On this month's Special Page: Two articles from experienced convention-goers to help you navigate and enjoy the experience, while at the same time, give you tips on selling your books...and on selling yourself as an author!

Novelist and experienced convention-goer Christian Larsen tells us how to set up your booth, how to draw customers to your booth, and lots of other good advice to make your con experience a positive and productive one!

Christian A. Larsen grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has worked as an English teacher, radio personality, newspaper reporter, and printer’s devil. New York Times–bestselling author and Xanth creator Piers Anthony contributed a foreword to Larsen’s debut novel, Losing Touch, and Larsen’s work has been anthologized alongside short stories by Joe Hill (The Ghost IS the Machine), William F. Nolan (Shrieks and Shivers), and Stephen King (Qualia Nous). Larsen is now hard at work on his next novel, Sedgewick’s Oath, a tale of dwarves, elves, and ghostly spells. Follow him @surrealistwriter.bsky.social or visit his thunderousdreams.com.

Con and Fest Season is Upon Us!

by Christian Larsen

Winter is thawing into spring, which may bring the sounds of running water and birdsong to your ears, but there is one surer sign of spring than those: the uptick in festivals and cons. Readers of The Horror Zine know the ones I’m talking about: comic book, pop culture, and horror conventions. Why, just this spring, we’ve got three of my favorites: the Texas Frightmare Festival in Dallas, the World Horror Convention in Atlanta, and Printer’s Row Lit Fest, right here in my own back yard, Chicago. 

No matter if we’re talking big or small, these events are unique opportunities to be among like-minded people, soak in the horror or literary culture, and maybe find a gem or two in the flesh that you wouldn’t have found anywhere else ... except maybe online, and then you’re missing the visceral connection with your discovery. For me, cons and fests are the way to go—as a shopper and a seller.

I’ve been to my share, promoting my novel, Losing Touch (Post Mortem Press) ... and some of them have been real winners. Some have been losers, too. There are any number of elements that are out of your control: poor promotion, bad weather, or too much competition—competition with other, similar events in town, and competition from others at the same event.

But how can you even the playing field with the more experienced vendors at the end of the row?

1. Invest in your display. Even if you don’t have four-color posters or banners, things like book stands make you look more professional. Have something the reader can walk away with for free–bookmarks are probably the best, but I’ve seen people use postcards, business cards, or even fliers. Also? Bring a tablecloth that’s big enough to cover the entire table.
2. Stand. Don’t sit. Those dogs can get barking when you stand all day at the vendor booth–believe me, I know. Sit when it’s quiet. But you should already be standing when people amble your way. If you absolutely must be sitting, try to invest in a chair that will have you up a little bit higher–like a bar stool or something. If you’re more engaged, your customers will be, too.
3. Have your pitch ready. Know what you’re going to say about your book, and practice it. You should probably have a couple of pitches down. Different readers will have a different entry point to your book. Emphasize the aspects of your book that they’ll like. Not sure what they’ll like? I usually start a pitch by asking: “What do you like to read?” Clever? No, but it does the job.
4. Be ready to take payment. Nothing kills a sale like not being ready at the cash register. Go to the bank and get plenty of singles. And you never want to lose a sale because your customer doesn’t have cash, so invest in a card reader like Square, Inc., or a Paypal triangle. I’ve sold a bunch of books to people, even though they had burned through all their cash, because I was ready to take plastic.
5. The devil’s in the details. Bring Sharpies to sign your book. Pens and paper to keep track of your sales. Pack a lunch, too. You might get a chance to grab some food–or you might not. If you’re hungry, you’ll be focused on waiting for the event to end and not on attracting and closing sales. And try to stay off your laptop, tablet, or phone, unless it’s related to a sale.

You might have thought of these already and thought, of course, Chris—or maybe something a little less charitable, but just winging it and relying on common sense is not the same thing. You’ve got to be ready, not just know what being ready is. Practice that pitch in front of a mirror, be sure you’ve got the change you need to sell to those cash customers, and above all, be ready to enjoy yourself. 

Because if you’re not having fun, what’s the point? Unless you do really, really well, and I mean really well, you could probably earn more money putting in a shift at a day job, and unless you’ve done that well consistently for years, you’ve got a day job right now, so when you’re at an event or a con, it’s your time off. Sure, it’s work, but it should be fun, too. You are among your people—the nerds, the geeks, the literary dweebs. Time to embrace it!

Author, screenwriter and producer Paul Carro has some helpful tips to enhance your convention experience!

Paul Carro is an HWA author, screenwriter, and producer. Born and raised in Maine, King country, Paul was heavily influenced by the local author. In college Paul adopted King’s dollar baby concept to obtain rights to a Twilight Zone Magazine story, Preserves, from author John Cohen the screenwriter for Minority Report. Paul’s short film based on the property led to job offers in Los Angeles where he toiled in film production and screenwriting for years. He has served as producer on Operation Repo and is a producer on the film Hitchcock Nebraska with horror director Rolfe Kanefsky. 

