Failure to Submit pt.5

Well, I tried Kickstarter and it was an overall failure. I'm trying not to look back at it anymore but I think I ended up with 5% of my $4000 goal. Really bad results, even when compared to other failures, really bad. The thing that really got me was that the video I spent weeks on, only ended up with 40 views. It was definitely a humbling experience that I just wasn't prepared for. I'm not a business man or a self-promoter. I'm an artist who likes to stay home all day and draw. I guess i'm just not ready for something like Kickstarter, that really depends on a creator with an entrepreneurial attitude. At least I hope that was my problem. I still like to think the project failed, not because it sucks but because I still have a lot to learn about the industry of independent comics. Man, I really hope it's not because my book sucks.

It wasn't really about funding a printing of my book, I just really wanted to get a little exposure. Maybe even a publisher or two would see it and pick it up. I was hoping for big things but lately i've been learning "hoping" for things to work out is maybe the wrong way to approach things. I thought just putting it on Kickstarter would equal exposure but it didn't work like that. It was my job to push the link to my project through social media, websites, podcasts or even word of mouth but I just couldn't do it. I felt slimy when I would try to promote myself. To try and make a connection with people with the sole purpose to market myself, just makes me feel shameful. Though i'm starting to learn the shameful feeling might just be my lack of confidence. If I want this to work, I need to have some confidence in my abilities to draw and write a decent book worth sharing to random people. I think I just learned this too late to save my project.

There's nothing I can do about it now except use it all as a learning process. If I want people to read my book, I can't just put it out there. I have to put it out there, then tell them about it. I'm still having trouble with it all, it's just not in my nature to talk about myself, but i'm really trying to get better at it. With things like this blog, random conversations and posts on Reddit, even scattered emails to other creators. I'm trying to get more comfortable with all of this, I guess we'll see if these baby steps i'm taking to become socially competent pays off.

My next step is to try ComiXolgy Submit. I heard the process can take up to 6 months, so that wait should be fun.