It's very scenic country around there. I couldn't imagine living off-grid in it in winter, kudos for hacking it.

Maybe you could tack flyers on bulletin boards at Cornell. Some grad student could make a thesis out of helping you with tech issues

I somehow don't really understand it.

You have a generator, even two. Right? Which kind? Is it something where you burn oil and electricity is produced? This generator outputs more that you need? Right? How do you know if you don't know how much you need? And on top you have a solar panel? Right?

What for do you need a battery if you can any time switch the generator on?
Battery makes only sense if you have kind of not so predictable power generator like solar or wind. And I have to+1 to this thought "try to use whatever you have on electricity as direct as possible and not through the battery".

And do your numbers. It simplifies the decision process significantly.

Well, first off I hope I haven't given the impression I've got all this figured out. I definitely don't.

Having a battery means I don't have to run the generator all the time, any time I need lights or whatever. Turning on a generator to run lights at night would be overkill. And noisy. And would burn more gas. And since it does generate more power than I need, I can run a generator, use the energy, while also charging a battery for later use. Typically I use battery power at night.





This guy is fuel efficient and not particularly loud. But there are some things it wont really run, like power tools that require more juice, a dehumidifier once in a while on nasty summer days, or even a printer. But it will run the television, a fan, lights, computers, and charge the battery, at the same time.

The second generator is a slightly smaller version of this. Noisy, inefficient and overkill for most things I need. Basically a backup.

I don't use the battery when the generator is on. But there are plenty of times (nighttime) when running the generator isn't ideal.

As for solar, the two panels I have are very small and don't really get the job done. Fixing that would be its own separate beast.

What has happened, is that I didn't really understand the ideal way to use the battery, and for the last couple of years would run it down after a partial charge. The advice here is helping me figure out how to ideally utilize it.

I'm certainly open to suggestions, but at this point the equipment I describe here is what I've got. The battery setup was pricey, and if I can utilize it better with a new battery in the box, then I can't see a reason to swap the system since there is so much invested already.

You're right about running the numbers, but the amount of energy I need from the battery is really fairly small. Mostly we're talking lighting at night. So far it seems like the solution is running the generator a bit more, and then using the battery when it is fully charged, but only using the top 50%, and then switchingh back to the generator. That could mean running the generator for a day or so, then switching to battery for a day or so.

I appreciate all the ideas and questions. While what I'm doing works for me, the battery crapping out just means I need to make some changes to extend the life of the next one. That's my thinking, anyway.

Sapo,

No idea if you have any inclination for something like this, but I bet a weekly blog or a vlog where you just posted a video of you talking about topics like this and general overview of your week would be great. And potentially a good complement to your writing endeavors.

Tx for the explanation. I understand now the set-up and reasons behind the set-up.

Happy holidays, OOT!

I got a nice surprise today, when the books were delivered a few days early. UPS folks are always a little weirded out, coming out here for deliveries. Makes me chuckle, their confused look.

Irony: What doesn't fit in a tiny house? 1,000 copies of a comic book about a tiny house.

I had to use a wheelbarrow to get them up from the road.



So, I'm really asking for some advice here. I'm pretty confident in the things I make, but just don't know how to market it. And looking at a thousand copies of this thing ... I've made a huge small mistake.

Does anyone have thoughts, or experience doing something similar?

• What would you call it? Is it a comic book? I've been calling it a "literary comic," but I'm not sure that's right. It certainly doesn't look like most comics.
• Local stores are going to be one of my focuses, but this is new ground for me. Consignment? Wholesale sales to them?
• By printing 1,000 copies, I managed to bring the cost down enough to give me some flexibility, but of course when the local store wants their cut, it's no so simple. Any thoughts on what something like this should cost?
• I use Etsy for a lot of my stuff, but it's not a perfect fit. Anyone have suggestions for where else I could put them?

Gotta say, I'm pretty psyched to see them. They aren't perfect, but I'm happy with it. I found an unintended tense change in the short story and the text pages are not as crisp as I wanted, but if that's the extent of it then I'm calling it good for the first issue. Things to look at next time.

