Just home from my first LICAF in Kendal! Iād unsuccessfully applied on my own last year, soĀ this year I applied with Stray Lines and we got a table! There was supposed to be a group of us going but circumstances got in the way and in the end I was the only one left! So this was my first time representing Stray Lines solo.
This is my 7th post mortem convention write up! You can find the rest on the Events page on my website or the post mortem tag here on my tumblr.
LICAF was my most successful UK show, both individually and as a group!
My total outgoing costs for the convention in order of leaving my house to the start of the show: 276Ā£
Roundtrip flight from Dublin to Manchester w/luggage - 92Ā£
Roundtrip train from Manchester to Kendal - 28Ā£
Hostel bunk bed in Kendal for 4 nights - 84Ā£
LICAF Full table - 95Ā£ (divided by 8 artists): 12Ā£
25 copies of We Canāt Afford This
5 copies of We Canāt Afford This for 4Ā£
5 copies of Strong for 5Ā£
1 copy of Odd Reels for 3Ā£
For a total incoming of: 76Ā£
So this is still a loss (individually) of 200Ā£ but thatās not really the whole picture.Ā As Iāll get to further down, we came out on top as a group!Ā
I also moved 15 books! To put that in perspective, thatās the same as all my previous UK shows for the last three years COMBINED.
Itās possible the original plan for LICAF would have been cheaper. Going solo isnāt cheap. Splitting rooms with Stray Lines members would have helped as would a group car/ferry over from Ireland instead of an individual plane/train.Ā I also padded this trip across 5 days, for my sanity and also because I could only afford the Thursday-Monday flights.Ā
Despite saving money, I wouldnāt do a hostel dorm room again while exhibiting. A bit too much unnecessary anxiety knowing I had a backpack full of other peopleās money in a dorm where we werenāt even locking the door because some bunkmates didnāt have keys. Also I got the bunk with no power plug. I spent the weekend looking for power for my phone.
Being in Kendal put me right next to Ulverston where the main temple of my Buddhist meditation tradition is located! So it was really nice to hop the bus over there and enjoy a tranquil Friday before the convention. I tend to have anxiety around comic conventions so having some meditation the day before did a lot to help me calm down.
Brexit both helped me and hurt me this convention. First, Iād paid for my LICAF table when the pound was actually worth something in April! So in todayās money, that 95Ā£ felt more like 140ā¬. But post-Brexit, the euro and pound are basically 1:1, which helped out with all the other travel related costs for the trip! The 1:1 deal coming home Monday also made dividing up Stray Lines earnings easy peasy with no conversions.Ā
Whatās horrible for the UK and the global economy temporarily works out in favor of some broke joke cartoonists.
In a mad rush, and inspired by Alanās lovely comics,Ā I printed a concertina comic of my Nib comic, We Canāt Afford ThisĀ so I would have something new to debut at LICAF. I made a typo during theĀ rush, but it looks great and a huge thanks to PlusPrintĀ in Dublin for making it happen with such short notice.Ā
Overall people were divided on the concertina printing. Some people enjoy all the different formats, others turned into infomercial actors when handling a comic without staples. I still liked it! Though I learned why Alan bought plastic sleeves for his concertinas, because mine were unfolding everywhere.Ā
Similar to She Always Looked Good in Hats, people loved the We Canāt Afford This title since it works asĀ a go-to slogan for anyone attending a comic convention.
I was on my own this weekend so I got to design our table however I liked! I went over the top during the Friday night set-up and probably spent hours longer than I needed to making sure everything wasĀ just so before going to bed.
Putting the empty boxes under the table cloth to create some tiered surfaces is something I learned from people setting up shrines at meditation centers. It was a good solution to not having anything with me to prop up the books with.
We had a corner stall like at ELCAF so the music stand came in handy, giving us another display while totally getting in the way of the other exhibitors who needed to use our corner to get in/out of their booths. Sorry neighbors! At least one of them complimented the music stand idea as they awkwardly maneuvered around it.
Based on Sarahās success with Primark in ELCAF I made someĀ āLICAF Debutā signs for the 2nd Stray Lines anthology and my We Canāt Afford This concertina. I...Ā don't think it made a lick of difference.
A few people referenced the iPad slideshow but we had no takers on the PDFs. But at least one person saw a page on the slideshow and saidĀ āwhoās art is thatā and I was able to steer him to Paddyās books. In other gadget news, had a few more credit card sales, slowly making my card reader worthwhile. One thing that occurred to me as a representative of the group is that a designated Stray Lines Instagram/Twitter would come in handy for weekends like this. Facebook/Tumblr doesnāt quite cut it.
