Tips for cons: Setting a reasonable deadline

We misplaced the link to Tom Spurgeon’s always indispensable tips for enjoying San Diego Comic-Con. Every tip has much wisdom, but we thought we’d spotlight this one:

Tip #15. Get Your Pre-Convention Stuff Done One Full Week In Advance
If you’re preparing anything at all for the show — resumes, business cards, art to sell, opening lines, books to sell, art to show, scripts to pass around, your camera, a freelance assignment — get everything done by July 15. This gives you a day or two leeway if something is screwed up, but it also means you won’t be a basket case when you arrive on the convention floor because you stayed up for 37 hours stapling your mini-comic biography of Phil Seuling. Forget entirely getting something done while you’re there. It’s not convenient and you’ll find 10,000 excuses to skip it.


So true. Over the years we remember talking to artists who would go back to their rooms to ink, or writers who were doing some script punch-up in their spare time. Or, ourselves, running back and forth to the Kinko’s in the lobby to make some last minute (and expensive) copies of something we should have done the week before. Such foolishness is no longer allowed.

Also, hasn’t everyone learned that having the printer air-ship the copies to the con at the last minute, just isn’t a good idea? How many times have we seen people standing wryly before an empty table explaining that “The issues didn’t get here from the printer.” EVERY CON!!!! That’s money you left on the table, people, money lost for the shipping, and money lost for missed sales. Ahead of time means “ahead of time”, not “at the con.”

5 Responses to “Tips for cons: Setting a reasonable deadline”

  1. Charles Knight Says:

    perfect planning prevents piss poor performance

    Hey Heidi - are are you going to cover the end of lying in the gutters and the start of bleedingcool.com ?

  2. Christopher Moonlight @ Moonlight Art Magazine Says:

    Also, keep in mind that your printer may be working overtime to fill all those pre Comic-Con orders. Whatever their deadline is to get it back in time, send it in sooner… the sooner the better.

  3. Chris A. Bolton Says:

    I’m so grateful that people keep posting these tips long after the majority of comics folks have gotten the hang of prepping for cons. There are always newbies, and it’s great to be spared the common first-timer mistakes.

    Especially when you’re really, really bad at planning…

  4. alwaysoptimistic Says:

    Speaking of Comic Con, is there any site that keeps a list of Con exclusives?

    I am sure it would be useful for those who are unable to attend and eager to spend money on things that they don’t actually need but may want anyway.

  5. Mark Coale Says:

    It’s sad that all the crime in TJ will/should stop people from going to see Lucha Libre on Friday night. I guess people won’t have an excuse anymore to attend the Esiners.

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