Being Paid as a Cosplay Guest at Cons.

Cosplay has evolved from “just a hobby” to a legitimate global phenomenon. Passionate fans and talented creators galivant through conventions and events across the world, spending BILLIONS of dollars at events. As local and regional events continue to pop up and evolve, so too has the demand for professional cosplayers to attend conventions as guests. Being invited as a cosplay guest is a thrilling opportunity, but it also brings with it an important conversation about the value of a cosplayer’s time, talent, and contributions.

Conventions have one goal in mind when they bring in a guest for programming: Bringing in additional attendees (Which leads to bringing in more revenue for the show and vendors). As a cosplay guest, it is YOUR JOB to assist the event before and during the event to hype up the event, and get as many of your fans/followers as possible to attend the event, even if for one day. Yes, while you are at the event you will gain more fans and followers, but the event wants your fans and followers to attend. Your panels, judging performance, skills, knowledge, and abilities are for this reason, and this reason alone. Because of this, you should be adequately compensated.

What Does It Mean to Be a Cosplay Guest?

Being invited as a cosplay guest usually means that you’re asked to appear at a convention or event to showcase your cosplays, meet fans, and participate in various activities (judging, panels, ceremonies, photoshoots, etc) These activities can include:

• Photo Ops: Professional photo shoots event photographers. Some events may charge for you to be in photo opps with your fans in a small studio at the event as well.
• Panels & Workshops: Sharing your skills and knowledge in crafting, performance, and character portrayal. Such panels as “Cosplay 101”, “diversity in Cosplay” and “How to sew your costume” are examples of this.
• Appearances & Autographs: Meeting fans, signing autographs, and taking questions at your booth.
• Guest Roles in Shows or Events: Participating in special events, such as cosplay competitions, judging, or hosting.

While it’s an exciting opportunity to connect with fans and other creators, it’s important to remember that as a professional cosplayer, your time, likeness, and expertise should be valued and compensated appropriately by the event, and your fans.

Compensation for Time and Talent – your terms and conditions

As a cosplayer, your skills—whether it’s your ability to craft intricate costumes, perform as a character, or engage with fans—are worth much more than just the cost of your materials. Such metrics as your social media following, your awards, and your past appearances should also be considered in this as well. When an event contacts you about the possibility of working with them as a professional cosplay guest, you should have a Terms and Conditions ready for them, along with your media kit.

Here are things you should consider in your terms and conditions:

1. Travel and Accommodation Expenses

If an event is more than 20 miles away from your residence, it should require an overnight stay during the nights of the event. The event should cover these accommodations, along with any travel expenses. This typically includes:

• Airfare, Gas, or Train Fare: Round-trip tickets with bags or travel mileage reimbursement. Use the IRS calculator for mileage if you decide to drive (https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates). You can (and should) state any accommodations you may need with this, such as requested airlines or times to fly – nobody likes late flights.
• Hotel/Accommodation: A hotel room for the duration of your stay. If you’re traveling with a team or booth minion (assistant/handler), they should also have their accommodations covered. I suggest putting in a request that you do not stay in accommodations lower than three stars.
• Per Diem: This should either be cash or vouchers for food and parking at the venue and lodging. You should have at least three meals per full day you are a guest. This includes anyone you bring with you.

2. Appearance Fees

In addition to travel and accommodations, you need to be compensated for the time you spend at the event. An appearance fee is common for guests, as it accounts for:

• Time Spent at the Event: Whether you’re taking photos, interacting with fans, or participating in panels, your time is valuable.
• Prep Time: The amount of time you put into creating and maintaining your costumes, as well as the effort involved in preparing for panels or other guest activities.

This is the formula I use when I request appearance fees:

BASE PAY PER DAY

5,000 or less: 200.00

This should be based on the size of the convention. Smaller events have smaller budgets and attendance, Larger events have more. Please keep in mind, I am using this as an 8 hour day. If an event requires you to stay longer, I would suggest adding a percentage to this for any additional time they require you for (after hours programming is a prime example of this)

Attendance of show: 

5,000 – 20,000: 250.00

20,000 – 35,000: 300.00

35,000 – 50,000: 350.00

50,000 – 75,000: 400.00

75,000 – 100,000: 450.00

100,000 and up: 500.00

Your Booth – Print/merchandising sales

As a cosplay guest, you will almost always be provided with a booth to exhibit your skills. You are expected to bring examples of your craftsmanship along with prints and merchandise to sell. Although it is standard practice to sell prints and merch at your booth, it NEEDS to be outlined in your contract with the event. Although events may ask for a percentage of your proceeds, I would consider this a deal-breaker (Unless the event is more than 100,000 people – if that is the case, don’t go any more than 10%).