Having two Stray Lines anthologies really solidified us as a group to people. Previously the single Stray Lines anthology went mostly unnoticed, even after explaining to people that we were a collective.Ā People recognized us from other shows or from our presence in some UK comic shops. That was cool. Nice to know weāre getting out there. Other artists were really impressed with Stray Linesā level of organization and activity. Iāve heard other artists talk before about how hard it is to keep momentum going in their comic groups and socializing, so it was nice to hear Iāve landed in one of the rare lively groups!
This was also the first show in which people approached our table with propositions? Like pop up shops, teaching gigs, magazine apps and micro-publishing. That was different!Ā
What I brought for the group:
24 different books by 9Ā different artists!
Compared to our last group show at ELCAF where we moved 33 books! As a group we cleared the cost of the weekend.Ā
When I flew over, my suitcase was almost 26 kilos! When I left, it was 20 kilos! Thatās even with me buying some things to bring home! So that felt good, especially on my aching neck. And thanks to Aer Lingus for letting our overages slide.Ā
Stray Lines! The anthologies were the best sellers of the day in both volume and money. Yay! Everyoneās a winner! Made me wish Iād had a comic in the anthology! Next one I guess.
Lakes International Comic Art Festival
Taking a cue from older comic festivals likeĀ AngoulĆŖmeĀ andĀ Lucca, LICAF takes over the entire town of Kendal and tries to break away from the stale and sterile convention-center/hotel-ballroom format of comic shows.Ā
But while it spreads all over town, the heart of the festival is set up in the town hall, a beautiful old clock tower on the main drag. Manning the table alone means I didnāt really get to explore the other events at the library, cinema, courtyard, theatre and elsewhere. I still got a sense of the whole town as a host from the banners and flags and store front decorations.Ā
The red shirt volunteers were top notch. Constantly roaming with tea, fruit and biscuits for the exhibitors and kindly taking a photo of me behind the table since IĀ couldn't find anyone else to do it for me. I even roped one into watching my table for an hour while I attended a panel on Sunday but I found out when I got back that they werenāt supposed to do that! Sorry!Ā
The wifi in the clock tower worked better than any other comic show Iāve exhibited at. There were some outages but it always came back and it allowed me to promote our comics without drowning in roaming-data fees.
My only minor complaint was that the schedule didnāt really allow exhibitors to attend anything! At least not without sacrificing table time. Dan Berry was there making his lovely handmade brass dip pens, but it was 10-12 on Saturday, the opening of the festival for exhibitors. Then Bryan Lee OāMalley was there introducing Scott Pilgrim vs The World at the cinema, but it started at 5pm, where as comic convention went on until 6pm. Again, minor, but it would have been fun to see and do some more beyond selling books.Ā
Not the fault of LICAF but this show more than others kinda turned me off on those pop-up vinyl standees that everyone uses. The comics clock tower had massive ceilings, but those standees all around me made it feel claustrophobic. They also cut up the room unnecessarily, which was a shame since it would have been nice to see everything all at once. And while they do a good job promoting the artist in front of them, theyāre not much to look at from behind. Iāve said before that Stray Lines needs a sign, but I think now for sure an A3 print in a frame standing on the table or the music stand would be nicer.
You Ask, We Tell! Helping Creators Pitch to Publishers, the Press and Comic ShopsĀ
I did attend oneĀ panel though! Which is a breakthrough for me, as in my three years of exhibiting at comic conventions Iāve never left my table for more than a quick bite to eat or bathroom break.
Ricky Miller of Avery Hill Publishing, artist Katriona Chapman, Andy Oliver from Broken Frontier and Stephen L Holland of Page 45 and LICAF were there to talk about publishing and reviews and stocking stores.
I managed to take a few notes on my phone, some stuff Iād heard before but still good to be reminded:
Stephen and Ricky talked about sales numbers which helped put some things in perspective in what kind of small press volume moves through shops like Page45 and Gosh! using Tillie Waldenās books for example.
Stephen emphasized film sale vs sale & return and how sale & return gives a shop no real incentive to move your books. This came up again later but it almost sounded like Stephen was saying that things that I thought were non-negotiable for shops were actually on the table to negotiate if you tried.
āFirst print run is usually promotionalā vs profit.
Avery Hill doesnāt really accept finished books for publishing. Small publishers and editors want to steer the ship and put their stamp on a story, so a completed book doesnāt really give them anything to do besides distribute a book which isnāt as much fun for them.
