#table sharing

[howtobeaconartist]

Hi, I want to know your opinion on this issue my friend(F) and I are currently having. I'm boothing with my friends in a circle and I had brought up the issue of space and that it might be time to consider splitting the booth cost by the amount of space that a person's merch is taking up to keep things fair for everyone. I brought this issue up cause one of my friend, E, has a very big inventory that it almost always end up with them taking most of the booth space, last event E had ended up taking 70% of the booth space (this was 2ppl in 1 table, granted the other person didnt have as much merch) I was told this was unreasonable and that E had also done accounting for us too so it wouldn't be fair for them to pay more since they also had worked more, so I suggested we could take the accounting cost out of the booth cost too so if they took 70% of space, then E only have to pay 60% while the other could do 40%. And if that was too troublesome then I had also suggested that we try to keep our merch down to equal sizes so that others wont get overshadowed. But I got told this was mean and unreasonable to E, do you guys have any suggestions on how we could deal with this? Sorry for the long msg, thanks for taking the time to read this

Kiriska: This sort of stuff really sucks to deal with and is going to be uncomfortable no matter what, unfortunately.

Ultimately, if other part(ies) aren't willing to budge, negotiate, or meet you in the middle, then you have to ask yourself how important is it that you "win" the disagreement, and what you may be willing to give up for that.

I obviously don't know all the details here, but it sounds like this is just table-sharing, rather than a truly collaborative "circle" or studio. If E has such a big inventory, why don't they just get their own table? Is there a reason they prefer to share?

Or, if the person E was tabling with didn't have a problem with the table split, why do you? Would your friends think differently if you were the one splitting with E and brought up your arguments then?

I also don't know both sides of this, only your side. So maybe there are other factors, or a reason your friends think you're being unreasonable even though it seems logical that someone taking up 70% of space should pay more.

Do you feel strongly enough to leave the group? To try table-splitting with other people?

Like, you can't force your friends to agree with you.

In many cases, "the person who cares the most wins." If you're not willing to leave the group, but no one else agrees with you, your only real options are to either keep bringing it up and hope they'll change their minds, or you can just go with the group's decision.

Good luck.

[howtobeaconartist]

I'm going to be sharing a table with several people at an indie comics convention this year, and we're having a difficult time figuring out what to do about payment. I feel like there has to be a solution for keeping this stuff organized that's better than editing a spreadsheet every time an item is sold, but I can't imagine what it would be. Thanks!

Kiriska: I generally think it’s best for each person to handle their own sales, but if there’s more than two people involved, it’s probably not practical for them all to be manning the table, so keeping track of each item sold is pretty much the only alternative solution. 

(Tbh, even for solo artists, I recommend keeping track of every item sold anyway... managing inventory and tracking sales trends is an important part of business!)

Rather than using a cumbersome spreadsheet while handling live sales, you may consider printing out a sheet of all inventory and simply placing tally marks on the sheet as items are sold. This data can be put in a spreadsheet later to determine each artist’s share.

Most Point of Sale systems, including Square (referral link), will also let you set up an item catalogue to track sales. You can use the POS to track things even when doing cash transactions.

[howtobeaconartist]

Hello! Thanks for running this blog, it's been really helpful. Do you have any advice on how to find other artists in the area if you want to share a table at an upcoming con? Or how to go about asking them? Thanks!

Kiriska: Hit up a local convention and network!

It’s best to seek out connections with others before you need them. Make friends with others in your area and then ask if anyone wants to split a table at an upcoming con. This is a lot easier than already having a con in mind and trying to find someone willing to split, especially if you aren’t the one who purchased the table.

Aside from conventions, you can check out local meetups for related interests. Is there a local art group? Local cosplay group? Local gaming/anime/nerd things group, etc?

[howtobeaconartist]

Hi there! I'm sharing a table with someone I don't know at all (i.e. we both purchased a half table, so the convention organisers just assigned us to be together in the map) and I was wondering, what's the etiquette about tablecloths? Does one person use theirs for the whole table? Do you put each of your tablecloths over your respective half? Thank you so much!

Kiriska: Most of the time, people sharing tables will have their table cloth on their side of the table only.

The only exceptions I can think of are if one person forgot theirs or doesn’t have one, or if it turns out both artists use the same basic color/pattern of table cloth and there’d be no visual difference.