When you sell prints/merchandise, you are required to charge sales tax for the state of the event you attend. Make sure you get the appropriate paperwork from the event BEFORE you attend. In a perfect world, you receive this information when you get a contract from the event. If not, make sure you get it a few weeks before the event so you can have everything set up. Most credit card systems (such as Square, Stripe, and PayPal) will help you with this. If not, check out TaxJar.

Need booth ideas? Check out this blog to read more about booth design.

Likeness and Brand Representation

As a cosplay guest, your likeness may be used in promotional materials or even throughout the event’s marketing campaigns. Most of this is covered in your appearance fee, as it SHOULD NOT require much additional work from you. 

This will include your image being used on posters, social media promotions, and convention advertisements. You should outline in your terms and conditions how you would like your likeness to be used. You can add “Value added” opportunities such as “social media shout-outs” and “Cameo videos” to this. If you decide to go that route, do not charge more than 100.00 each, unless you have a following of more than 100,000 per social media. 

I would also suggest that if the convention requires you to wear any sort of apparel, or represent any sponsor of the shows, that you are allowed compensation. I would suggest that you charge 10% of any sponsorship for these. You may also be able to negotiate “Freebees” from the sponsor in lieu of cash payment.

Panels and Workshops

This is one of the two most important parts of your appearance, as there are potential attendees that want to learn more about you as a pro cosplayer, and how you utilize your craft.

Panel Examples:

Meet the cosplayer: a Q-and-A session with the pro cosplayer

Skills 101: Cosplay skills (Makeup, Foamsmithing, 3D printing, sewing, electronics, fiberglass, etc.)

Cosplay Contests 101: Going through how a cosplay contest works, and how attendees can have new opportunities to win.

Participating in panels and workshops often requires significant preparation, as well as the time spent during the event. Make sure you have a few panels “In the hopper” on your media kit you can offer out of the box for events, so you do not have to spend time making new panels for each event.

I would suggest offering one panel per day as a part of your appearance. If they expect more than that, your should charge an additional “per panel” fee (no more than 50.00/panel). Make sure you outline this in your terms and conditions.

Cosplay Contest/Masquerade Judging:

The heart of any convention, the cosplay contest and masquerade is a major part of an appearance. A large portion of your conversations at an event will be discussing the cosplay contests, how they are run, and your decisions as a judge. 

You should be provided rules for any contests or masquerades you are involved with. Read through them thoroughly so you understand the intricacies of the contest, and notate any loopholes you find. Share these with your fellow judges and any coordinators on event staff. The Contest / Masquerade is a reflection of your profession, so make sure you do everything in your area of responsibility so it goes off without a hitch.

If the contest has pre-judging, make sure that the amount of time spent in prejudging is outlined to you in your contract. If you are uncomfortable doing prejudging, then make sure you outline that in your Terms and Conditions.

How Can Cosplayers and Event Organizers Build a Fair Partnership?

Much like any business transaction (Because that is what this is) you need to communicate with the organizer and be ready to negotiate. Use your Terms and conditions as a baseline for what you offer then go from there. If an organizer scoffs at your terms and conditions, then I would suggest looking elsewhere. This is YOUR BRAND as a pro cosplayer, and your shouldn’t tarnish it with an organizer that doesn’t meet your standards. Trust me; you will be doing yourself a favor, and will deal with a lot less headaches.

Once you have settled the negotiations, the convention organizer should provide you with a clear and concise written contract that is enforceable. Make sure that said contract has a clause for breach, so that if something happens during the event that is unacceptable you have an escape hatch. Building these solid boundaries is an important part of your professionalism, and will help you and the community as a whole get compensated fairly. (Remember: I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on the Internet…Make sure you build a relationship with a local to you attorney that can help you navigate through contracts.

Respecting Cosplay as a profession

Cosplay is a passionate and creative art form that takes significant time, effort, and resources to develop. Whether you’re crafting a highly detailed costume, performing in front of fans, or sharing your knowledge through panels, every aspect of being a cosplay guest deserves fair compensation.

Event organizers should recognize the professional skills cosplayers bring to their conventions and compensate them accordingly – through travel and accommodations, appearance fees, merchandise sales, and by paying for their time and expertise.

At the same time, cosplayers should approach these opportunities with professionalism and clarity to ensure that they are treated fairly. By respecting each other’s time and talents, cosplayers and event organizers can forge lasting, successful partnerships that benefit both the creators and the fans they serve.