Momentum and back catalogue is key.Ā
Publisher that wonāt be namedĀ won't accept any creators who have less than a certain threshold of Twitter followers!Ā
Research whoever you approach, whether a reviewer or publisher. Know who youāre talking to ahead of time.
Link and promote all of your retailers. Donāt undersell them on your website or pit them against each other in price.
Stephen said the firm sale split/wholesale discount is up to you, not the shops? Page 45 does 60/40 as a default but you tell them. This was news to me and so surprising that I had to ask a question to confirm it. Iām still a bit confused as to how it might work in practice. Stephen also said donāt give different stores different splits, but I never really considered that up to me before so all my books are sold at whatever split the store offered me or declared on their website.
100-200 is grand for a first print run.
During the off-season, Page 45 will get back to you about buying a book within a week. During the festival/x-mas season, expect a few months.
Be brief and considerate in person and over email.
Other review sites besides Broken Frontier: Down the TubesĀ and John Freeman, Pipe Dreams, Dirty Rotten Comics, Rob Clof (sp? turned up nothing on Google)Ā and Daniel Elkin.
Page 45 only does LICAF, he thinks there are too many UK comic shows.
Both Ricky and Stephen strongly recommend TCAF, so I guess itās a good thing I already put in an application for Stray Lines to attend in 2017!
Near the end I had an Issa Rae moment and asked one more question that unintentionally brought the room down and made an ass of myself. I donāt know why it popped into my head. I guess because some of the talk was familiar, and the comic convention was bringing my anxiety to the surface. Whatever it was, I asked:Ā āDo you have any advice for those long stretches, whether theyāre months or years, where you just feel like you're sending comics out into the void?ā
Had I given the question a momentās more thought, I would have changed it. I had Stephen from Page 45 there! I could have asked him how to get a small press shop started in Dublin! Or how to encourage cape & cowl comic shops to embrace small press! I could have asked Avery Hill what the process of buying a book pitch is like? I know little about advances and residuals. I could have asked anything else really. The question was a bit depressing, and contrasted too much with the encouraging vibe of the panel. It would have been better suited for a panel of self-deprecating artists.Ā
Anyway, I melted into my chair at the look of everyoneās faces and all I could really gather from the answers was to keep chugging along and trying new things until youāre not throwing comics into the void anymore.Ā
Still enjoyed myself despite the embarrassment.Ā
Got to meet Dan Berry! And buy one of his handmade pens! Iāve listened to Make It Then Tell Everybody for years so it was nice to finally say hi to him.Ā Dan also had a hand in LICAFās annual 24-hour comic that I picked up from my table neighbor Dan Watters.Ā
Remedied my ELCAF mistake and picked up Mountains by Katriona Chapman.Ā
Bought a Tillie Walden book from her while she was there. Both Dan and Tillie did these lovely freehand drawings in my books that my hands are too shaky to even offer people when they buy comics from me.
Jaqueline Huskisson was walking around doing swaps, her Alabaster Trees comic is really lovely.Ā
Swapped books with Aimee Lockwood of the Edinburgh League of Comics.Ā We didnāt know each other but I think weād chatted over email at some point before when I was asking random comic folk in Edinburgh if there were any small press shows there I should be attending.Ā
Had a fun chat with another American expat,Ā Kathryn Briggs,Ā about our adoptive accents (hers Scottish, mine Irish).
Chatted with Andy P andĀ Aneurin Wright who were seated behind me, always grateful to meet easy-going conversational people in a field rife with social anxiety.
Tom Kindley was in my Hostel dorm room and it was nice to have someone from the festival there to talk to at the end of the day. I missed out on trading with him though since he sold out of books at the show! Thatās the best reason to miss out on a trade.
And since I always seem to miss out on a book, James Chapmanās SoundimalsĀ stood out because learning the different sounds animals make in Spanish was a highlight of living in Spain. Will definitely look for this again next time Iām in the UK.
Iām definitely recommending to Stray LinesĀ that we do LICAF again. I also want to get in touch with LICAF early to see if we can expand ourĀ presence there, maybe with a panel or a Comics Lab or a live reading or something.Ā
Looking at the space available, Iād even say Stray Lines could handle two tables there! Just looking at what Iāve seen from our group, I know there are books that the gang didnāt give me to carry over for whatever reason. Next time I wouldnāt hesitate in bringing more books. The variety on display at our table seemed to be what people liked the most!
I thought Iād never been to Kendal before but on the morning I was leaving I stepped into The Chocolate House and realized I hadĀ been there before on a Lake District tour in 2009 after one of my meditation retreats in Ulverston.Ā
