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08-02-2007, 08:04 PM
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WRITE OR WRONG: THE WRATH OF CON
 by Dirk ManningSo… for the second year in a row my best laid-plans to attend the San Diego Comic-Con were dashed at the last minute. As much as I want to experience the convention (I’ve yet to ever attend the show), I must be honest and admit that, just as last year, I have mixed feelings on the issue of not attending the convention as both a fan and a professional. As a fan I love attending conventions for all of the same reasons I’m sure most of you out there reading this do: I get to see some of my friends I only get to see at the cons, I get to raid the bins of “50% Off” trade paperbacks and graphic novels, I sometimes attend a few cool panels, I take all kinds of wacky pictures with costumed fans, and, if I’m lucky, get a few commissioned sketches in my big ol’ sketchbook from some of my favorite artists. (Take it or leave it, here’s a neat sketchbook tip I picked-up from a friend of mine several years ago: If you’re going to start a sketchbook, pick a theme and run with it. You’ll find that, oftentimes, artists are sometimes more willing – or at least more interested – in contributing to a sketchbook that has a cool theme rather than a book that’s just a random collection of sketches of various corporate characters.) When I’m attending a convention as a professional, though, all of that stuff I mentioned above (with the possible exception of seeing friends I only see at conventions) is thrown out the window. When I rent a table or booth at a show it’s all business, which is exactly what it needs to be for us smaller-scale comic book creators… Which, in a round-about way, leads me to why I’m not necessarily so bummed-out about missing San Diego this year. Sure, being at the San Diego Con would have given me a great opportunity to promote NIGHTMARE WORLD: “The Long, Hard Road Out of Hell” (now in PREVIEWS from Ape Comics – Order Code: AUG073372)... and that could have made the trip to California worth the plane ticket alone, right? Yeah… maybe… but probably not. While I’ve never been to the San Diego Comic-Con, it’s not exactly a secret that the place is massive to the point where everyone (and I mean everyone) I’ve ever spoken to about the show has said that it’s impossible to take everything in even over the course of three days. That’s a big convention, folks… and the bigger the convention, the more people and events you’re competing against in regards to getting their attention directed to your product. Sure, sure, some people will argue that attending bigger conventions (such as San Diego) are wise business moves, citing the fact that bigger conventions mean that there are more people present to see your wares… but I personally see a bit of faulty logic there. Consider this: Bigger conventions are oftentimes bigger because they have bigger guests and/or bigger attractions. Heck, anyone who’s been to San Diego (or Wizard World: Chicago) can tell you that they’re quickly becoming ENTERTAINMENT conventions rather than comicbook conventions. Mind you, there’s no sour grapes there on my part: It wasn’t too many years ago that a majority of the comicbook conventions in this country were held in hotel lobbies and/or buildings that were barely a step above barns… so the fact that major Hollywood studios are now renting space at comicbook conventions is pretty sweet, all things considered. However, the flip side of the equation is this: more attractions at a convention means more competition for the attendees’ attention. Is the inherent conflict becoming apparent yet? To put it another way, what’s going to attract more attention: your table in Artists’ Alley or Paramount Studios’ giant multi-media booth? Which creator are people more willing to stand in line to see – Warren Ellis or Dirk Manning? Make no mistake, folks, the moment you “take the leap” and start attending conventions as a professional (rather than a fan) you’re entering a competition for attendee’s attention… and you’re competing with every other creator, publisher and vendor at the con. So… what can you do to improve your odds of making your convention experience a success? Well, there are as many different answers to that question as there are people to ask, but since you’re here with me now, allow me to present to you… *** The Dirk Manning Guide to Making Sure Your Professional Convention Experience as a Smaller-Press Creator Doesn’t Leave You Feeling Like a Completely Dejected Loser 1) Plan On Losing Money Yes… you read that right. If you’re a “small fish” and you’re setting-up at a comic convention it’s almost a lock that you’re going to lose money by attending the show before all is said and done. Seriously. Think about it: if you want to make a profit at a convention you’ll need to sell enough of your comics or merchandise to cover the expenses of travel to the show, lodging, food, table/booth space, the production costs of your product and – in most cases – the time you’ve taken off work to attend the show. For simplicity’s sake, let’s say that a table costs you $100, a hotel for the weekend will cost you $100 (and that’s cheap), travel/gas/food will cost you $100, and you spent $100 printing comics, shirts and other merchandise to