It’s been three weeks since AnimeNEXT passed, and two days since the EtherFuture circle was updated by yours truly on how well we made out at the Artist Alley. I wanted to take a bit of time to talk a bit about our inventory, sales, and what we have planned for the long run. I’ll try not to make it long or boring.
Inventory: Our Humble Offerings
ANEXT ’09 was EtherFuture’s debut anime convention at an Artist Alley. KOU and I were also at MangaNEXT ’08’s Artist Alley, but EF had not been started at that time. So, with that said, it makes sense that our inventory for ANEXT was not very widely varied. We had a total of six illustrations, five of them being at 5″x7″ and all 6 of them at 8.5″x11″. We also had a double-sided 5″x7″ card with our circle’s contact info and an advertisement of Dance of Heart. Those were welcomed fairly positively. As printing usually goes, we had around 25 of each kind and a bit extra.
Our theme was unofficially “DYNAMIC”, as our main goal was to appeal to anime and art loves alike with a mix of KOU’s shonen style and choices of popular, eye-catching series. Our illustrations included:
- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: HaruhiXKyon (1st season kissing scene)
- Gundam 00 S1: LockonXTieria
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (alternate cover)
- Fate/Stay Night: Saber Stand-Off
- EF Original: Ice Focus
- EF Original: Miko ButterFly
Sales: The Numbers
MangaNEXT ’08: $50ish (mostly from KOU becoming a “sweatshop” commission station, as our DoH artbook was not selling)
AnimeNEXT ’09: $79 (sales were in higher standing than commissions / the ratio of printing/material costs to sales were MUCH BETTER)
Summary: We didn’t do as horrible as before, but we are still a long ways away from a comfortable place. We also had a lot left over.
Anyone who has done an Artist Alley before will tell you that it’s difficult to break even in an atmosphere filled with great creative talent. People try to not to come off needy, but everyone wants to sell well for varying reasons. Some for school, some for play, and some, like us at EtherFuture, to invest in the circle’s growth and production of quality work. For example, with the $45 or so we made at MangaNEXT ’08, we were able to purchase Manga Studio Debut 4 in the hopes of streamlining the production of Dance of Heart to a digital platform – and we have, might I add. Of course, that left us with nothing but our own jobs to fund printing, material, and Artist Alley costs from our own pockets for AnimeNEXT. I’m sure we aren’t the only ones.
Long-Term Goals
Though we would love to break even, we would rather produce products and offer services that show how devoted and avid we are about bringing ideas to life. So no matter how much or how little we make, you can bet that we will avoid skimping on quality for the sake of making sales. Making happy customers is better than making money, and that is how our circle will remain as long as I’m the leader.
With that said, our goals include:
- Expanding our inventory with more practical and useful products
- Producing our first original doujinshi
- Completion of the EF website by the mid-Fall season (if not MUCH sooner)
- Improving our circle’s presentation and presence at anime cons
- Maintaining consistent, reliable communication with our visitors and customers.
EtherFuture prides itself on positioning itself to not only seek success, but bring pleasure and happiness to those who enjoy the creative work we put out. If you have been a satisfied customer or just like what we do, we would definitely like to hear from you at contact at etherfuture.com. On the off-chance you liked one of the images above, they are available for purchase at $6 + S&H (5″x7″) and $9 + S&H (8.5″x11″). E-mail us at that address, and we’ll make sure you receive it as soon as possible.
Ja ne!
_ALEX