A Hugo Award nomination brought cartoonist Dave Kellett new readers, book sales, and Patreon supporters. Five days behind a WorldCon booth brought something else entirely: A serious crisis of confidence.

This week, Dave shares his WorldCon experience, from wonderful conversations with Drive readers to a painfully quiet dealers’ room. Brad and Dave discuss the emotional cost of a poorly performing convention — and why even an established cartoonist can mistake a bad show for a verdict on their career.

Along the way, they share John Picacio’s terrific metaphor for designing book covers, explore a storytelling approach that falls between planning everything and improvising everything, and discuss why an award nomination can deliver real business benefits without a win.

On this week’s show:

• WorldCon’s strengths and challenges. How a convention built around fan participation, volunteer organizers, and panels differs from the comics shows Brad and Dave usually attend.
• A better way to think about book covers. John Picacio’s approach: introduce your book as you would introduce an interesting friend at a party.
• Connecting with your most dedicated readers. Why a small coffee gathering became one of Dave’s favorite experiences as an author.
• Architect, gardener… or road tripper? Knowing your story’s major destinations while leaving room to discover what happens along the way.
• The emotional cost of a bad convention. Five days, approximately $2,000 in gross sales, and one day without a single sale — compared with Dave’s $19,000 San Diego Comic-Con.
• Award recognition and independent publishing. Why audience size matters in voting, and why a smaller readership can still support a strong business.
• Making the most of a nomination. How Hugo recognition and a Bluesky starter pack helped bring new readers to Drive.
• What’s next? Questions about webcomic eligibility, the possibility of a ComicLab nomination, and forthcoming Tales of the Drive stories from K. B. Spangler and Ursula Vernon.