an open letter to my newsletter subscribers

“So what do I need to change? What could I do better? How could I improve the layout? What new ideas or tools could I be using? And perhaps most importantly, what could I do to make it easier for you guys to share it with your friends?”

Okay you asked for it…

Layout- Ask for designers to submit a site layout(within certain guidelines) put it up for a month or two with their name and link in bold print. You get fresh designs, they get promoted on a high traffic website. win-win

Change or do better? – When is your next book coming out? sample chapters are a wonderful hook, (we get hooked and you get sales) win-win

New tools? – have you considered video blogs or a livestream, I know I would watch, and you would be accessible to a new audience. again win-win

Is it just me or do the cartoons and messages tend to turn up on the blog a few days later?

When I first signed up, the newsletter was the once in a while thing that had great content and stuff that I felt was only coming to us, the subscribers. Now it seems the advantage to being on the list is to get cheaper prints. That’s a great advantage, but maybe not for everyone.

I like getting a daily cartoon, but I liked feeling special too. Regardless of how special I actually was 🙂

I sent you an email yesterday with some ideas in it. I’m not sure you’ve managed to wade through to that one yet. I hope you like some of them.

Not sure if all Moto Droid users experince this, but whenever I view your newsletter in web-based mobile Gmail, the browser crashes. Doh. (Doesn’t happen with any other emails.)

Would probably be a pain for you to track down the bug. But, I’m 90% sure that if you had a more minimal design, it would fix the problem.

Love your work, btw.

Hi Hugh, channeling JFK, I ask not my cartoonist can do for me, but what can I do for my cartoonist?

I often share your work, credited and with a link, on my blog and twitter, Sometiems the link is to the newsletter subscription, but what would you prefer? How can we best further your Evil Plans for global domination?

Hi Hugh,

Just a thought: for getting your design work upgraded, why don’t you hire students to freelance (talk to design uni’s like Parsons, FIT, Pratt). It not only gives them an opportunity to get a “real world” experience, but you are bound to get tons of fresh new perspective.

Best,
Shivika

Hugh,
Really liked your first version of your newsletter, also enjoyed reading your blog. Loved your book.

But – the second version of your newsletter looks for me to much like advertising – especially looking at all the links with tracking-functionality. Feeling to much observed. Also, one a day is too much for me.

So, will unsubscribe your newsletter.

But anyway, still like your site, your thoughts and therefore will look at your blog, eventually try your rss-feed.

Hi Hugh

I like your cartoons and your work but I find the daily newsletter to be a bit too much. I would prefer a 3/weekly or once/week format. I find myself skipping the daily emails but checking your blog.

Hugh,

I relish the daily cartoon and usually check it out on the mobile.

My suggestions on how to grow the group:

– Create a default mobile option [for people like me :-)]

– Simplify the forward to a friend – a form + clicks = cumbersome on mobile. A single click forward [like email] if you’re pre-registered?
[can always forward the email, but that doesn’t allow you to track sign-ups]

– Create a facebook page/app/group?: allow read, comment, share [much more interesting than farm/fish/xyz ville]

– Sometimes, include a wee nudge e.g. #29/ Tyger – would connect with Blake/literature, in addition to people who ‘get it’ anyway.

The ‘translation’ of poetry in this case, into a modern & accessible though-piece, is what I found interesting.

All the best!

Cheers,

Anita Lobo

Short videos showing you doing your work, more personal explanations on the meanings of your drawings, provision of a true type font variant of your handwriting style(*not sure u’d want to do this though). Whatever you decide, don’t change your cute pix!!
A prayer for you: May your light never go dim. Amen!
I’d think of more later.

Low pay not lay (don’t mix those two 🙂

I just wanted to let you know that I love my daily dose of the Gaping Void in my in-box. You’re very talented and so creative. I just wish I currently had the funds to buy one of your prints.

Keep up the great work and thank you for sharing it with all of us.

DON’T let them see you draw!! When a person/client asks you to sketch an idea for them, never just whip out a pencil and paper and start drawing right there in front of them. Once they see how quick/slow it takes to do the art, they will assign their own price to how much they think your art is worth. They’ll try and treat you like a drawing puppet. You are not a performing monkey! You lose power when you pull back the curtain and let the audience see how the magic is done.
If you do a video showing your art process, be careful not to show too much evidence of how long it takes from start to finish. Talk and comment all about it, but don’t show continuous drawing footage for too long.
Thank-you.

You did a bit of ‘reaching out’ a while back and asked for people to help with your ideas of publicizing Gapingvoid Gallery with some sort of affiliate program. Whatever happened with that? Did you use anyone’s ideas? Did your program ever materialize?

As far as the newsletter, I miss the days when you blogged without selling. Now it’s just a daily ad with some wit thrown in. Nice enough and I’m sure successful from a business standpoint but it looses the spirit with which you started claiming, “I prefer to give away my drawings away on the web”. Ahh, the good ole days. Man’s gotta make a buck, I know. Feeling a bit of that myself.

well I shared one once on FB as a link and I realized it needed an explanation. The paragraph you usually ad under the illustration was not only necessary but I felt the illustration wasn’t necessary. While I like the style, I think the illustrations need to be more clear in what they are communicating. They need to standalone for them to work. for it to make sense when shared. That’s not always the case but that time it was. And the message was a little harsh. Something I was cool with but not for the mainstream. The cartoons I have seen in the last month are two are a lot more cheerful but the harsh honesty of the earlier ones got my attention. Maybe it was the illustration where you said something about how people want someone to follow. I forget the wording.