Because i follow Geoff Johns on Twitter, I know that hes a HUGE fan of 7-11 so at a recent signing he was attending when I got a chance to talk to him and get some books signed I gave him a $20 7-11 gift card and he thought it was hilarious and loved the gesture
Did he say, "Oh, thank heaven..."
he said, "Is that 7-11 gift card for me? You follow me on twitter dont you?"
I go to Town & Country to get my drinks
I guess everyone isn't as familiar with 7-11's theme song as I am...
#4004393 - 05/11/1003:52 PMRe: Handling Signature Series Witness.. uh, Coordinators..er, CAWs, Sig Dudes
[Re: BradleyX2]
kolmaravenuekolmaravenue
Up 20 words per minute since I signed up
Registered: 05/31/09
Posts: 1297
Loc: Austin, TX
Great info here JJ. I learned at c2e2 about chasing down a sig from a creator who doesn't seem to sit at their booth a lot. Lesson learned. Never again! that has to be some sort of battle cry...
Now, how about one of these little infomercials on sketches/commissions?
that's all great advice! i'm just a freelance artist and not a big time pro, but i am friends with alot of pros. Many of them despise the things you have touched apon case in point the bringing of 50 plus books to the table while doing a sketch or when there is a person behind them with one book. That is the best advice I can give i'd limit it to 10 or less. I have seen artists ask for a charge after 10 or a donation and people argue about paying it, then when they get the autos go into the dealer room and sell them. THIS IS BAD FORM!
JmCJmC
The Post-man always rings twice. Uhm... ring ring?
Registered: 01/13/05
Posts: 1991
Loc: arizona
Good advice JJ, i feel pretty good about myself after reading your post, i am laways polite with the artist, never bothering them at the wrong time, and only getting 5 to 8 books signed at a time.
Registered: 07/18/05
Posts: 15649
Loc: Future Headquarters of CGC
Originally Posted By: jonjesper
Just want to throw this out there... I watched how random people interacted with creators, editors etc this weekend and really tried to see how it works best and how it does not... (none of these events are actual, just made up to show what to do or what not to do)
My advice (and trust me, plenty of you think you do this, but you don't) is this...
Think before you act, does it seem reasonable to you, 10 signatures and 4 head sketches while they are eating, is that fair. Seems like that might be a situation where you should walk away?
Follow the rules of the signing, if they say 10, try to stick with 10 or stay close to it. If you know the creator sometimes it is not a concern, but the majority of us are not chummy with most to that point. There is often another signing, so get the rest done there!
Don't ask them to switch pens for every other book. It is unrealistic, and yes I know that many of you want a book signed in gold, then silver, then the next 3 black. Cmon, think how much time that takes. Most if not all creators have multiple sharpies and know what to do. They have signed more of their books than any of us lol. Of course, if they are using a ball point pen, feel free to politely ask them to use a sharpie you have, most will agree with no problem. Leave the sharpie with them, it might help someone else out later in line...
Do not harrass the creator when they are walking down an aisle, or talking to a friend. Plain and simple, it is embarrasing and this is their time to talk to friends, not get asked to sign books.
Stop chasing after people when they are not signing at a booth or signing. It just reeks of madness and being desperate. Remember, many people see this, and not just the creator but other creators and other fans of comics. It doesn't look good.
Talk to the person in charge of the booth if you have a questions about signings or limits. They often know more than a board posted somewhere, and even if the information is not entirely 100% accurate, they have no reason to lie to you, they want people to be at signings.
Be polite and professional when they sign and again, thank them again and again.
If they recognize you as a 'witness' for CGC (they probably do not understand the CAW designation), again, thank them for their time and ask if there is anything you can do for them (and if they say there is, bring it to the attention to CGC).
If you act professional, respect the creators time and are very thankful for what they do, it goes a long way. Seems simple, but really I watched a lot of people from all walks of life and a smile and being realistic to the creator seems to go miles in the right direction...
one last one...
no means no.
Just a vent and an FYI
more:
Have your books ready to go. Take them out of the bags and in a stack or if you are getting them SSd, have them ready. to. go. Nothing more irritating for a creator then to have to wait for someone to shuffle through a box or a bag and sort out things. If you put the wrong book down with the rest, don't worry, most will just put it off to the side or tell you they did not work on it. Apologize and don't worry about it, mistakes happen... Be prepared and good things will happen...
