Table of Contents
Welcome Back (00:00)
Project Updates
Main Story
Writers Writing About Writers (02:43)
Stop Hitting Yourself (03:36)
Writers Selling Writing (05:10)
I'm Part of the Problem (07:22)
Tooting My Own Horn (09:23)
Release Info and Updates
Coming up on the Substack (10:43)
Upcoming Appearances (11:05)
Pesto Comics Release Calendar (12:18)
Instant Ink Comic Book Podcast (13:26)
Super Secret Epilogue (14:14)
Welcome Back
2025 is proving to be a strange year.
I have no complaints so far as the campaign for Naked Kaiju Woman has been going excellent on Kickstarter.
However, there's a weird feeling in the air. You can sense general unease and tension. There are countless reasons for that, between LA burning, political tensions with tariffs and leadership scrambles and another big shift in the comics world with Diamond going bankrupt. It feels like we’re bracing for something.
And yet, for the first time in a long time, I'm seeing a push towards optimism.
The cynics will always want to take hold of every conversation, finding the bad at any possible opportunity. In the face of that, there seems to be people today who are just as interested in focusing on the good.
It’s not folks putting their heads in the sand either, but people trying to find a way to make their lives more positive and uplifting. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is happening as social media is becoming less and less fashionable to be on.
I think you're going to see the same thing in fiction over the next couple of years. The trend of dystopias and apocalyptic events are on the way out. Escapism is in.
No one needs to imagine what it's like living in the end of the world when you feel like you're in the end of the world. I think we’ve had our fill of it from 2020 to now.
Or maybe it’s just me being optimistic.
Speaking of optimism, let’s talk about how Substack gurus want to sell you a new life with just one post a month that you’ll write from your private island. You just need to subscribe and buy their pro-level course, which you can upgrade to the expert level with coaching! It’s so simple!
Before that though, let’s talk about something you might actually be interested in…
Project Update
Naked Kaiju Woman Still Flying High
Aside from JP Jordan being a constant hype machine and
giving the comic a boost in his Kickstarter round-ups, I haven’t been doing too much to push this comic on social media this time out. A couple posts here or there, but nothing too extreme.
I was on Long Box Punk, Comix Asylum and By The Wayside recently to push the campaign, but I typically jump on those podcasts to push all my projects and not just one. Much like this newsletter, it’s a long-game exercise for you to get to know me better and the body of work I release.
I’m beyond thrilled with how this has all been going though. With less than 10 days left, I'm excited to see how far we can go with this campaign. 500 backers? 600? The sky’s the limit.
If you haven’t already and you'd like to lend your support, you can find it on Kickstarter until January 31st.
Now, let’s get into it…
Main Story
Writers Writing About Writers
An instant red flag for me is when the main character in a novel is an author. The idea that the writer of the novel couldn't look beyond their own experience doesn’t give me much hope for what’s contained in the pages of the book. There are exceptions to this rule but, generally speaking, there are so many more vocations, lifestyles and characters that could have been explored than a heightened version of their own lives.
I don’t blame them entirely though. Being an author, or writer of any kind, is a very narcissistic endeavor. The expectation that anyone else would be interested in my thoughts and my words, regardless of how well arranged, entertaining, informative or clever they may be, is absolutely vain in nature.
One would hope these authors would fight the urge when plotting their novel, but that’s just one version of how this narcissism can shine through to words on the page (or screen).
Stop Hitting Yourself
I've said in a few places that I've been writing for over 20 years, and though that's true, I haven't gone “all in” until very recently. I've submitted short stories here and there, entered screenplay contests and launched a couple of ill-fated narrative blogs, but it was always done sporadically or when the motivation would hit me. It wasn't until about 2018 that I actually started taking it seriously and writing every morning.
Before that, I would listen to self-publishing podcasts, read all kinds of books and do anything but write. I was preparing for it, I would tell myself. Doing so, I effectively sat out the ebook gold rush while I watched from the sidelines.
I did gain a small bit of perspective though. A trend I noticed during the self-pub golden years was that the audience that read most indie books were also writers of indie books. KBoards was a hub of activity and it had me wondering if we were all just spending money on one another inside our bubble.
As Kickstarter started to gain traction, I witnessed a lot of the same. Even today, I could admit that a lot of the backers that back campaigns, or readers of this newsletter, are creators themselves. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
In fact, I find it to be an honour when a writer or an artist appreciates the work that I, and the team on our various books, are putting together. It's someone who knows what goes into it. They know it's not put together by magic. They can see the strings and they still appreciate the result. That's very high praise.
My concern instead is that the insular nature of selling books can create strange expectations for what success looks like and paths to get there.
Writers Selling Writing
As I stated, I watching from the sidelines for too long. I devoured everything I could find from Chris Fox, Joanna Penn, Kevin Tumlinson, Chandler Bolt and a whole host of others that I’m forgetting. Anyone who is familiar with indie publishing knows these names well. They found success both in non-fiction and fiction in their careers.
There is a weird caveat to all of it, though.
Much of their success in fiction stemmed from the fact that they were bringing over readers from their nonfiction. Chris Fox went as far as admitting, in one of his books, that the reason that he was able to sell so many books was that he had built a loyal following in explaining how to sell many books.
It was snake eating its own tail.