Anyways, if anyone has any suggestions please let 'em rip. The Kickstarter has about two weeks left, so there's some opportunity there. Tomorrow I'll try and get some good photos of the finished product, and maybe a better video like the one above, and add those into an "update" on KS. Also hoping I can convince someone at Kickstarter to make it a "staff pick."

I have the ability to change the Kickstarter category. Right now it's in "comic books," but I believe there is only one "literary journal" live project right now. But I also suspect that category will get less traffic.

I suck at social media. I keep trying to pull #vanlife folks into it, but most of them are already shilling for other companies. (BTW, this is a great story from The New Yorker that illustrates how many of the popular social media accounts are focused on selling.

Anyways. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I slept about 20 hours in two days. Definitely needed it.

Thanks. This is one of those things that sounds like an excellent idea and also horrifying at the same time, speaking as a guy with some anxiety and little social media clout.

But yes, maybe.... I've been working on my video skills. Any suggestions for a topic or two? I'd give it a shot and post it here for feedback, if people were willing.

Sapo,

I found that article kinda depressing.

About the price....... Think (how much did printing cost+how much hours did you spent on it * a realistic hourly)/number of books.

What I noticed from selling books on ebay, is that it makes a HUGE difference if I put additionally to the picture of the cover 2~3 pictures of the pages, so that people get a better feeling for what they are gonna get.

-Do you have facebook? definitely put some kind of ad there.

-On ebay..... you can try it. I mean it is not a lot of work to put it there, but I have doubts that you can sell it there for the right price. But I mean..... I don't have to pay any fees if it doesn't sell. May be in USA you also don't have fees for just putting-up something.

-You have an Etsy shop. Definitely put it in there.

-Amazon. As far as I know you can sell stuff there as a person. But you have to really look at their fees.

For anything online it is a big deal to describe it so that people could also find it.

Oh yeah. The people they interviewed were distinctly not happy ... It's a very distinct split from "carefree nomads" to "we need to create content and ads today."

I hadn't thought about Ebay. It doesn't seem like the right place, but you're right, doesn't cost much to give it a shot.

Amazon ... I have a digital version of Conspiratorial on Amazon, and will definitely be putting up the digital version of this. As for selling the physical item.

I haven't ever looked at what's involved with selling on Amazon; my hunch is that it might not be cost effective but I should look into it.

Yeah, and this is something I struggle with on Etsy. Goes back to figuring out, what do I call this thing?

A quick looks at Amazon reveals it's $40/month plus some selling fees, to get the physical item. Ugh.

Correction, that's for "professional sellers." Individuals can sell for a buck plus more fees, it looks like.

Isn't it a graphic novel?

I have purchased a few books over the years written by 2+2ers.

A couple years ago I bought one copy of Adman's book, "Pushing Rubber Uphill" (just going by memory there on the title, hope I got it right) and then bought two more copies for my 20-something kids cause I enjoyed it so much and thought they would also. I also got a copy of his second book but I didn't find it as good as his first book, so no additional purchases.

Also remember buying a book by some 2+2er that was about how he is a lousy traveler. Sounded like it would be good, but sadly, it wasn't very good at all. Kinda lousy actually... which I guess was at least in line with him being a lousy traveler.

I would definitely purchase a copy or two of your graphic novel(?)... perhaps even three—if you made it easy to purchase... and it was good.

Pretty sure I wouldn't be the only one.

According to wiki it goes definitely under bigger title "COMICS". It is not bad because comics get a lot of traffic compared with other book sections. On ebay you can play around since it doesn't cost anything just to put things there. You can put one under comics, one in alternative live style, one in something general and then see which one will get the most views.

I would look into history of graphic novels. What were the famous works there? How does your book relate to them? In which points does it differentiate?

Generally what is audience you want to get? The description would be different for comic fans, alternative live fans, fans of the local area.....

