Anonymous asked: do you have any tips for first time czf tablers? how many copies of each issue do you bring, how much money should i bring for change, should i make some sort of sign/banner even if my zines aren't well known, what awkward things do you try to talk about as people are looking through your zines?
Hey.
CZF is a pretty big zine fest, but with that in mind, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll sell a lot more zines or that you should do anything different from a small zine fest. You’re amongst 200 other tablers, so people have tons to choose from!
I usually say bring 20-25 copies of newer issues of your zine, and 10 or so of older issues (unless you know it sells really well) if you’re tight on space. If you’re not, it doesn’t hurt to bring more - but don’t expect to sell all of those or even half of them. You never know what people will be looking for.
If you know you have a zine that’s pretty popular or sells well or a brand new issue that’s never been available before, maybe bring more of that one. Sometimes I sell one or two copies of an issue, sometimes I sell 30 copies. There’s really no way of knowing.
Bring 20 or 30 bucks in change. I always remember to bring ones but I never think to bring 5’s and 10’s, even though a lot of people get 20’s from the ATM and it would make sense for me to have those. I’m trying to remember that this year.
A lot of people bring a table cloth or piece of fabric to put down under things they sell. They also might make a banner or sign. I have a stripey fabric and an embroidered sign that says ‘list’ but i’m thinking of making a new sewn sign that’s more in the style of my drawings now. Make little price signs, etc.
Something I do that people always comment on positively about is display little tags for each issue briefly describing what it’s about. That eliminates some of the awkward tension when someone walks up to your table. A lot of people feel weird or guilty when they pick up and browse through your zine and then set it back down. I think the descriptors are helpful because they can glance at that and get a more general idea if they’re interested before picking something up.
As for awkward small talk - I personally don’t do much of it. I let people just browse on their own, and engage them if I have a reason to. I’ll say hello but not too much more unless someone asks a question or strikes up a conversation. but that’s kind of just how I operate in general (even outside of zine fests!). Some people really like engaging everyone that walks by. It’s all just personal preference. You can’t really get it ‘wrong’ because everyone looking at your table is different.
Basically, despite it being a big event, it’s super casual, fun and relaxed. It’ll be great!
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sarabaier said:
all good advice.
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chloekenning liked this
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fortfootcomix said:
so thankful for this. i’m tabling for the first time at czf this year, too, and this basically answered all the questions i have!
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everydaypants posted this
