This may sound scandalous to my fellow artists out in the convention circuit, but I’m not going to sell prints at my table (or my Ko-Fi shop) anymore.
WHY?
Let’s start at the top.
I made a Forest Spirit print back in 2016, and for the most part, she sold pretty well! She was a big show-stopper at conventions. Like, she would catch your eye and keep your attention there. And she did sell well. So I branched out into other designs.
However, sales of prints have been declining for me since 2018. It’s gotten to the point where prints are not my top 3 selling category anymore (as of June 2023).
Plus, the feedback I get from fans often boils down to, “I don’t have the space to hang any more prints!” It’s hard to sell something when the fans don’t have room for it.
The other problem is that prints are a pain in the ass to transport.
This is especially true now that I live on the top floor of my apartment building, towards the back of my complex. I really do not want to make multiple trips to the third floor in a building with no elevator.
Not to mention that you need print bags or rubber bands to bag up prints when you sell them. And I can’t seem to source print bags that aren’t crap.
All these problems are for selling at conventions. But online? Forget about it. Shipping tubes are tricky enough for me to find. Everything else I sell online can either be delivered digitally or flat in a padded envelope. Prints are more difficult to ship the larger they get. And I can’t ship prints in the same bundle as everything else I offer – thus making me charge more for shipping (which customers and I are NOT psyched about).
I’d rather not deal with the headaches. Especially since prints are not the bestsellers at my table or online.
So, no more prints from me.
IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE?
Funny enough, art books are the best thing I’ve ever offered! At conventions, my art books sell the most. And the more art books I sell, the more books in general I sell. There’s a reason why my #1 category in sales is Books. And they are the LARGEST sales margin. For me, books make 5 times more than the #2 best-selling category. FIVE TIMES. It’s bonkers.
And honestly, that’s fine with me. I like making art books, and I want to make more of them.
If you are new to selling your work, please remember this: what works for me may not work for you. Some artists are really successful at prints! I’m more successful at books. Each artist’s mix is different. You won’t know what will work until you try it yourself. I just wanted to share what’s been working for me, and what hasn’t, so you can understand my process.
Best of luck to you out there!
That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!
You. Are. Awesome.