KIRKUS REVIEW
This book provides a comprehensive guide to becoming a vendor at anime, comic, and sci-fi conventions.
Lewis likes to call herself a
“vendorpreneur” who has carved out a very successful niche: selling products at
conventions that appeal to pop-culture enthusiasts. In an instructive debut
book supplemented with color photographs, Lewis painstakingly details a selling
process to help the novice vendor establish a business, avoid pitfalls, and
follow in her footsteps. The author begins with five “cardinal rules,” an
overview of basic strategies concerning customer psychology, merchandise
acquisition and selection, and pricing. Part 2 comprises the bulk of the book;
here, Lewis offers a “Business Battle Plan Blueprint” that walks through every
step, in sequence, a vendor needs to take to prepare for and attend a
convention. Each phase, positioned as an “assignment,” includes simple
step-by-step instructions, augmented when necessary by illustrative examples
from websites as well as photographs. Phases include conducting online
research, finding unique items on Japanese sites, investigating wholesalers,
and crafting a merchandise plan. This portion of the book is sure to be of
great value to the beginner and could help even experienced vendors improve
their game plans. In Part 3, Lewis wraps up with a useful overview of
convention registration requirements and logistics. She also uses photographs
of her own booth to illustrate stall setup and merchandise placement.
Throughout, Lewis sprinkles “Sensei tips,” short pearls of wisdom based on her
experiences, as well as “Oops alerts,” which highlight “regrettable new-vendor
decisions that led to disastrous sales results.” At the end of this
entertaining book, the author appends a listing of “trusted suppliers” that
should save the reader considerable research time. Lewis writes with an
enthusiasm for her subject in a style that is breezy, informal, and a joy to
read. Her merchandising expertise and knowledge of the subject matter shine
through as she delivers on the promise of the volume’s subtitle: “An insider’s
guide for new anime vendors.”
Engaging, well organized and deftly written; a
treasure trove of valuable information for those who want to sell at
specialized conventions.
