I’ve been asked by Ionia Martin to make a checklist based on my experiences at my first convention last weekend.  This is based only on my experiences, so feel free to ignore, add, or mock them.

1. Hotel room-  It helps to be able to sleep on a bed, so you don’t look like a hobo while manning your table.
2. Banner-  You need a big sign that tells people the name of your product, company, and anything else you think you’ll need to say.  Remember to keep it simple and clear.
3. Table displays- The amount depends on what you’re doing and how much product you’re going to have on the table.  These have more detail than your banner.  For books, you want at least your cover art and title on the display.  If you can do it, have a ‘Coming Soon’ display for the next book you’re going to put out.  Most important, make sure the displays tell people what you’re peddling.  I didn’t make my displays clear, so everyone thought I had music CD’s instead of books.
4. Colorful tablecloth- This brings more professionalism to your look. Don’t go for anything too flashy because it’s just a tablecloth.
5. Water & Snacks-  You can’t always leave the booth, so have some food and drink to keep you going even a little further passed lunch.
6. PRODUCT!- You need to have something to sell or giveaway at your table.  Have them neatly laid out on the table with your main product in the middle.  You want eyes to go right to them.
7. FREEBIES!-  This is where business cards, stickers, fliers, and bookmarks come into play.  People love free stuff.
8. Price Sign- Have a standing sign that says how much things are.  Books on CD’s can be one price, paperbacks another, and (if you have them) hardcovers another.  Posters and other items that you want to sell should be listed as well.  DO NOT do any crazy .99 cent pricing.  Best to stick with multiples of 5 when pricing.
9. Change-  If you’re going to sell things then you need to be ready to make change.  Make sure you have a good supply of 10’s, 5’s, and 1’s.  My wife tried to put a $1 for a CD sign up and that got derailed the moment someone came up with a ten dollar bill.  So remember to get at least $100 in change.
10. Laptop with Video Display-  If you can get a spot near an outlet or set up a power strip/extension cord combo then you can make an image slideshow or repeated video trailer for your book.  This should be prepared beforehand and you can use the various stages of cover art, fan-art, or homemade art.  This depends on your level of ability with such things.
11. Booth Babe-  This isn’t a necessity, but it couldn’t hurt.  Find a female friend or a wife that would love to get into a convention for free.  Keep them loaded up with free stuff if they decide to wander off and remind them that they’re working for their dinner.  If you’re a female artist then find a Booth Dude and follow the same steps.  Dressing your Booth Babe/Dude up as a character from your book is an added bonus if you can pull it off.
12. Clothes-  Even if you think nudity will get you attention, you’ll probably be kicked out and arrested before you get very far.

Not sure how to put this on the list, but I plan on bringing hard copies of my books to the next Arcon and selling them.  Maybe 5-10 copies of each book depending on how much money I have to spend.  I’m also going to make CD compilations of all the completed works and sell those for $5 a pop.  Not sure about the paperback pricing yet.