My name is Laura, and I attend Tenakill Middle School. I began TREP$ wanting to draw. My business is called Candlelight Comix. Candlelight because it was made with basic, everyday tools, and comix because, well, I sold comics!
I chose to draw comics to sell for a few reasons.
- I really like to draw. It’s a hobby of mine!
- I didn’t want to make drawings.
Why not make drawings? Two other businesses were making drawings, and I wanted less competition if possible. And a couple more reasons, but those are the main ones.
So I set to working, drawing and drawing.
The actual production cost was low since it was ten sheets of paper, covers, and binding. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
First problem: Cover paper. My vision for the books was…. blurry, so to speak. I envisioned a thick-ish cardstock cover and back cover. But I didn’t know where to find the paper I needed. So that was an issue. But I found some pretty cream-colored paper that was nice and thick. Perfect and checked off the list.
Second: Keeping quality as good as possible. I wanted the printing quality good. So I headed to Staples, but the cost was sky-high and would be too expensive to sell. So instead, I just printed it normally. I under-printed, but it was alright. It worked out. Check.
Third: Binding materials. I needed something to bind the pages and cover together. I didn’t own a stapler and couldn’t professionally bind (with string). So I went around stores looking for cheap alternatives. And what do you know? I found these blue report holders that worked perfectly with my comics. One final check.
Armed with my materials, I completed the comics. I printed it (after a bit of perfectionist fussing) and folded the sheets. Slipping them in with the covers, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. I’m gonna make some money… as long as I don’t forget something, as long as everything goes right…
The actual sales surprised me, however unconfident I was. Everything went smoothly. I hadn’t expected to sell that much over the two hours, and I certainly wouldn’t sell out! The latter was true, but at the end of the Marketplace, I had a single book left (!) and had 183 bucks in my apron. And my total profit? $76. Boom.
My name is Laura. I am in 6th grade (at the time of writing), and the owner of Candlelight Comix, and I believe it was a success.
