June Report (Patreon)

Hi gang,

Sorry for missing my May update - it's going to skew some of these growth numbers, but I think it's important that I try to keep making goals and sharing them here.

I haven't done a lot of updates since Swords #501 - life has been challenging. I have a few more roadblocks to clear before I can solely focus on comics again.

Something I'm thinking about this month is... what are Swords high level goals for the next year? Why am I making it? So far I think I want to boil it down to three main goals:

1. Create a  series that makes people happy
I think we can all agree that the appeal of Swords is that it is largely inoffensive, doesn't aim to punch down at people and brings some fun new ideas in to a fantasy setting. It's worked well for me so far, so I think it should stay a high level goal to keep making comics that make people happy!
Some days throughout 2020 it really felt like people were counting on me...

2. Keep Patrons closer to the action
I need to double down on Patreon, giving you all more of my time, making more exclusive content and keeping you in the loop with what I am up to.

3. Continue building towards autonomy
Part of my 5 year plan with Swords is to make it my full time job, or at the very least, make it an ample safety net to continue doing work that I find meaningful without fear of bankruptcy. A big part of that is diversifying my revenue streams so I'm not so reliant on Patreon and Threadless - there are lots of other avenues to explore and grow. The goal isn't necessarily "make a lot more money", but more like "stabilize more revenue streams" - I hope that one makes sense!

June Roadmap

• Do a few more silly episodes, then kick off more Quest Sprout story from Swords #510 onwards - I was going to do more Qwests sooner, but I wanted a little more time to make it good. Sorry!
• Begin organizing the Gladiator tier Swor'nament
• Involve the Discord community in an event that will impact the comic - The Battle for Swordlands!  Join the Discord and pick a side.

Previous Roadmap Plans

• Organize the release of a physical book of Swords 1-500 (I now have quotes from several publishers and a self publishing option)
• Complete sketches for January signups
• Update the website with credits for all Royal Tier signups
• Complete t-shirt design for Royal Tier
• Continue to expand Swords World Map
• Complete episodes 9 and 10 of Axes
• New promotional video for Patreon page
• Start Shields
• Expand the range of digital rewards on Patreon

Social Media Accounts:
*Number changes are based off April figures

• [Instagram : @swordscomic] : 223,000 Followers (+5000)
• [Instagram : @_mjwills] : 2700 Followers
• [Reddit : swordscomic] : 26,000 Followers
• [Facebook : swordscomic] : 19,000 Followers (+1000)
• [Twitter : @swordscomic] : 10,300 Followers (+400)
• [Twitter : @_mjwills] : 6300 Followers
• [Webtoon] : 4900 Followers (+100)
• [Tapas]: 5800 Followers
• [Graphtreon]: Comics Rank #80 (+21)