Weekly Challenge: The Victory – and the After

by

You're looking to create your career, achieve your goals, build your bank account, etc.  You have all these plans and hopes – that's partially why you're here.

A lot of the challenges I present are to help people reach those goals, but let's try something a little different in another two-part challenge.

First I want you to pick one of your goals – or THE goal if you have but one major one.  Ask yourself:

  1. How you will know you achieved it.  Seriously, when can you declare victory?
  2. How will you preserve this achievement and build on it?

A lot of people ask #1, but victory is fleeting, and maintenance takes effort . . .

Give it some thought.

– Steven Savage

Book Update 3/22/2010

by

Wow. The book has been out one week – though as I've been busy with many things I haven't done as much as I'd like with it.

Updates:

  • I've submitted it for worldwide distribution via Lulu.com.  I just have to approve it and was frankly waiting for a few people to look at their copies.
  • I actually had some people buy copies already.  That felt pretty good.
  • I gave a few away to people who have been supportive, and one as a prize at Chibi-con.

Findings:

  • Lulu.com's printing works good in multiples, though in a bulk order I placed, one had some odd detritus on the back cover.  I'm checking into a return.  It doesn't harm the book, but it's annoying.  However it is probably a case of "stuff happens."
  • Lulu.com's bulk printing is also shockingly FAST.  It came as fast as single printing.
  • The global distribution option at Lulu.com is pretty easy – but it does cost $70.00 so it's not free.  However, you do get a lot of opportunities – you end up on Amazon.com, other sites, etc.  It will take me a few more weeks to end up there.
  • People take you incredibly seriously when you have a book out, even self-published.
  • There is something very heady about finishing a book.  I want to rest, but I have some others I want to start . . .

So it's done.  Now to move on and do some promotion.

Oh, and feel free to buy the book.

– Steven Savage

Kou Kou ChibiCon Review

by

I got invited to Kou Kou Chibi Con this year, and was glad to attend.

ChibiCon is held at Branham High School in San Jose, California.  It's a convention thrown for one day by the school's anime club, essentially an extension of the club's events.  The convention was held in a gym and an adjacent room.

The con put in a LOT of content:

  • Gaming an gaming tournaments (when people weren't playing Pokemon – HeartGold and SoulSilver came out after all).
  • An art area for an art show.
  • A cafe area selling snacks.
  • A presentation area with video projector.
  • A dealer's area for independent businesses/fan businesses.
  • Several events throughout the convention as well.

I did two presentations, my "why you don't have a dream job" panel and an experimental one on brainstorming (that I hope to develop into a full panel).  They were received pretty well, and I had a chance to talk with some remarkable people who show a lot of career potential and were quite talented.

It was quite well done, and I enjoyed talking and meeting some of the club members.  The club members did most of the work – two teachers there to help out and supervise praised how the students had organized it themselves.  Me, I hope to speak there again next year.

I think it's also a good example of how anime events don't have to be gigantic or independent.  Taking a club and extending it to a one-day con was obviously a lot of fun for the attendees.

– Steven Savage