[howtobeaconartist]

Follow up to this.

Kiriska: No problem, and thanks for the picture! It looks like Green has quite a bit fewer items than Purple and Pink here, and their items are also physically smaller.

It actually doesn’t look like you guys have enough stuff to warrant solo tables just yet, but I definitely suggest playing around with displays and presentation to both better present the work and to distinguish yourselves as separate artists.

I recommend testing out a binder/portfolio on the table, different colored tablecloths, and having small signs/banners with your names on them, perhaps indicating which work is whose.

Nattosoup:  The picture helps so much!

People LOVE to touch, so since you have some open space, offering some of your prints in themed photo albums or portfolios might be a great way to get your audience engaged.  One of the first steps towards making a sale is getting them to pick things up.  I demonstrate several flippables in my MTAC interview.

I would also recommend a split table cloth- for me, it’s hard to tell at a glance who’s stuff is who’s, and since many artists have a table assistant to help them out, you can’t just go by the fact that there are two people in the photo.  Utilizing the front of your table for individual 3′ banners might also not only add visual interest, but help differentiate your work.

[howtobeaconartist]

I'm hoping to get into the artist alley at Another Anime Convention this year (applications open next month) It will be my first time tabling if I get in and I really want to share a table to cut down on cost. Plus the tables are 8 feet long. I don't really know how to go about asking someone to table with me though. I'm planing on selling charms, amigurumi, stickers and some other stuff if that matters. Any tips on how to get a table partner?

Nattosoup: Once you have the table, you can put in a request for a partner here, mention it on Twitter, or ask on Artist Alley Network International.  While I have no doubt you’ll be able to find someone willing to table share with you, it might help to put together some photos of what you plan on selling, to help you find your best table partner match.  I wish you the best of luck!

Kiriska: If the con has a forum or Facebook group, you can poke around there and see if there’s any general interest. You can also try going through the con’s hashtag on Tumblr or Twitter to see if there’s anyone looking, or advertise under the tag yourself.

But yeah, it’s a lot easier to find a table partner after you have the table, because there will always be artists who didn’t get in, who want in.

Further reading: #table sharing

[howtobeaconartist]

Hello! An artist has approached me asking to share a table, but I'm afraid our styles may be similar. They do mostly scenery while I do character art, but our colors kind of blend and I'm not sure if people will be able to tell us apart. They also have a huge following online while I don't. How will all this affect sales? Would it be better to work with this person or find another person with a completely different style to share with?

Kiriska: There are a lot of ways to set up a table so it’s more obvious there are two separate artists there. Many artists commonly use two different colored table cloths, and sometimes they set up a physical wall between them at the table, whether with PVC or grid cubes.

I also haven’t really personally had a problem with straight-up informing confused customers that there are two artists at the table. Most are apologetic about the mistake and won’t begrudge you if tell them they can’t combine items between the two artists for any posted discounts (e.g. 3 for $30 prints or whatever). Your mileage may vary, of course, but I think keeping upbeat and positive about it helps.

Some previous thoughts on tabling next to a “more popular” artist. And #table sharing in general.

In the end it’s up to you. Make a list of pros/cons about tabling with this person. You could learn a lot from them and you guys can help each other out/become good friends, or you might tear into each others’ sales and get on each others’ nerves. It’s always a risk. :> Good luck!

Nattosoup:  My advice is don’t share a table.

You can ask for adjoining tables, if you’re friends and if you need the support, you can table at the same con, but please, if your stuff is at all similar, do not share a table.  Our archives are full of table sharing tales of woe- browse through if you need a second, third, or fourth opinion.

Even when my work is distinct from the artist I’m sharing with, people will confuse the work.  Even when we take great pains to make the two halves distinct- different set up materials, different table clothes, different signage, and CLEAR signage labeling who is who, people get confused as to who is the artist.  Even when I’m tabling with my metal head friend, whose work is cool dudes sans shirts, and my work is cute watercolor fairytale, customers confuse our work.

The only instance I would say this varies is with indie comic cons, where customers are used to collectives and shared tables.  Anime cons, with their (generally) lower table costs, don’t generally have shared tables, or if the tables are shared, its done in a way where the individual artist is irrelevant, and costs are split at the end.