sell. So far you’ve already spent $400 just to attend the convention… and that doesn’t even factor in the money you’re losing if you had to take time off work to attend it. So, in order to break even (not make a profit, mind you – just to break even) you’re going to need to sell at least $400 worth of product. Now, here’s the kicker: can you even create $400 worth sellable of product for only $100? Yeesh. Of course, this formula is also assuming that you’re going to spend NO money at all on comics or related merchandise at the convention… Yeah… right. If you can pull that off – as a professional or a fan – you’ve got a lot more willpower than I do. Dirk Manning loves the “50% Off” graphic novel bins. So… plan on losing money, folks. As sad of a fact as it may be, it’s almost academic that you’re going to come out of the weekend in the red. Once you’ve come to terms with the fact that you probably aren’t going to make a profit over the weekend the rest of your convention experience should prove itself to be a lot more enjoyable. Besides, while making money at a convention as a professional is a good feeling (and, to be fair, it is possible under the right circumstances) I personally feel that promoting your book and generating awareness can oftentimes be more valuable than raking-in a few bucks. 2) Only Get a Table or Booth is You Have Substantial Product to Sell I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at shows and been set-up next to other creators who have gone to all the trouble of renting and setting-up a table – fancy banners and all – with nothing of merit to sell. Listen, folks… at the risk of sounding like an @$$hole (yes, believe it or not the accusation is sometimes made despite the fact that I sacrifice so much time to provide all of this information for hopeful creators to chew on – all for free), I’m going to tell you straight to your (virtual) face that 99.5% of the people attending any and all comic conventions across the country are not going to be interested in what you are selling. That’s not an attack on any of you personally, as that same statistic certainly applies to me as well. The fact of the matter is that most fans aren’t attending comicbook conventions specifically to find new smaller-press books to read. Some are – and Cthulhu bless ’em – I love those guys and gals – but they’re the minority. However, that being said, you can at least stack the odds in your favor a bit by having nice product to sell at reasonable prices. Again – if you’re a smaller-press creator, I’m of the belief that you shouldn’t worry about making a profit as much as you should focus on trying to spread the word about your product. In other words, don’t try to sell comics that consist of nothing more than four pieces of loose-leaf paper with Xeroxed black and white illustrations on them folded and stapled together for $3 a pop. That’s silly. I’m not trying to say that your labor, time and creativity aren’t worth $3 for sixteen pages of the Xeroxed adventures of Cape Man… but I am saying that you shouldn’t count on your labor, time and creativity being worth $3 a pop to most of the people at the convention – especially if it looks like something you made in your spare-time at the office. That’s unrealistic. Mind you – before you start calling me an elitist or something – allow me to stress to you that my point of contention here is not with the idea of homemade comics – but rather with how some creators choose to price them. Heck, I once attended a (very) small comicbook convention that consisted mainly of small press guys and gals who made there own comics in just the way I described – in their spare time at home or at the office. Heck, they even had a “stapling party” the night before the con where they organized a potluck dinner at the local comic shop so they could help take the drudgery out of the folding and stapling process. Nice! However, come the day of the convention the people who were asking $3 each for their homemade black and white Xeroxed comics found themselves selling virtually nothing… while those creators who were asking more realistic prices (such as $1 an issue for a 16-page black and white comic on some nice stock paper) were actually moving some books. Not a lot, mind you… but some. There’s a lesson there, folks: be realistic. Again, in my humble opinion, I think it’s more important for us smaller-press creators to gain fans and exposure rather than to try to come right out of the box making a profit. Just at least get the word about your book out there – and advertise your website (even if it’s just a MySpace page) so you can stay in touch with the people who like your work and keep providing them with new content… There’s no excuse for not being able to get your comics out there on the Internet these days, folks… and there’s no cheaper (or, arguably, more effective) advertising tool in the world than the Internet. 3) Dress Appropriately I’ll try to keep this nice and simple – don’t over-dress, but don’t under-dress. “Semi-casual” is the key. Jeans and a nice T-shirt are OK for a convention, folks… even if you plan on blindsiding editors with your unsolicited pitch ideas and submissions. 