Charles Martin's Blog, page 49
April 9, 2012
Sustaining the Cause and/or Selling Out
Booth backdrop - a work in progress...
Lots of changes are afoot in the offices of Literati Press where we are retooling the way we do things in an effort to turn our small publishing company into a profit generator rather than a black, gaping maw gobbling up funds like a … black, gaping maw, I suppose.
In keeping with the current mood, I will be sharing some of our ideas, many of which we are unveiling this weekend at C2E2 in Chicago.
There are four major changes I'll be discussing in this blog:
1. Aggressively pushing prints.
2. Adding a backdrop to our booth.
3. Using MyWrite to encourage on-the-spot purchases of E-Books.
4. Creating more income outside of Literati.
I suppose none of these are Earth-shattering revelations, but when running a small press, minor changes can have major implications. Let's start from the top:
1. Prints.
Perhaps the most important change, the many talented artists have been creating dazzling art for years, so selling prints is an obvious decision that took us way to long to commit to. Over the years, we've seen barrels of cash rolling towards booths manned by artists creating "Fan Art" and original posters. In response, we will be carrying a large selection of our own prints to every show. Though all of our artists won't be at every show, we will always have some of their art and have instituted a profit sharing program to make sure that the artists are compensated for their work. The hope is that we can generate enough sales to pay for much, if not all of our expenses and to make Literati a legitimate income for our super creatives.
A downside, as our good friend David Doub warned, is "chasing those dollars" can turn our attention away from our comics and books as well as prints overshadowing everything else on the booth. This will be a possibility we will have to continually monitor as we see where this rabbithole leads.
Hopefully, as long as a good percentage of our prints are clever and engaging takes on our own characters, we will be able to create recognizable brands that will lead to increased sales of our original content.
2. Backdrop.
It's kind of sad that we are just now doing this, but better late than never. I completely ripped off Jerry Bennett's design for our backdrop, but I sooth my guilt by imagining he stole it from someone else. Basically it's a bunch of PVC pipes, joints, Velcro, and cloth as the backing.
Finished product with a four of our mounted prints. There is room for eight.
It was pretty simple to design and I actually bought more than I needed since I waaay over-thought it. It is lightweight, easy to put up and break down and creates height to our booth. As another attendee at Planet Comicon in Kansas pointed out, the eyeline of convention-goers is above the tables, so if you don't have a backdrop, you might as well be invisible. Ours is 6'7″ tall and a little over 5′ wide. Hopefully this will make our booth even more of an eyesore at your local convention!
Collapsible for the man-on-the-go!
3. MyWrite
This iPhone app could potentially be as valuable to authors as the Square credit card reader app. I downloaded a couple weeks back after meeting the owner at Staple. Basically it emails .epub files with an attached, personalized signature so any interested reader can buy an E-Book on the spot and have it in their email box in seconds. You sign the book using your iPhone, iPad, or whatever, giving the E-Book more value. I have no idea what the demand is for something like this, but E-Books have massive potential and this will hopefully give us a competitive advantage over the millions of other writers in the market. If nothing else, its a cool toy and was an affordable addition to our inventory.
4. Second Job.
After finally saying my goodbyes to journalism, I found it necessary to pick up a second job to generate enough income to ensure that Literati doesn't weigh down my own household. I started out as an overnight Walmart stocker, which quickly taught me two things:
A. 4-5 hours of sleep per day is bad for my brain.
B. The extra money is sooooo nice.
I am wrapping up that job and preparing to start another, which will not have me getting off work at 7 am just to start the next job at 10 am. Having that additional income allows me time to tweak Literati to find new ways to create sales and still be able to afford to promote our venture in Chicago, New York, Denver, and all other ports of call. Hopefully the second job will be temporary, but even if its not, the sacrifice in downtime will be worth it if it allows Literati to continue traveling as well as picking up new and exciting projects from the burgeoning art and literary scene in central Oklahoma!
I'll be writing a follow-up in the coming weeks in response to the success/failure of these changes to help other vendors working to translate their art from a hobby into a career.
April 7, 2012
Welcome to Ralton
Comics
Issue 1 $3.50
Issue 2 $3.50
Both $7.00
About the Creator
Don Rosencrans is a Tuttle-based independent illustrator who has produced commissions for bands Planets Align and The Venditos. His debut comic series, Welcome to Ralton, is produced, printed, and assembled with longtime photographer and collaborator Cole Johnson. Both can be found haunting the art scene, combing through comic store bins, and pimping their own comic wherever they can find a spare table.
