I’m Mark Stay, author of the Witches of Woodville series and The End of Magic trilogy and I’ve been selling my books at comic cons for ten years.
But in 2025, I really went for it: selling at 42 comic cons in the UK. And I’m not alone: I’ve made lots of new author friends this year at the cons, and I know that many more are thinking about it, so I thought I’d put together a series of short videos passing on what I’ve learned…
In this series of 4 videos, I’m going to cover…
The different kinds of comic cons in the UK and which ones might be right for you.
What kit you need to invest in, and I’ll take you on a tour of my table and how I lay it out.
Ordering stock, cashflow (or lack of it) and other expenses.
And I’ll be answering specific questions that some of you good people have sent me…
Let’s start with why I do them, and the different kinds of comic cons I went to this year…
TRANSCRIPT
I’m Mark Stay, author of the Witches of Woodville series and The End of Magic trilogy and I’ve been selling my books at comic cons for ten years. But in 2025, I really went for it: selling at 42 comic cons in the UK. And I’m not alone: I’ve made lots of new author friends this year at the cons, and I know that many more are thinking about it, so I thought I’d put together a series of short videos passing on what I’ve learned…
In this series of 4 videos, I’m going to cover…
- The different kinds of comic cons in the UK and which ones might be right for you.
- What kit you need to invest in, and I’ll take you on a tour of my table and how I lay it out.
- Ordering stock, cashflow (or lack of it) and other expenses.
- And I’ll be answering specific questions that some of you good people have sent me…
And let’s begin with the big one:
JAN CARR
Why? What’s your motivation?
Why do a comic con? It’s a lot of hassle. You have to buy stock, set up a stall, get all the bits and bobs (more on that later), get up at the crack of dawn (or before dawn in the winter) and drive for hours to some draughty gym hall in a leisure centre.
It’s not glamorous, and I’m not doing it for the money, I can tell you that. I always make a profit on the day, but the margins are slim and the cash flow is a nightmare (more on that later, too). So the first question to ask yourself is: what are your goals for selling at comic cons? Why do them at all? Why not stick with online advertising and social media?
Online ads with the likes of Amazon and Facebook never worked for me (despite ploughing a lot of money into them over the years), and I’ve never been great on social media, but… I was once a bookseller and a publisher sales rep. I know how to hand-sell a book, and my books – especially the Witches of Woodville series – are classic hand-sell books. The first one was published in the second lockdown, so never got that bookshop boost that it needed, and when the fifth and final one was published last year, it became clear to me that my publisher had moved on to promoting other things (which happens), and that meant it would be down to me to keep the momentum going. So I went back to what I know best: bookselling.
For me, going to comic cons isn’t necessarily about the sales on the day, it’s more about creating new readers who will come back for more. A long term investment of your time and money into something that might pay off further down the line. Will it work? One of the great pleasures of doing so many events this year is seeing those readers come back and tell me how much they’ve enjoyed the books and have told their friends and have come back for more. So, it seems to be working.
Let’s start with the fundamentals: how much do these things cost…?
COSTS & CONVENTION VARIATIONS…
KATHERINE FRANKLIN
I’ve heard tables at comic cons are expensive – was it ever tricky to make back the pitch fee?
ANDREW GUILE
What does it cost?(!)
JULIAN BARR
Are big cons necessarily better than small ones?
JENNIFER TAYLOR-GRAY
Which cons were the best for you and why? Was it due to anything you did differently those days, or the con set up itself?
All great questions. Let’s start by looking at the different kinds of conventions in the UK.
This year, I’ve been to cons organised by Bolt, Striking, Creed, Showmasters, Reedpop and Monopoly Events, plus a whole bunch of independent and local events. Each offer different opportunities and have varying costs…
(If you click on the images, you’ll be taken through to their pages for exhibitors)
Both quite similar and I believe they were once the same company but bifurcated at some point. They’re really well run, the organisers are lovely (they bring round bottles of water and snacks to your stall!) and the events are aimed at families. Young families. These are more like toy fairs or collector events than comic cons (there’s a lot of Pokemon for sale) and very often I’m the only author with a table.
Table costs vary depending on the size/location of the venue and range from £65-£125 for a table (most are at the lower end of that). You pay a small deposit beforehand to secure a table, and settle up on the day. The atmosphere at these events is warm and welcoming, they have great accessibility policies, meaning they allow early entry for folks with disabilities and hidden disabilities. I really like them, though the young family demographic means that I do okay at these events. My books are aimed more at adults. I know that some of my author friends who have kids’ books do better than me, so bear that in mind. I’ve always made a profit, though.
Every now and then they have guests for photo opps and signings, but not often. I’ve done more of these events than any other this year, and have already booked more for 2026.
Again, these share some organisational/crossover DNA. These are generally bigger events and, crucially – for me – have lots of great guests. I’ve discovered that if there’s a cast member from Doctor Who or Red Dwarf present, then I will have a pretty good day. Fans of those shows are literate, have money and are willing to read new authors: gawd bless ‘em!
Showmasters also run the London Film and Comic Con, which in the autumn co-hosts with YALC… and that’s a huge event for SF&F authors. The readers bring their own little wheeled trolleys which they cram with books, and we love them for it.
Creed/Showmaster tables cost between £40-£100 depending on the venue and, for me, are great value. YALC tables cost more, but from talking to author friends who paid the extra it sounds like they’re worth it.
I’ve been doing the MCM Comic Con in London for ten years. They were my first cons and they’re still the biggies. I think the last one had 130k people at the Excel Centre over the three day weekend. Creator/author tables cost £255 (cheaper for the MCM in Birmingham, I think) and they have a Writers’ Block, where all the indie authors are gathered in their own section. When I first started, there was nothing like this: just me and Kit Cox stuck in a corner nattering to ourselves (Kit kindly let me share his table, which you’d never get away with now). The MCM comic cons are now a very big deal for authors and because of that, they have a selection process. Not everyone gets a table and you have to pitch yourself to them. I can’t speak to why some authors get in and others don’t. I always offer to moderate panels, which has helped. And I think it helps if you’re planning to launch your book at the con: they love an exclusive.
I only did one Monopoly event last year – For the Love of Fantasy – and the Saturday was my biggest single day of the year. Bigger than the MCM… and if I’d had enough stock, I don’t doubt that the weekend would have been my biggest of the year. It’s at the Excel Centre (just one hall) but they had celebrity guests from Supernatural and Lord of the Rings. They run events in places like Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham: I’ve not been to these, but I’ve heard good things.
DARIUS TWYMAN
What was your favourite con this year and why was it the Canterbury Gaming Convention? 😉
Thanks, Darius. It was definitely in my top 40!
Actually, the Canterbury Gaming Convention was great fun. Not a comic con, but there were a few authors there and we had a good day and I’d definitely like to come back in 2026.
I’ve done plenty of independent conventions and events, and these can be hit and miss, but the costs are often much lower than the big cons, so are worth a punt. I’ve especially loved anything with the steampunk community: like Doctor Who and Red Dwarf fans, the steampunkers are literate and lovely. The Fort Amherst event every Easter has become a highlight for me, despite being stuck in a cave for two days.
So that covers the different kinds of conventions and the basic table cost. In the next episode, I’ll be digging deeper into expenses, targets and cashflow… no, really, it’ll be fun, I promise. Well, informative at the very least…
If you found this helpful, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi…
Mark Stay Writes 