4) Don’t Blindside Editors with Your Unsolicited Pitch Ideas and Submissions Seriously, folks… just don’t. I’ve done it… and I can tell you from personal experience that it’s a waste of time. If you give a major comic book editor a script or proposal package they haven’t asked for there’s a 99.5% chance that it’s going to get thrown away in their hotel room. (The other .5% is the likelihood that they’ll throw it away before leaving the convention.) I know, I know… a lot of you out there are thinking “But… but… then how are the editors going to know that I can create good comics if I don’t give my scripts at a convention in person?” Here’s what you need to do, my friends: Skip pitching to Marvel and DC, and only hit Dark Horse and Image if they have open times where they’re willing to glance over pitch samples or proposal packages. Instead, go sniff around with some of the smaller publishers set-up at the show and give them samples of a comic you’ve created. Not script samples… actual comic book samples. (If you don’t know how to get to that point, please scroll down to the bottom of this column (or click HERE and read the 29 previous installments of this column to get some advice on how to get to that point.) A script sample will most likely be thrown away. An actually realized comicbook – even if it’s just a five-page sample – has a 1000% (yes, thousand) percent better chance of being read than several pages of plain written words. Hey, getting noticed by editors is going to take a lot of time and effort, folks… are you willing to go the distance to make it happen? 5) Act Professional If you’re a smaller-press creator setting-up at a convention you’re probably going to get a table in the “Artist Alley” section with other smaller-press creators and artists. Some larger shows have “Small Press” sections that are set closer to the bigger publishers… but for the most part smaller creators set-up in Artist Alley with other artists and aspiring creators looking to promote their work and/or peddle their wares. (At some smaller shows bigger creators and smaller creators are sometimes mixed together… but that’s rare.) Now, at most conventions con-goers will usually pass through Artist Alley just to see if anything catches their attention, but people oftentimes don’t stop as they pass through… and that should be expected. Sure, a fancy banner with pretty art may cause some people to slow down… but few people stop at every table. Sadly, this causes some aspiring “professionals” (I’ll use the word loosely in this case) to begin acting obnoxious in order to draw attention to themselves and their table. I’ve actually seen so-called aspiring “professionals” employ all such desperate tactics as yelling at passers-by, blaring loud music, cat-calling at the ladies and/or throwing things at people (seriously!) at conventions in order to try and sell books. Not surprisingly, I’ve never seen it work. Folks, don’t be obnoxious. It’s not cute, it’s not endearing and it’s not going to make people want to look at what you have to offer. Instead, you’re going to look like an @$$hole as well as ruin things for everyone around you. Don’t be obnoxious – instead, just be politely sociable. True story: Last year I was set-up at a convention with a friend of mine and we were doing fairly well for ourselves over the course of the weekend while the person in the next booth (an artist selling paintings) over wasn’t getting any business at all. On the third day he looked over at us and said “Man… this place is dead.” My buddy and I looked at each other and shared a silent smile. You see, the gentleman in question had spent the last three days sitting down with his face buried in his sketchbook and, for the life of me, I don’t even remember him stopping drawing to do as much as greet the people who did stop at his table to look at his artwork (which, I might add, was very good). You don’t want to be obnoxious when people walk by, but geez, at least make it a point to stay standing-up and then look people in the eye as they walk by. Say “Hello” to people who meet your gaze (although not everyone will), and then if someone slows down to see what you have on your table invite them to come look at what you have… and talk to them a bit. Is every person who stops at your table going to buy something? Of course not… but I can guarantee you that 100% of the people who don’t stop at your table won’t. Just stay standing whenever there are people around, be polite, and have a quick pitch ready that will describe your book for the people who actually stop to look at what you have to offer. Then, even if they don’t buy anything, have a small flier or bookmark or something handy that has your website address on it… After all, what self-respecting comicbook fan couldn’t use a nice bookmark? That’s not only professionalism, but also smart business sense. *** I could probably easily write another six or seven pages dishing more con tips (actually, I know I could – I’ve spent the last two weeks editing this one down to what it is now)… but instead, I invite all of you to share your own tips and advice in the talkback section below… especially those of you who are small press editors or creators who also have tested convention wisdom (or stories) to share. Conventions are a tricky beast, especially for us smaller creators, but they can be very wonderful and worthwhile experiences if you play your cards right… And if nothing else, it’s always fun to get