**Amazing Artist Alley Online Guide - Check it out***

[marikotoeii]

So I was surfing about and I came about this incredibly thorough guide online to doing business in the artist alley. This is a great guide for beginners and exp. artist alley goers and the advice is SPOT ON.

I'd invite you all to check it out (Theres a lot of info there)

And please comment here if you found it helpful and relevant to AB Artist Alley.

It is put on by PandaBuddha Manga, which looks to be a collection of various artists around the country, largely self published, with lots of anime and other convention exp.

Check it out and let me know if you found it helpful:

http://www.projectbluerose.com/tutorial ... val-guide/

I think it also answer some of the frustrations we've been having in the alley as of late, and also gives tips on how to maximize your artist alley sales.

**This is a great supplement to the beginners guide as it goes more in depth into issues like pricing, sales, and promotion***

Enjoy

[Burnhym1]

um i have a question about what i read in the pricing category.

"Don’t forget taxes! Unless you’re a non-profit organization (and that means you possess a letter from the Federal government giving you special legal non-profit status, not just that you’re not making a profit), you’ll have to pay state and possibly city sales tax, and most large conventions now require that you have a state tax certificate or sellers’ permit (free to get) to be able to sell. I won’t go into it because the requirements are different for every state, but conventions that require you to have the certificate or permit should give you information on how to get one. Ask on their forums, or ask the artist alley director.

Most artists that I know of roll the tax into the cost of the item because it’s easier to handle counting change in a busy environment that way. If you don’t, you’ll have to bring coin change and a calculator and a decent receipt book. You should be bringing a receipt book or something like that anyway, to keep a record of your sales.

You’ll also be needing to pay income tax on your sales come next April, so keep good records. You may want to reserve a chunk of money from your profits so you won’t be surprised when it comes time to fill out your tax forms."


i read this and im really confused. i never saw people do this at anime boston, is this required? do i really need to add tax @_@?

[BlackSunRising]

Tax ID topic

Try that topic. It's old, but the information should still be accurate.

[Burnhym1]

i read it, im not quite sure what to take out of that....@_@

im only going to be selling at AB but i live in CT soooooo......what do i do >_<

[marikotoeii]

In regards to the financial aspect here are some imoportant things that i took away from it:

1.) Know the cons and states you are selling in because some cons (Like Otakon and Conneticon) require you to get special documents and tax ID in the like.

In the case of Anime Boston, there is no such reqs. Nikki and Christian are constantly checking up on that.

2.) It is a very good idea to keep an inventory of your cash and your artwork. This goes for pros and hobbyists alike.

>>>Think about even the little expenses of productions (cost of computer, scanner, electricity used to make things...)

>>>Keep a clear record of what sold and try not to lose track of the money you made if you use the profits at con

I think in a lot of cases we get so caught up in the actual con itself that often we don't keep good records of exactly how much we made.

(This is an issue I am addressing with my own studio in 2011)

Hope that and the Tax ID clears things up.

[marikotoeii]

Most likely you are not going to make enough to need to report it on your taxes.

[Burnhym1]

ok thank you XD

[Kogarashi]

[quote=Burnhym1]im only going to be selling at AB but i live in CT soooooo......what do i do >_<[/quote]

Step 1: don't sell at CT conventions unless you want to pay our state through the nose for the "priviledge."

Step 2: if you make enough, report it on your state and federal income taxes, but otherwise don't worry. You'll be selling in MA, so MA is the state that would care about sales taxes.

[marikotoeii]

Ang mentions in the tad ID discussion that you should claim your earnings if you made $600.00 or more.

Now keep in mind that is a profit of 600.00. (Less ALL expenses)

[Burnhym1]

thanks everyone for your helpful input :]

[SailorAstera]

I claim my convention income with my over all commissions sales for the year as additional income on my taxes. It's just easier for me to roll it all in to one number. Mostly my husband takes care of it; I just keep a spreadsheet with running tallies.

This tutorial looks awesome! I've only just started skimming it but I think there's a lot in here that can be helpful for new people and people like me who are still trying to get their legs about it.

I found this line particularly interesting: "If you do your art entirely on the computer and make a limited edition run, consider destroying the original high-resolution file." Now there's something that could be a whole interesting topic in and of itself!

I really liked the part about telling a story - that's really good advice and something I need to do more with my illustration.

[Kogarashi]

I'm really liking section H.1., the Art of Selling. I've seen too many artists who don't try to be at least a little approachable (not usually people I see on here, though), and it just doesn't really encourage me to check their stuff out in detail. I think everyone selling in the Alley could benefit greatly from a read-over of that section.

[ync]

that guide is amazing - i've done artist alley at portcon 3 times but i always get extremely nervous when it comes to selling things - i always freak out right before con time if i'm making the right things and if people will like them.

The problem i always have is that i don't watch nearly enough anime to know what the big names are at the time of the convention so i always get really worried that i'm making something old, that's not cool, that's not popular or something else

[marikotoeii]

I agree and am already putting it into practice.

I also like the whole Idea of "limited run" prints.

[marikotoeii]

I think the best advice is to DRAW WHAT YOU LIKE, not what you think is going to sell, especuially when you arent familiar with the characters.

And dont be surprised a lot of the "classics"

gundam
sailor mooon
chobits
evangellion
etc..

Are kinda coming back.

The work will look better and your ideas will be more creative if it is something you like.

Theres kind of a market for everyone.

If you still feel nervous research the new series and find something you like or ask people who come for commissions for source masterial. Dont be afraid to ask them about their character becuase most of them would be happy to go on as infinitum about their favorite charas.

[ang]

[quote=marikotoeii]Ang mentions in the tad ID discussion that you should claim your earnings if you made $600.00 or more.

Now keep in mind that is a profit of 600.00. (Less ALL expenses)

[/quote]

Yes.

And you can also declare your expenses if you itemize your return.

[Kogarashi]

[quote=marikotoeii]...ask people who come for commissions for source masterial. Dont be afraid to ask them about their character becuase most of them would be happy to go on as infinitum about their favorite charas.[/quote]

Just be prepared for people who want a commission of a given character only to be dismayed and leave when they find out you don't know who that person is or how to draw them from memory. I lost a commission at AB and two more at AAC, all this year, because people wanted a character I didn't know how to draw. Sure, Bleach and Hetalia are quite popular, but that doesn't mean I've watched/read them or know how to draw the characters from memory.

I'm planning on updating my commissions sign for the next con to add the note, "Bring references please. I haven't seen everything there is to see and can't draw it all from memory."

[KitsuneCreations]

To pay the income taxes and deduct expenses all you need to do is file with a schedule C, correct? I think the tax is %15 or something like that?

[ang]

Yes. And any tax software can walk you through it.