In 2018 Paul turned his attention back to the genre he loves and released his first horror novel, The House. He has since released several more novels in the genre including Abject Fear. His short stories have appeared in various anthologies including Humans From earth, After the Burn, Horrors of the Deep, and more. Paul is a columnist for Memento Mori Ink Magazine and is co-editing Self (S)care: Best of 2025 Self-Published Horror alongside horror icon Candace Nola.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM CONVENTIONS

Have you ever hoped to attend a convention but so far it hasn’t happened? Does it break your heart that you cannot attend a specific one or have yet to be invited to one as an attending author? Do you wonder if one con is better than another? The answer to these questions is yes, based on many replies I received to a recent social media post I made.

Here is my post to which I refer:

About cons: Please don’t have the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). Trust me, the one ten years ago was just as fun for people back then as the one last week was. The best one will be the one you eventually attend.

Cons are expensive but rewarding. As someone who grew up poor, I understand the financial barrier. Choose your dream conventions and make efforts to get to those eventually, but look at smaller local opportunities in the meantime. Tie a con into a family vacay if that’s where your funds are geared.

The cons will be there year after year. Eventually it will be your turn, and you will discover the strain of lugging books, the craziness of navigating unfamiliar streets, and the sheer joy of finally meeting readers and authors IRL. You haven’t missed out; you just haven’t made an appearance yet. Give it time. When it’s right for you, you will have a blast like no other year existed until yours.

For many, it will require some financial and logistical planning before the fun can begin. As authors, it starts with ordering books. This takes time and is costly. Customers get books shipped almost overnight, but apparently, they ship author copies by horse-drawn carriage. Plan accordingly. If you have invested time and money in a booth, you must have products to sell.

If you are on a budget, order copies throughout the year, on payday, and set them aside. Minimize giveaways to families, friends, and influencers during this time. It is crucial to bank some books.

Now, let’s talk about booth fees. Are they worth it? The answer is yes, though mileage may vary.

My first ever convention was at Midsummer Scream. I had two days of table time booked and a hundred copies of my titles on hand for sale. Imagine my surprise when I sold out in two hours. Thankfully, I had packed additional books to deliver to a couple of local bookstores that agreed to carry them.

But not everyone has a sell-out experience. There are other advantages to participating in a convention.

Will you always profit from the event? Not necessarily financially, that is hit-or-miss, but trust me, you will profit in so many other ways. The best-kept secret about horror and book conventions is the beauty of chaos.

The number of visitors heading to the entrance at a convention is overwhelming. Where is the entrance? Which line do you stand in? Where do vendors go versus readers? Mixed in is a parade of cosplayers whose outfits are studio-level quality. The whole thing is chaotic and beautiful.

That initial energy follows everyone inside. And once inside, a new world reveals itself. A sea of people, an ocean of books, a universe of dreams come true. It is awe inspiring to see booths extend further than you can see. Horror fans, readers, and authors discover that a convention built around our interests feels like home.

There is nothing like selling your first book, meeting your first fan, meeting your booth buddy, only to realize they are an author you have admired for years. A convention is magical. There you will find your tribe. Through the course of a day or weekend, you realize many authors you have been friendly with online for years are there, but you didn’t know what they are like in real life. Valuable connections can be made at conventions to promote not only your books, but yourself.

Conventions are everything…everywhere…all at once. There are so many authors you recognize by reputation, by their work, or as online friends. When you finally connect, you will feel the need to hug it out (ask first) even if you are seeing their faces for the first time.

Be sure to introduce yourself to people. Authors may know Hairydaddy539 very well online, but that does not mean they know your name is Chuck. Many authors may not have ever seen your face before, only an avatar. Add pen names, and the whole thing gets weird. It is a blast finally putting names to faces, though. Conventions are a giant family reunion, but a reunion you enjoy being at.

There will be plenty of time to meet other authors, and yet not enough. Like my social media post mentioned, past conventions that gave you FOMO no longer matter once you show up for your first. The best convention is the one you attend.

Soon parades of readers roll through the hall. I never sit at my booth. People feel more at ease to approach if you are standing. I am there, leaning in, waiting to greet and meet. That first year, a mom and daughter stopped by. The daughter wanted to pursue writing and asked many questions about the industry. Last year, the pair revisited my booth. The daughter was now on her way to college to pursue writing. As they turned away, the mother circled back and thanked me for encouraging her daughter. She stated it meant a lot to her child to speak to a published author. I cannot overstress how wonderful it is to meet readers. It is worth more than any book sales.

More valuable than book sales are peer connections. Writing is a solitary occupation, but a convention is a better door opener than any social media site. A convention is a series of shared experiences that creates a bond between attendees.
Attending conventions can open doors in your career. And why shouldn’t they? Because aren’t doors always open when you are finally home?