About the Comic
The devil you know is better than the devil you don't and Reno Sanders' ordinary life takes a turn for the extraordinary after a chance encounter with the devilman of local legend. Welcome to Ralton is a humorous and humanizing look at the collision of everyday lives with a new world of comical fantasy and adventure.
World Wide Tribune
World Wide Tribune
Elvis is Undead $4.00
Gay Zombies Attack $4.00
Both $8.00
"Elvis is Undead"
World Wide Tribune Issues One and Two
By Karen Martin
"World Wide Tribune" is a comic book take on grocery store tabloids featuring backwoods werewolves, aliens and a zombie outbreak in the gay district of Oklahoma City. The debut double issue recants the chilling tale of a vampire Elvis taking a bite out of the 66 Bowl.
"Gay Zombies Attack"
In issue three, zombie attacks have become so commonplace that they are treated like severe weather incidents. When a zombie outbreak sweeps through the gay district of Oklahoma City, the local news latches onto the story. First up on the new gay agenda? Brains.
“eggs” and “Long Distance”
“eggs” Issue One
Eric Gorman Comics
“eggs” Vol. 1 only $4.00
“eggs” Vol. 1 + “Long Distance” $5.00
“Long Distance” only $1.00
“eggs” Issue One =
24 pages of achingly bittersweet awesome from everyone’s favorite bassist from psychedelic rock band, The Gentle Art of Floating.
“Long Distance” =
limited edition mini comic.
"eggs" and "Long Distance"
"eggs" Issue One
Eric Gorman Comics
"eggs" Vol. 1 only $4.00
"eggs" Vol. 1 + "Long Distance" $5.00
"Long Distance" only $1.00
"eggs" Issue One =
24 pages of achingly bittersweet awesome from everyone's favorite bassist from psychedelic rock band, The Gentle Art of Floating.
"Long Distance" =
limited edition mini comic.
Edward and the Island
$14.00
"Edward and the Island"
The End of the World isn't the End of the Story.
By Charles Martin and Will Weinke
Sixty-three souls find themselves plucked from heaven and thrust into an experimental new universe. Haunted by the dark memories of their past lives on Earth and forced to live in an isolated community, a small group bands together to strike out into the new world and uncover the secrets of the Island.
Available on all digital platforms, such as iPad, Kindle, Nook, or at www.smashwords.com. Physical edition available for shipping via Paypal.
the dominant hand
$12.50
"the dominant hand"
By Charles Martin & Will Weinke
Special Edition with Illustrations and 98 percent fewer typos!
An end-of-the-world cult forms around a charismatic, troubled rock musician who leads his followers deep into the woods east of Norman, Oklahoma. A mysterious series of events leaves 250 people dead and 4,238 people missing with no official explanation emerging from months of investigation.
"the dominant hand" assembles the stories of those affected by Jim Jacobs and his doomsday cult. This tell-all utilizes revolving perspective to reveal the events that led to the mysterious catastrophe whose true meaning has yet to be fully understood.
Available on all digital platforms, such as iPad, Kindle, Nook, or at www.smashwords.com. Physical edition available for shipping via Paypal.
The Wonderboy Serials
Season One Anthology
The Wonderboy Serials
By Charles Martin & Will Weinke
"Who will save us from Wonderboy?"
A lone man with extraordinary powers is responsible for the longest sustained global peace in modern history. Though worshipped for toppling brutal regimes, wiping out crime, and cleaning up financial institutions, dark realizations about Wonderboy threaten to unravel his hold on the public imagination.
This modern reinvention of the serialized dime store novel is only available in digital formats such as iPad, Kindle, and Nook. Each issue is only 99 cents with new issues arriving every two months. The Season One anthology is out now in print and the second and final season will be available this October. Find Wonderboy at eReader stores or at www.smashwords.com.
Girls of Rebel Run, 1976
$4.00
Girls of Rebel Run, 1976
Little Dixie Horror Show
By Mer Whinery
In the first installment of the Little Dixie Horror Show, a trucker hauling cross country takes one two many wrong turns and finds himself beset on all sides by fiendish ghouls.
Available on all digital platforms, such as iPad, Kindle, Nook, or at www.smashwords.com. Physical edition available for shipping via Paypal.
April 6, 2012
Happy Surprises
Much love to Nerdage's Matt Price for a great write up in the Daily Oklahoman! It came just in time for the kick off of Season Two of The Wonderboy Serials. Download "Homefront" at Smashwords, Amazon, or look for them to roll out into your favorite eBook store within the next week or so. Hugo Award-winning artist Brad Foster did the cover!
