It’s been just over a week since SDCC ended and the artists and authors who make up the Mint in Box Press Consortium are still trying to recover. We’ve had book sales to catalog, stock and supplies to pack away, cosplays to clean and hang up for next year. We’ve had talks about what went well and what we could improve at our next foray into the Con-o-sphere, and the most dreaded discussion of all . . .

WHAT COMES NEXT?

In our interactions with fans of our titles and readers just discovering our works over the course of five days, a few things became very clear. Luckily, they were things that we were already starting to engage with, so instead of fearing these changes, we get to have the added excitement of knowing that the changes we’re already planning to help us reach out to more readers and creatives will be welcome.

Check out below to see one of our SDCC-attendee engagement surveys, this one from the final day of the Con. As aficionados of both tabletop and video games, we were pleased at how close the contest was.

Side note: those colorful little mini-zines, courtesy of our fantastic graphic designer, Ana Maria Jappe hold short stories written by four of our authors. We gave them out for free and they were a huge hit! We’ll definitely be offering something similar at future events. It was a fun way to draw people to the booth, and who doesn’t love a free story?

And now, a list of things that are coming, in no particular order:

1- The majority of our books are available solely on the Amazon platform and we will be expanding to other platforms in the very near future, to give our readers who do not use Amazon a valid choice. We cannot in good conscience keep that as our only market, given the current state of our world, which is fueled by the greed of billionaires like Amazon’s CEO. (As an aside, yes, this is a political statement and we are not concerned with alienating potential readers. We are allies and we are anti-fascists and won’t apologize for being on the right side of history.)

2- We will be recording audiobooks! Something we heard time and again at our table was that people wanted to read but didn’t have the time. That’s totally fair. Curling up on the couch with a good book isn’t attainable for everyone and we want to be able to share our stories in an accessible way.

3- We will be launching a Discord server for creators to connect, find editors and artists, share information on self-publishing and anything else we can think of in the creative space. We want to connect and foster connection with creators. Making art or writing a novel can be a lonely endeavors but it doesn’t have to be. There’s no reason not gas each other up and create safe spaces for constructive criticism. Stay tuned!

4-We’re starting a Substack! We will be sending out newsletters sharing what we’re up to, any new releases or events or appearances by our authors. We promise not to overwhelm your inbox! At this time we anticipate monthly updates, with increased frequency during those times when cool things pop up that we absolutely have to share.

5-As part of our plan to bring authors and artists together, we’re going to be publishing themed anthologies and opening them for submissions. We’re still working out the kinks to the process, but stay tuned for more information.

6-We’re going to be branching out from Comic-Con and into other, more book-oriented conventions and festivals. We’re looking into the San Diego Writer’s Festival, The Los Angeles Festival of Books and World-Con, to name a few. It’s very exciting to think about reaching more readers and creatives and we’ll definitely be posting updates as we know more!

7-We’ve reached the part of the list that isn’t part of the “Mint in Box to-do list of cool stuff.” This is the part of the list where we implore you all to be patient with us as we build out this dream, because while we are a collective of creators pursuing what we love, we are also human beings with other responsibilities (families, careers, kids), which means sometimes things take a little longer to come to fruition than we’d all like. (Everyone has a nearly finished book or two languishing on a hard drive that they swear they’ll get to eventually, right? . . . .Right?)

While we’re at it, be kind to yourselves, as well. The state of the world can have even the most steadfast creative brain spiraling silently (we’ve all been there with the endless doomscrolling). Give yourself grace and try to make space to create something beautiful every day. Even if it’s a quick pencil sketch or just a few short sentences of an idea you’d like to flesh out later. Plant the seeds you’ll be excited to tend when your sun comes out.

Like author Selena Jones and editor Brian Jones, making their own fun as interns Aubrey Falk and Camryn Halfaker man the booth as Jinx and Vi from Arcane. (We swear Camryn is there, just hidden behind Stormtrooper Brian).

That’s it for Comic-Con. If you missed our first update after day 1 of the Con, you can check it out here. Join our mailing list here so you receive our first newsletter when it’s all shiny and new. Stay tuned and feel free to reach out to us to chat about life and the importance of pursuing art during a period of global turmoil.

Or just to tell us fart jokes.

We don’t judge.