The last few days, the crevices of the Internet that deal with comic books have seen a flurry of essays on the question, "Is it worth it for professionals to attend comic book conventions?" The flurry seems to have been kicked off by this essay by Denise Dorman, who's the wife of artist Dave Dorman.
She says that balancing what it costs them to attend a con against what they gross in sales, it doesn't pay. Her piece spawned many replies including those from Corey Blake, Ryan L. Schrodt and Thom Zahler. There are others if you want to search.
Obviously, anyone's experience is valid to some extent for them. If you go to make money and you don't make money…well, maybe you shouldn't go. Whether it's because of some specific trend like the incursion of media stars and/or the cosplayers is more arguable…though at the Phoenix Comic Con, I did hear one dealer loudly cursing out the cosplayers. There were an awful lot of them there and his complaints were (a) they constitute a large part of the attendance but they don't buy stuff and (b) they were always blocking the aisles, limiting others' access to his display.
I do have a problem with cosplayers at conventions and it's not that they're there. Most are quite ingenious with their costuming and they add to the overall fun and color of cons. No, my problem is that when you dress up as a super-hero or a Wookie or a Conan wanna-be and someone asks, "Can I take your picture?", it too often makes you oblivious to the discourtesies and dangers of blocking aisles or swinging your plastic sword in the vicinity of someone's face. (And no, it's not everyone…but it's enough to create some genuine problems. Any con now, someone's going to be genuinely injured in a way that will demand serious regulation of cosplayers.)
But let's leave that aside now. I don't know the Dormans at all, except to admire Dave's work from afar, so let's leave them out of this, too. Let's just ask, "Is something wrong with a comic convention where professional guests can't make enough dough to make it worth their time to go?" My answer: I don't think so. Is there something wrong with a strip-mall where every store can't turn a profit?
All a convention can do for exhibitors is to bring in a crowd that has some money on them. If they're not interested in what you're offering or if they are and don't like the price you've placed on it, you won't sell anything. The long waiting list to get a table at the Comic-Con in San Diego is proof that someone is making money down there. Not everyone can.
I'll tell you who really can't make money selling at conventions: Me. But then, I've never tried; not once in my 44 (!) years of going to comic book conventions and a few science-fiction ones, have I set up a table and tried to sell anything. I mean no criticism of anyone who enjoys it or depends on it when I say I personally choose not to do that. At most, if a publisher or merchant is selling my new book, I'll sit at their table for an hour or so and sign to help them move some product.
I have begun turning down most invites to guest at cons because, basically, they offer me nothing but the chance to sell stuff I bring. I do go to WonderCon and Comic-Con International because I usually enjoy every minute I spend at those cons. Apart from the eighty quadrillion panels I do at each, there are tons of people to see and other programming to enjoy. There are also business-type meetings relating to my work.
(I do not, by the way, recommend going to any con — except just maybe one in your own zip code — in the belief that the time and expense are a good investment because you'll score a great, well-paying job. That usually doesn't happen and it's a good way to eliminate any possible other enjoyment or benefits you might derive from that trip. But if you want to work in comics or animation or gaming or any other industry that a particular con embraces, there may be some value to mingling with and listening to folks actively working in that area. If nothing else, it could be educational. I'm a big believer in trying to really understand the business in which you want to be.)
So is going to conventions to sell things a bad investment for professionals? For some, certainly…just as opening a sushi bar down at the corner may be a terrible investment. I'm just going to suggest that some of my friends and colleagues consider that there might be other reasons, besides sitting at a table hawking your output, to attend certain conventions. And in some cases, there might well be no reason whatsoever.