Don't bite off more than you can chew: Not sure if a creator is coming or a celeb is signing? Why not bring along 1 book just in case. Not the entire run of a TV show comic or Daredevil 1-12 for Kevin Smith. Also, the #1 thing to irritate EVERYONE in line. Bring 50 or 60 books to a creator so he can sign everyone of them and the people behind you with 2 books each have to sit and wait as that person has to reorganize or blow on each one or put them back in the bag. Trust me... Be happy to get 10 or less signed and if you are keeping them raw, maybe less than that...
Even if the experience with a creator isn't the greatest, it would be ideal if you weren't the one escalating the issue. You aren't going to be able to change their mind, but you can at least be the better person and thank them and walk away. And yes, issues do arise sometimes...
Have some extra cash and what seems like a lot of books (20 or 30)?, buy a print or a sketchbook RIGHT AWAY, then proceed to ask them to sign your books. Believe it or not (and I work with some high profile guys) most artists make more money at home drawing then they do coming to a show. They do it to meet fans, sell some art maybe or sell some prints, sketchbooks, do a few commissions etc.
One of the things I have been working on along with CGC is getting the word out to more creators, by offering them books to get SSd or just regular blue label. At Philly we were able to start Mike McKone with a few of his own SS books. I went and purchased some 9.8 copies, had him sign and delivered them to him at the show. Brian Pulido was another case. He signed so many books for us, I asked him if it was okay to get some of his Philly variants signed for himself. He was delighted and gave some away to the booth staff. Herb Trimpe must have signed one of the largest stacks at the show. Chainnball (who is friends with the Trimpes) took some of their sketchbooks and we were able to also get those SSd. All of this onsite, which was very cool to see how thankful and happy each creator was. The 3 people I mentioned above are some of the nicest people in the business and any chance we as a community have to assist any creator to offer different products is only a plus for them. Good will usually equals good will and at the end of the day it was really cool to give something to these creators that have given their fans a lot!
Speaking of McKone, hoping to sit down for a drink at SDCC and talk about doing a sketch opportunity for the boards. Nothing has been approved by CGC at this point, but if you have ever been able to see a McKone sketch...they are some of the best out there! Fingers crossed everyone!
#4131543 - 07/09/1006:47 PMRe: Working with Creators and Signings
[Re: jonjesper]
realitytrip2realitytrip2
I am gonna miss that car.
Registered: 06/11/07
Posts: 229
Loc: San Francisco, CA
I was going to start a thread, but this seems like a very appropriate thread to ask these questions.
Ok, I am a newb to the Signature Series thing. I don't particularly care for signed books that I didn't get signed for myself, so I haven't bothered before, but the sketch covers just look so frickin sweet, (and they finally came out with a X-men sketch cover ) that I want to start getting some sketch covers.
Maybe this has been answered in other threads (and if it has, I apologize,but most of the other threads deal directly with the CGC involvement).
What is the procedure for getting these sketch covers done at a convention?
Find the artist as early as possible, hope he has free time, and is willing to sketch what you want him to sketch?
What about creators with a long line? Do you wait in line or is there a way to find out if they are only signing books, not doing sketches? If you don't get to a convention until the second day, are most artists commission schedules completely booked?
Can you guys give me a general list of what this service will run? I know this will vary (greatly!) from artist to artist and how long they want to spend on it (10 min sketch does not equal five hour commission) But what are the upper limits? I honestly don't know and am curious.
I see people offering to get signatures. Do some people offer to get sketches as well?
#4131560 - 07/09/1006:53 PMRe: Working with Creators and Signings
[Re: realitytrip2]
seanfinghseanfingh You earn it. It's like MMA for nerds.
TOTAL NEWBIE
Registered: 05/15/05
Posts: 31068
Loc: Butthurt Has No Expiration Dat...
Originally Posted By: realitytrip2
Find the artist as early as possible, hope he has free time, and is willing to sketch what you want him to sketch? Yes, this is pretty much exactly it
What about creators with a long line? If you want a sketch from them, get there early
Do you wait in line or is there a way to find out if they are only signing books, not doing sketches? Find out if they are sketching first, then decide if you want to wait.
If you don't get to a convention until the second day, are most artists commission schedules completely booked? Sometimes yes. I still don't have a Jimmy Cheung because all of the Jimmy Cheung ninjas fill up his list in 12 minutes
Can you guys give me a general list of what this service will run? Anywhere from $20 to $250 for creators I have dealt with. Probably more for some of the big name guys.
Do some people offer to get sketches as well? Sometimes. It is good to forge some relationships in the community.
) that I want to start getting some sketch covers. 