In the short description (title) on any online platform you should just try to include as many as possible keywords. Always use all the length you are given. If you can make 500 letter title, don't go with 400.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics
"Comics is a medium used to express ideas by images, often combined with text or other visual information. Comics frequently takes the form of juxtaposed sequences of panels of images. Often textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia indicate dialogue, narration, sound effects, or other information. Size and arrangement of panels contribute to narrative pacing. Cartooning and similar forms of illustration are the most common image-making means in comics; fumetti is a form which uses photographic images. .... Since the late 20th century, bound volumes such as graphic novels, comic albums, and tankōbon have become increasingly common, and online webcomics have proliferated in the 21st century."

And as ideas for blog or so......
I personally would appreciate more material on Gonzo

Yep. In appreciation for the thread, I would definitely buy a copy or two.

Sapo,


I think most of the seemingly mundane things you do as part of your day-to-day life living in the cabin would be good topics. Maybe a few different categories you could switch between:

1) mundane practical living stuff like dealing with power, cooking, building/fixing/making stuff, connecting to the internet.

2) more philosophical/personal stuff like how you avoid boredom/loneliness, what you like/dislike most about this lifestyle, etc.

3) fun stuff like exploring the woods, going to town, the small local town bar, etc.

Forget #vanlife, #cabinlife!

Here's my hesitance with this, and then **** it, I'll try it anyways. If nothing else I can show off my ever-growing beard...

I just can't fathom these things being interesting, and I don't do any of them particularly well. I'm a lazy bastard who just doesn't get bored. I'm on year 3 and don't have a rain collection system. I cook the way you cook. I shower about once a week in town. ...

On the other hand, maybe "The Lazy Hermit" or "Lazy Homesteader" has a good ring to it. ... People actually watch YouTube channels? I know they do, but still can't wrap my head around this... And same problem: How do you get it seen?

I'm one of those people who insta shuts down a news site if it's playing video. ... However, it's also pretty clear that I'm not a good judge of what people connect with.

Thanks for this idea. I'll try and put together a sample or two. ... Any idea how long they should be (aka, how short *can* it be?)....

If people are interested, you can find the Kickstarter here. Right now it's $6 for #1, shipping included, and an option to subscribe to a year (the plan is to publish at least four of these, hopefully quarterly).

Once the Kickstarter runs out I'll be putting it up on the different sites we've discussed here, along with my own, but I feel like so long as the Kickstarter is live then I should probably hold off on those. So far It's got about 15 supporters, most of whom sub'd for the year.

One thing I like about Kickstarter: There does seem to be some kind of community there, or group of people browsing around supporting random projects. I've started browsing around looking at people's ideas and projects--it's way more interesting than a lot of the nonsense on the web.

Well, obviously Gonzo is the real star. I'm just his producer and doorman at his favorite restaurant.

I feel like a dick-extraordinaire comparing my work to others, but that said here's some parallels I've considered. There's Harvey Pekar, whose American Splendor was about his fairly-mundane life, and to boot he had no drawing ability. Some mix of Thoreau & Bukowski, in terms of naturalist and alcoholic poet.

ElD, you may be right about forgetting the hashtags du jour....

Alright, a couple of video blog ideas....

1. How I found and purchased the land.
2. Getting the cabin frame in place, and how a guy with no construction skills completed it (floor, walls, insulation, ceiling).
3. Staying warm in the winter; what a scavenged woodpile looks like, what can burn (anything) and what can't (nothing, including pine).
4. Exploring your own land, making trails, appreciating the wildlife you find there. (I'm not a hunter, so no overlap there)
5. My energy setup, keeping the lights on at night.

People will watch. You're unlikely to become a youtube star, but you'll find an audience. My advice would be to keep the narration sparse and focus on delivering good video of your surroundings. The people watching will mostly be in the cities or 'burbs and I think they might respond as much to the sights and sounds of the woods as to the practicalities of recharging batteries with a small generator. Try to give them the experience of being there and leave the detailed howto's to others.

I would totally respond to Gonzo.

This guy gets millions of views and he never talks on camera:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVV...MC_qlc7QfPA2YQ

Sapo,

Good post by zik, but I wouldn’t go quite that far. I agree no detailed how-tos, but some simple ones would be great. I’d draw the line at something like describing what you do/did, but not going into detail about how exactly you do it. Descriptive but not necessarily instructional, if that makes sense.