Would the fiction created by these authors have found readers without the indie author community lifting them up, thereby increasing their profile as authors who have cracked the code? It’s hard to say. The answer is never so straight-forward and simple.
They likely would have found success regardless. Their non-fiction and fiction readers aren’t 1-to-1, but it probably wouldn’t have reached the same magnitudes without it.
Every Platform Has Writers Selling the Platform
Whether it's Substack, Medium, Twitter, Threads or BlueSky, some of the most popular posts are always posts explaining how to create popular posts. Everyone wants to break through and go viral with their message, but sometimes the only message that seems to break through is how to sell your messages.
It’s said that the top attention getting categories on every platform are health, wealth and travel. One would argue that writing falls squarely in the “wealth” category, but in an indirect way. Success on any platform is a great way to fuel the marketing for any kind of company looking to reach an audience.
It’s not an accident that, on platforms like YouTube, these are the highest paying categories. It’s a bonus that selling the platform on the platform itself is almost like free advertising. It’s a self-perpetuating exercise that only works if you keep the wheel spinning.
The problem is, whether these gurus use the videos, posts or otherwise on platform or outside of it; their success isn't repeatable. Unless you’re also going to make a channel about how to be successful on the platform, you’ll have a much harder climb.
I'm Part of the Problem
I'm only human. I get sold by these folks who promise blowing up my follower count too. I want as many people as possible to be able to read the comics and novels I’m putting out there. If somebody has a secret to doing that, I don’t want to miss out.
Don't get me wrong. A lot of these tips and tricks can be helpful. I've used a lot of them in getting this newsletter to grow over 2100 subscribers and found some success on Kickstarter as well. It’s not by accident, but it’s not the giant boost I was sold.
It’s hard to avoid the hustle bros. I've read a lot of their books. Subscribed to their newsletters. I'm feeding the machine that makes them seem successful which then helps them sell themselves as such. That success then helps get more people in their trap.
Not to belabour the point but I'm not a huge fan of it, yet I'm a follower of all of it. If a broken clock is right twice a day, I want to be there when it’s right. I know it’s wrong of me. It’s like playing the lottery, but you can’t win if you don’t play - even if it’s dumb majority of the time.
Finding the Right Mentors
Knowing where to look can be pretty hard, but there's an easy rule of thumb to follow:
Are they promising instant success? Are they bringing you up the sales ladder for their various courses and subscriptions without proof of success beyond these platforms?
If the answer is yes - look elsewhere.
A successful writer on Substack who only writes about successful writing on Substack should be a red flag.
The ones that are going to help you most are the ones that are most transparent about how hard it is to get success in any creative medium.
has an excellent newsletter that covers all facets of growing as a writer, but you can see that he also had success in the fields that he's speaking of - not just writing on Substack.He’s also radically transparent. He makes no promises about you making money overnight. In fact, you can see down to the dollar how much he’s making, how much he’s put into it and the lessons learned along the way. There are few like him. These are the mentors to seek out.
Be weary of those who promise much and prove little.
Tooting My Own Horn
I try to be a good mentor myself. Not only do I share the workshops that I've done at TCAF and Thought Bubble, breaking down all the tips and tricks I've picked up in crowdfunding comics. I also share how all of my campaigns have gone with frequent post-mortems - both for the campaign and fulfillment.
I make a point of never guaranteeing any degree of success if you follow in my footsteps. I'm just sharing my journey in hopes that the mistakes I've made can be avoided by others and some of the successes can be built upon. I'm not selling you a $10,000 course that promises to make you success overnight, I’m just sharing my story in the most actionable way I can present it.
Another point to consider is that I always try to stay optimistic. The truth of it all is that this is hard. Very hard. There's no magic bullet. No special course you can take. No amount of coaching or specialized services that are going to guarantee you success.
You need to put in hard work. Be consistent. Fight for every win. Even then, there’s no guarantee it’ll work out - so you better enjoy the ride while you’re on it.
A lot of it is luck. The trick is making sure you're in the right place so that luck can find you. You do that by putting in the work. Consistently and constantly. It’s the only way I’ve seen it happen.
Long story short: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Until next week...
Release Info & Updates
Upcoming on Substack
January 29
Taboo and Kickstarter
Do you need to do an NSFW book to be successful?
February 5
Being Cool is Overrated
It’s time to retire “guilty pleasures”.
February 12
Post-Mortem: Naked Kaiju Woman
Reviewing the 6th Pesto Comics campaign.
Upcoming Appearances
Pesto Comics Release Calendar
Kickstarter
LIVE NOW until January 31 - Naked Kaiju Woman
February 19 - From Parts Unknown #2
April 2 - From Parts Unknown #3
May 14 - From Parts Unknown #4
July 2 - A&A (Unannounced Novel for Heartstrings & Hardbacks)
August 13 - From Parts Unknown #5
September 23 - Naked Kaiju Woman #2
November 5 - Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 2
Kindle Unlimited
March 17 - Space Opera #1 (Unannounced Novella)
April 28 - Space Opera #2 (Unannounced Novella)
July 28- Space Opera #3 (Unannounced Novella)
September 8 - Space Opera #4 (Unannounced Novella)
October 20- Space Opera #5 (Unannounced Novella)
Instant Ink Comic Book Podcast
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