some discounted graphic novels. Yum! Next Time (which will be sooner than you might think): Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy Dirk Manning is the writer/creator of NIGHTMARE WORLD, and he’s pleased to announce that his first graphic novel from Ape Comics in now available for Pre-Order in PREVIEWS – click HERE for details and a look at the final cover – as well as a longtime contributing writer to Newsarama and an active member of MySpace and Comicspace. He also tries his best to respond to everyone who takes the time to comment in the talkback sections of his columns, so subscribe to it and check back often… if you’re into that sort of thing. Want to read Write or Wrong from the beginning? Here ya’ go! WoW #1: Introduce Yourself WoW #2: Thematically Speaking WoW #3: How Badly Do You Want It? WoW #4: Meeting Bendis and Finding Artists WoW #5: Making First Contact WoW #6: Things Fall Apart WoW #7: Creation vs Dictation WoW #8: Kill the Buddha WoW #9: They’re Not Robots WoW #10: Dollars and Sense WoW #11: World Wide You WoW #12: Always Use Protection WoW #13: Contract Killers WoW #14: Take a Look in the Mirror WoW #15: Words Worth 1,000 Pictures WoW #16: Mid-Ohio Musings WoW #17: Seeking What the Masters Sought WoW #18: Means and Ends WoW #19: Likeable Characters WoW #20: “What’s My (Evil) Motivation?” WoW #21: It’s Not a Race WoW #22: How to Successfully Play God WoW #23: “Are you really THAT good?” WoW #24: Things Fall Apart, v2.0 WoW #25: Climbing Out of the Hole WoW #26: “See all those people out there?” WoW #27: “Lose Yourself” WoW #28: The Tallest Midget in Shortsville WoW #29: Punisher Skrull Sex |
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08-06-2007, 10:16 AM
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This is probably the best column about comics i've ever seen. Really nice job from Newsarama e Dirk.
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08-06-2007, 10:21 AM
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We're going to Wizard World Chicago this year. It'll be our first convention with our own book. We're pretty excited, to say the least.
It's funny that you talked about reasonable pricing. We opted to price at $1 per book, just because we figured that if we priced at more than that, no one would care. At least at $1 we're an impulse buy. |
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08-06-2007, 10:49 AM
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Wow... thanks! (Your check will be in the mail tomorrow.) |
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08-06-2007, 10:53 AM
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I love that philosophy. I do the same thing at conventions -- I sell my books for RIDICULOUSLY low prices... to the point where just about anyone even interested in them will pick them up. When I have more than one book (or product -- such as T-shirts or art prints) to sell I also offer "Package Deals" that arem again, just obscenely good deals. Do I make a huge profit? No... but at the last few cons I've attended I've actually managed to just about break even... and that's including buying a few things at the show. Huzzah for low-low prices, I say! |
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08-06-2007, 10:57 AM
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Don't leave us hanging... what's your cool theme? |
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08-06-2007, 11:05 AM
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Having a comic book of mine published would be a dream come true...but it is so hard. This column is such a huge help, Dirk. You really seem to want to help people, and your generosity comes through in your writing. Thanks for the insight!
Last edited by Corpse : 08-06-2007 at 11:07 AM. |
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08-06-2007, 11:12 AM
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That's the cool thing about New York's annual MoCCA Art Festival -- that's a show where it really does seem like a huge number of attendees show up specifically to find the newest, coolest, and/or strangest thing they can get their hands on. I'd definitely recommend it to any and all small press creators out there who haven't tried it out yet. My company, Evil Twin Comics, has attended every year we've been in business, and it always seems (anecdotally, of course) that the mini-comics-makers do especially well. MoCCA's site still has the 2007 info, but I'm sure they'll be posting applications for '08 soon enough. |
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08-06-2007, 11:55 AM
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You know, last year after Jim (Valentino) and I walked through Artist's Alley, looking for worthy talent to publish at Shadowline (we didn't find any), I posted about the growing tendency of artists to just sit behind the table, drawing. No eye contact, just face buried in the sketchbook. I got a backlash from angry artists saying that they had to finish commission sketches in order to make back the money that they had spent to attend the con. They were sketching through the con, going to their hotel room at night, and sketching for half the night before getting up and starting all over again. What is the point of that? What are you attending the convention for?
