanks to:

My mother Connie, supportive mom

My husband Paul, who is the reason I’m in the good timeline. 

Rick Heinz, author of the Seventh Age series

Alexi Vandenberg, owner of the Bard’s Tower, Rapid Fanboy Marketing, and Prince of Cats Literary Productions

Kevin Anderson, author of Dune: The Duke of Caladan, book one of the Caladan Trilogy written with Brian Herbert, and numerous other books

Timothy Zahn, author of the Thrawn Trilogy and numerous other books

Anna Zahn, an amazing person

John Jackson Miller, author of Star Trek Picard: Rogue Elements, Kenobi, and numerous other Star Trek and Star Wars books

Brian Anderson, author of the Sorcerer’s Song series

J. B. Garner, author of The Push Chronicles

Aysha Reihm, awesome editor

J. Caleb Clark, above and beyond cover artist

Casey Enwulf, my essential NPC

Introduction

A dream written down becomes a goal. A goal broken into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action becomes reality.

—Unknown

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Congratulations! You have written a book and published it.

Now what?

In the past, publishers would send their chosen authors out to do book tours across the country to find readers and build a fan base. These tours were often hosted by bookstores, which was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Then Amazon …

I’m not saying that book tours, or the bookstore industry, are dead altogether, but they have lessened significantly since the rise of the great website wonder and the equally chaotic rise of the Indie publishing industry. So, what is the answer?

If you are picking up this book, you have thought about selling at geek and nerd cons. Or, possibly, this is a novel idea to you, and then I’m glad I could offer you a unique solution. (Pun intended.) Whether you are Indie or Traditional or a hybrid of the two, in this tome I will tell you everything I know about how to sell your book successfully by hand, one person at a time. Contrary to my fiction work, I’m going to try to keep this information as simple as possible. I might even include pictures! [note: need to figure this out.]

Who Should Read This Book

Anyone interested in handselling anything at a con. I am focusing on books because it is what I sell, but these principles can apply to any Con Quests you plan to go on. These are all the tips and tricks that have contributed to making me a success.

The Levels of Quest (Cons)

Library Cons

When you are starting out, it can be overwhelming, so the smartest thing to do is start small. That’s where Library Cons come in. They are small, the tables are often cheap or free, and the people who go to libraries like books, so you will find a receptive audience. It’s a good place