AMA: The next Kickstarter...

Q.: How do you decide when it's the right time to launch the Kickstarters? Is it based on just getting the right amount of material ready? Are there seasonal things to watch that influence funding? Do they stay on a fixed schedule as a part of the business model? It's been well-noted that the Patreon flows on a pretty reliable schedule of A-B-C, but I was curious how that extends to other non-Patreon parts of the business, like advertising, social media, and alternative revenue streams, and how you balance juggling so many different projects with such effectiveness.

A.: All of the things you mentioned — content, season, and schedule — are important, but none are at the top of my list when it comes to launching the next Kickstarter.

I’m excited to announce that I have plenty of material for the next two Evil Inc books in both SFW and NSFW versions. I even have enough NSFW content to create another Evil Inc After Dark book and a surplus of resources for more NSFW commissions. Plus, I have some great bonus cartoons that I can compile for you. It’s been a while, but I’m also planning to release the second edition of “The Webcomics Handbook” soon. All in all, I have tons of content available and can’t wait to share it with you!

Seasonal considerations are also important. I always tell myself I will launch a Kickstarter in the year’s first quarter. And I always find myself up to my eyeballs in tax prep until April. Likewise, launching in the fourth quarter is dangerous because any money you carry into the new year is taxable. I teach the last class at University of the Arts tomorrow, and the middle of the year officially begins the next day!

Currently, I'm keeping a close eye on two important things after the COVID outbreak: printing facilities and shipping logistics. Unfortunately, the pandemic has caused a shortage of workers worldwide. The printer I worked with for my last two Kickstarter projects had to close down because of the pandemic, which was a big blow for me. I've found another trustworthy candidate for my next project. However, I won’t fully trust them fully until I have a pristine copy of my book.

Once the books are printed, they must be shipped to my storage space. The pandemic savaged the shipping industry causing monthlong back-ups. And those back-ups begat other back-ups, and so on. On the outgoing side of shipping, I won't be able to offer the same international shipping features I did in the past. The United Kingdom is definitely off the list. After Brexit, Great Britain requires people shipping merchandise into the country to collect and remit VAT (Value-Added Tax). I have tried multiple times to register an account to do so, but the bureaucracy has proven to be impenetrable. Furthermore, I would eat the extra cost since I cannot add the tax upfront.

I’ve been watching the news from reliable sources on both issues and getting some encouraging reports about the upcoming year. I’m hoping to have some exciting announcements sometime soon.

Coming soon...

As long as we're on the topic, let's talk about the recently completed Evil Inc chapter, Multiple Choice. With yesterday's EiAD page, all the pages related to that chapter have been finished. This chapter represents the best combination of SFW and NSFW storytelling that I've been able to accomplish yet.

The SFW version of the chapter is 21 pages, and it contains a solid interplay between the plot (Miss Match hosting a seminar in Akron) and the subplot (Desi's new throuple). There are some comedic moments that I'm proud of, and the storytelling feels brisk and entertaining.

The NSFW version is a whopping 53 pages, with an almost constant handoff between SFW and NSFW plotlines. It's the best integration of the two types of content I've ever pulled off. You are going to absolutely flip over this.

Here's a look at the first few pages, to get an idea of what I'm talking about. The NSFW sections are highlighted.