Thanks for backing me up, Dirk. Nice to have some validation. I agree with everything you said, whole-heartedly, from the clothing basics to the obnoxious behavior. |
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08-06-2007, 11:57 AM
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"Ghosts." It's a fun theme because every artist gets to do something different. I just tell them it's a sketchbook of ghosts and they go to town. Also, due to the fact that it's in an actual BOOK they and that I've been doing this for a few years it's not like I'm turning around and selling the drawings on Ebay. Truth be told, I couldn't sell the book if I wanted to at this point... it's priceless. (I'd go on to tell you that it contains sketches/comissions from creators like Andy Lee, Frank Cho, Bill Sienkiewicz, JG Jones, Jim O'Barr, Brian Stelfreeze, Mike Mignola, Vince Locke, Bill Morrison, Larry Elmore, Erik Larsen, Larry Welz, Tony Moore, Kristen Perry, Sergio, Dan Brereton, Amanda Connor and a few dozen more... but then you might try to jump me and steal it.  )One of these days, I'd like to find a way to scan all of the illustrations and post them online in a gallery for all to see for free... but I don't have the time to even begin to try and figure out how to make that happen. Maybe some day... |
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08-06-2007, 11:59 AM
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Thank YOU for the kind words. It's a long, LONG journey... and I certainly don't ever claim to know "THE" way... but I do know "A" way.  I'm glad I've been able to offer some small insight. If nothing else, just remember to keep pushing forward. It took me YEARS to get to this point... and I feel like I'm only now finally getting started! |
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08-06-2007, 12:01 PM
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Thanks for the heads-up and the insight! I've heard nothing but good things about MoCCA and it's definitely a show I'd like to try to get to this year. As you said, everyone I know who's been there has had nothing but great things to say about it (in regards to being a smaller-press creator). |
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08-06-2007, 12:03 PM
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Hey... I think it's nice to have some validation from someone a little higher up on the food chain than me, so thank YOU!  I'll be at Chicago this year on Saturday and Sunday... let's play catch-up there, ya' hear? It's been too long, and there is much new excitement a'brewin'... |
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08-06-2007, 12:10 PM
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Your point about it being an Entertainment Con is what I was mentioning to a friend. Throw in the fact that there's a bigger video game presence because E3 has changed and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they changed the name from Comic-Con to just San Diego Con or something like that.
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08-06-2007, 12:36 PM
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Thanks for getting the word out about being obnoxious. I don't know how many times I've had splash damage from their stupidity because no one wants to walk down that isle. Comic creators do NOT equal Carnival Callers.
And on a personal note, I hope I get to run into you at the Ape booth at some point this weekend. |
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08-06-2007, 12:48 PM
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I haven't attended too many cons, and have only set myself up a table at one so far (attended Wondercon and APE two years running, finally tabled at the last APE) but I must say that the whole 'artist whose face is buried over pencil and paper' are noticably absurd and rather frustrating. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to go up to a creator and talk about what he's doing based on the great samples I could see in passing, only to feel snubbed when he looks up mumbles and goes back to drawing, or maybe doesn't even bother to acknowledge my presence. I gotta say, it's SOOOO important to keep eye contact with people, engage them in covnersation, and STOP drawing. I was sketching at my table but I was also aware of my surroundings and the second someone came close my pencil and paper were down and everything was about the potential customer.
What I found brought in the most people was my sign which read "Everything is $2, just like your MOM" In general, apparently, my small fan base enjoys having their familial bonds insulted. But what got things sold was just being free to talk with people, joke with people, and even emailing a few people prior to the con. Of course I ended up losing money, I spent $100 on a table, $40 on gas, $0 on hotel (crashed on a friend's couch), $40 for taxi, $200 (roughly) bar tab. I sold a total of $60 in material. Net loss = $320. Absolutely worth it! |
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08-06-2007, 01:51 PM
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I'd like to add my voice to the chorus praising this column. I'd never once considered factoring in the costs of traveling and setting up a booth when contemplating getting space at a convention. I mean, DUH! It's common sense but that's not one of my super-powers I'm afraid.
