Back in the summer of 2021, when we all emerged from lockdown, I'd published my first three graphic novels, which up to then I'd only sold online. Amazon sales were doing quite well and building, and my first live event, Clevedon Lit Fest in June 2021, was very successful too, I thought. I took £130, which equates to 18 books (I'm working from the notes I made in my blog, which sometimes only records takings, not a breakdown of books). Clevedon was the debut of my first pop up banner, which I am still using. I then did what must have been a Creed comicon in July, (which I sneeringly put inverted commas around in my blog, considering it not a "proper" comicon) where I took £101.
Meanwhile (that was the name of the show) in Coventry in September '21 was my first proper comicon as a self publisher and saw the debut of my point of sale displays (above). It was the event where Tony Lee told me how I should be making my fortune writing crime novels (he now earns millions every year from them, while I, once I got round to writing and publishing two cozy crimes, failed to sell any). I took £238 in book sales at Meanwhile, which again I thought wasn't bad.
I then went on to appear at 2021's The Lakes and Thought Bubble, taking £347 and £311 respectively. Truly I'd arrived in the world of comicons and I wasn't going to look back.
Then in 2022 it looks like I took my foot off the gas and did next to no live events, concentrating instead on developing the Socks Eurovision show which I took to that year's Edinburgh.
It was in the middle of 2023 that I seem to have had a breakthrough, at Clevedon Lit Fest again, where so many things begin. I realised that if I was doing a Comic Art Masterclass and the parents were watching, I could flog books to them afterwards. This appears to be the first event where I did this blindingly obvious thing. Since when I have attempted to do it at all my classes that are open to the public, and it accounts for a lot of my book sales.
It's then in the spring of 2024 that, with Richard The Third aimed at younger readers, I starter being able to offer my books to schools to pre-order, which has been successful. Results vary, with some schools (usually secondary) buying no books, and some buying lots. The biggest haul was one private school (in March 2025) that bought 80 Richard The Thirds, and there have been similar big uptakes. This year the turnover looks higher, by dint of Romeo being in colour and costing £14, as opposed to the black and white Richard which I was initially offering to schools at a bulk price of £6 each. So the total number of books becomes a much better measure of success (my profit per book being about £4 whether they've bought an expensive colour book or a cheaper black and white one).
I must find ways of selling my books in bigger numbers online, they not having done any business to speak of since I lost my Amazon KDP account back in November 2022. And the dream of getting into bookshops with a "proper" publishers doesn't seem to be getting ny closer, despite the endeavours of my agent (acquired Nov 2023) and such things as the Rights Market at The Lakes (I had some interested parties at my meetings but no action) and the Illustrators Showcase that takes place in London in February, which again saw a few people eyes light up but no meetings follow. Onwards and upwards, hope springs eternal.
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