Long distance relationships…

What a rollercoaster!

I was so depressed last week. There are two papers Charmy is running in who were owned by the same publisher… and those papers were sold. I was informed last week that these two papers would no longer carry my comic strip. Two months earlier, I heard that another paper running Charmy had closed up shop altogether.

I have lost three papers. This means that Charmy now only runs in two newspapers. One paper is here in Texas and the other newspapers is in Idaho. Both of the papers who are still running my comic strip are the two who have ran Charmy’s Army the longest.

Friday, on my drive home, I was at my lowest emotionally. I had a rough week at work and my dream was in shambles. My shows are not making money and I am unsure if all the work over the past twenty years was worth it. I am nowhere near any sense of true success. The harder I work, the more I realize success is probably never going to land in my lap.

I get home to see an email from one newspaper responding back. They want to add Charmy. Suddenly, I am emotionally back on track. I may not be making money this year at my show appearances, but I, for once, am not LOSING money at my shows. A small profit here, and a small profit there added up to my newspaper payments and a handful of freelance jobs… and I am actually doing well enough to pay for a few tables in 2020 to bring me to “break even” for 2019.

Rollercoaster.

I am still down a total of two newspapers for the year but I feel confident I can add a few more within a few months and end the year back to where I am running in 5 newspapers again.

This is a lesson to myself. I need to convince a syndicate to rep me so THEY can handle the publishing end. I am not good at the management side because I have no reputation for newspapers to invest in. Reputation is why I chalk up my loss from the latest two newspapers dropping my strip when the new owners came on board. They kept the “syndicated” strips and dumped the two “independent” strips.

Gotta get back to prepping art. I love keeping you all updated on my trials and tribulations! This cartooning stuff looks fun but is is so emotionally draining!!!… But it is extremely fun. It is my dream and I refuse to ever give in.

Plus, I love challenges!

-Davy

#comics #charmysarmy #comicstrips