(Of course, getting past procrastination and actually producing my comic would go a long way toward getting me in the game. But that's another story for another day.) Sales is my day job, and I get so very frustrated when I see or hear about retailers and small press/self-publishers who cannot be bothered to make an effort to sell. Ultimately, no amount of salesmanship will make someone like a comic that doesn't align with their sensibilities. But it doesn't matter how good your book is if no one knows about it because you can't be bothered to actually sell it. One thing I've learned about sales: people buy from people. Think about the kinds of salespeople that make you want to buy from them. What are their qualities? Learn those things and emulate them. I've found that the most effective approach to selling is to focus on the customer. Smile. Greet them warmly. Ask them a little about themselves. Let them know that you're more focused on them then you are on what you want to sell them. Let their needs/wants be your guide. If you listen well to what they have to say, you'll discover pretty quickly whether your wares meet their desires. If they do, the connection you've worked hard to form with that customer will make the sales process a lot easier. If they don't, be professional and ethical and admit that to the customer. They'll remember you as a stand-up person and might buy from you in the future. Believe it or not, these things can apply to a self-publisher at a convention just as much as they apply to me in my work (selling technology services to Fortune 500 companies). I worked part-time at a comics shop when I was younger and used to "up-sell" customers with ease. I just peeked at what they were grabbing off the shelves, talked with them a bit, and let them know about other similar books. I didn't pressure them or anything -- I just let them know about other things they might care about. They dug it, and often purchased more books than they otherwise would have. |
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08-06-2007, 03:45 PM
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The scanning was the longest part, but a very nice (free) photo album program called Jalbum did all the layout and HTML for the pages. Once the scannig was done (3-4 nights work) I spent a few minutes in Front Page for the shell and intro pages, and I was up in a couple hours. I sent emails to as many of the artists who did them as I could find, and got a few nice notes back. It was nice catching up with folks. Val Semeiks actually did a new one, scanned it and sent it to me. Virtual Norberts...cool. My big problem now is most of the people left on my "want list" charge a great deal for sketches, or are just too damn busy to even do one. Al Feldstein (If I have to tell you who he is, kindly leave the Internet) will be at Baltimore, and he charges $250 each. I don't begrudge it to them, but it doesn't make it any less heartbreaking. Plus, I dunno, just walking up and paying...it seems less sporting. Does that make any sense? All Artists are invited to join the International Norbert Conspiracy. Last edited by vbartilucci : 08-06-2007 at 03:52 PM. |
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08-06-2007, 04:39 PM
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I wouldn't go as far as to say that there's a shift in focus taking place, but like I said in the column, it's nice that so many non-comic enterprises are now seeing the value of attending comic conventions... even if it does make life a little more "competitive" for us smaller press folk. |
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08-06-2007, 04:43 PM
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Hey man! Yeah... I'm sure we'll cross paths at the Ape Comics booth -- I'll be there all day Saturday floatin' around signin' comics and kissin' babies and possibly on Sunday as well... That aside, I totally agree on the "obnoxious spillover" factor. It sucks! I actually once came within a mosquito's testicle of going a few booths down and telling someone to chill the heck out (to put it mildly) only to have the convention promoter tell him go tell him to dial it down just as I prepping to do so. I think you said it best: It's a comic convention, not a carnival. Well said, sir.  |
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08-06-2007, 04:45 PM
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A $200 bar tab?!? Damn... I'm glad I don't drink. Come to think of it, though, that is another potential expense for a lot of people I didn't even factor in... |
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08-06-2007, 04:50 PM
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Thanks for the kind words, man. That aside... *ahem* EVERYONE SHOULD TAKE THE TIME TO READ THE WISE WORDS OF WISDON IN THIS POST!!! |
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08-06-2007, 04:51 PM
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#23 |
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I'm new to the Con scene and would like to start something similar at Chicago. How have you approached the artists? Is it a simple "could you please draw X for my sketchbook"? Do you offer a certain $$ figure if nothing is posted at their table? Not sure where to start...
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08-06-2007, 04:58 PM
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That's an awesome collection of sketches, man! My "problem" (if you can call it that) is that I opted for one of those HUGE sketchbooks when I started... so scanning the thing would be... tricky. That aside, I hear you on the price thing. A lot of the sketches I've recieved over the years have been free... and there are some I've paid for... and a few I've paid a lot for... but in the end I think it all evens out. Still, yeah, there are some sketches I'd LOVE to get... but I know it would cost me WAAAAAAAAAAY to much money to justify it. |
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08-06-2007, 05:01 PM
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Quote:
I'd get a smaller-sized sketchbook and then just approach artists and ask them how much it would cost for a SMALL sketch of ___________." If the price is reasonable, run with it. If not, run away. Just remember -- this is how a lot of these guys cover THEIR costs... but at the same time, you're under no obligation to comission them for sketches, either. If the price is too high thank them anyway and walk away. (Also, sometimes you can get a sketch cheaper (or for free) if you buy something from them. That's how I scored an AMAZING sketch from Eddie Campbell(!!!) that I still cherish as one of my favorites to this day.) |
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