Am I A Small Press, Am I Doing It
Apr. 26th, 2021 07:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingDuring the past two weeks I edited, reformatted, and reprinted two of my zines from 2020. I’m working on the third, which I’ll probably be able to send to the printer at the end of the week.
I also adjusted a few things on my Etsy store, including offering more shipping options and setting up an automatic post-purchase message thanking the buyer.
Most of the Legend of Haiku zines got where they were supposed to go, but one batch randomly fell into a hole somewhere, and I had to pester the central Philadelphia post office every day for a week straight to get them to take care of it. With one exception, everything in that batch was eventually delivered.
One entitled and self-important man made a big deal about the late delivery, but I’m trying not to let it get to me. Most people were very chill and kind and understanding, which I appreciate.
I’m thinking about where to go from here, and I want to say that it’s okay to be a little ambitious. The Legend of Haiku zine got a fairly strong response, so I think I might want to do a monster-themed Zelda zine for Halloween. After that, it might be cool to organize a “queer gaming” zine, which is something I’ve wanted to see for a long time. If no one else is doing something like this, I might as well do it myself.
Unfortunately, after the initial batch of orders for the Legend of Haiku zine, I haven’t gotten any orders on Etsy at all. I used to get at least one order a day, and I’m using the same advertising budget, so I’m not sure what the deal is. I feel pressured to lower the price of my zines, but I think I’m going to hold out another month at the current $5 price point. I don’t want to undercut other zine makers any more than I already am, and I need to have confidence that my work has value.
I also adjusted a few things on my Etsy store, including offering more shipping options and setting up an automatic post-purchase message thanking the buyer.
Most of the Legend of Haiku zines got where they were supposed to go, but one batch randomly fell into a hole somewhere, and I had to pester the central Philadelphia post office every day for a week straight to get them to take care of it. With one exception, everything in that batch was eventually delivered.
One entitled and self-important man made a big deal about the late delivery, but I’m trying not to let it get to me. Most people were very chill and kind and understanding, which I appreciate.
I’m thinking about where to go from here, and I want to say that it’s okay to be a little ambitious. The Legend of Haiku zine got a fairly strong response, so I think I might want to do a monster-themed Zelda zine for Halloween. After that, it might be cool to organize a “queer gaming” zine, which is something I’ve wanted to see for a long time. If no one else is doing something like this, I might as well do it myself.
Unfortunately, after the initial batch of orders for the Legend of Haiku zine, I haven’t gotten any orders on Etsy at all. I used to get at least one order a day, and I’m using the same advertising budget, so I’m not sure what the deal is. I feel pressured to lower the price of my zines, but I think I’m going to hold out another month at the current $5 price point. I don’t want to undercut other zine makers any more than I already am, and I need to have confidence that my work has value.
