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Midnight Fiction is proud to present page 2 of:
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| Rating | 5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Ave. |
| Reviews | 13 |
20 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
4.02 |
| Comix | 13 |
14 |
13 |
0 |
2 |
3.86 |
| News | 8 |
15 |
14 |
3 |
1 |
3.63 |
| History | 5 |
11 |
16 |
7 |
2 |
3.24 |
| Interviews | 1 |
14 |
15 |
7 |
2 |
3.13 |
| Shows | 3 |
10 |
17 |
9 |
2 |
3.07 |
The popularity of Reviews (4.02) was no surprise. The ranking of News, History, and Interviews align with traffic patterns, with News ranking a little behind the importance of Reviews.
The importance of Comix (3.86) surprised me a bit. That makes me particularly glad to be hosting Joe Wehrle. Jr.'s Stovepipe comic story. In traffic reports, the Comix Index page gets a lot of clicks, so I've updated the page's content. It now serves as an index for all the comix on the site, but also features our previous comix series (which at the moment is Bob Vojtko's Samurai Nun.
The other result that surprised me was the ranking of Shows, at 3.07. In traffic stats, the Show pages receive a consistently high number of clicks. One way to interpret this is that visitors are not coming to the site with the expectation of show coverage, but when they arrive it is a subject of interest.
3) Rate the quality of the site's features:
| Feature | 5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Ave. |
| Reviews | 13 |
17 |
8 |
4 |
0 |
3.93 |
| Comix | 12 |
15 |
11 |
2 |
0 |
3.93 |
| News | 12 |
12 |
13 |
4 |
0 |
3.78 |
| History | 8 |
17 |
11 |
4 |
0 |
3.73 |
| Interviews | 6 |
13 |
16 |
3 |
1 |
3.51 |
| Shows | 7 |
10 |
18 |
5 |
0 |
3.48 |
Overall, the content on the site was ranked Good or better. The Reviews and Comix just missed a rating of Great (4). I'm very pleased by these results and will make further comment on the suggestions for improvement as part of Question 6 below.
4) How would like the content delivered?
As a Website (current) 14
As a Blog 10
No strong preference for site or blog 19
Four people commented on this question. For two the gist was basically whatever was easier in terms of delivery as long as the reader's experience didn't change. Two requested an option to receive an email notification when the site has been updated.
If you'd like an email reminder just let me know. Another option is to subscribe to our RSS Feed. The schedule of feed content is:
Saturday: Midnight Ramblings
Sunday: A Review
Monday: A Review
Tuesday: A Comix
The reason I asked this question is that I've been thinking of switching the site to a Blog format. Currently I put the site together with DreamWeaver. A Blog would allow readers to comment on the content and automate the RSS feed. I may eventually switch to WordPress, but that would be a longer term proposition. For now the site will remain in its current design/format. If you have any further comments about this just let me know.
5) What update schedule do you prefer?
Weekly 13
About weekly 10
2 or 3 times a week 13
2 times a month 9
Once a month 3
Most respondents prefer weekly (or even more frequent) updates. For now I will continue with the weekly (Saturday) schedule. I assume WordPress would make postings a little easier than DreamWeaver, so it might be fun to post smaller updates more often. At the other end of the spectrum, if I moved to a less frequent schedule, I would likely spend less time on the site overall.
Some of the folks who took time to comment expressed conflicted feelings. They liked reading about new small press books every week, but found it challenging to keep up. Things that caught their interest one week, move "below the fold" the next week. They lose track of them too quickly. They suggested less frequent updates might help.
I agree, there's so much going on in self-publishing these days, it's hard to keep track of it all—and I'm only covering a sliver of it. Maybe a list of recently published books could serve as a reminder. I'll try to make some sort of reminder part of the Midnight Rambling pages.
6) What additional features would you like to see at MF.com?
I'll summarize responses and add my comments. Special thanks to the twelve readers who took the extra time to comment.
Add a Site Map. Great idea. As the site has grows, it's not always easy to see what's here. I will add this to my to do list.
I'd love an RSS Feed. Actually, there is one. But like all content on a busy site/page, not everything is easy to find. This tells me the RSS Feed needs to have a more prominent spot on the home page. I've moved it to the top of the homepage this week.
List the book's dimensions. In the reviews, the size has been listed at the end. Beginning this week I'm moving the specs to the top of the review. In Midnight Ramblings, often cover images are shown side-by-size. When they aren't scaled evenly it's hard to tell if the book is a mini comix or a digest, etc., so that's a good addition.
Ego shattering reviews that pull no punches. Not exactly my style, but I get the point. The reviews are intended to be informative, with enough information and sample artwork for readers to decide for themselves if they want to buy something. If I think one aspect or another is great, I make it a point to say so. I haven't given much ink to aspects that I think are not so great. It's fair to expect coverage of both. Still, it's very important to me that any criticism I give is constructive. I'll try to respond to this suggestion in a positive manner.
Directory of artists/creators, contact info for those actively selling minis. Here's another good idea. The Links Page is loaded with information, but chunking it would probably make it more useful. This is another project for my to do list.
Spotlight on new artist. I like this idea, but I can't promise I'll follow through on it. My time is fairly limited, but this is a great suggestion to keep in mind as a longer term goal.
Comic previews. The chance to browse small press books in person is rare, so previewing a page or two online would really help readers get a feel for a book before they decide if they want to buy it. I added a couple of pages to this week's Ramblings.
7) Rank the relative importance of Midnight Fiction as a small press resource.
Critical 11
Very Important 15
Important 13
Somewhat Important 3
Not Important at all 1
I've always loved publishing. And although I love print even more than web, the web provides easy access to a lot more readers. It's great knowing the majority of respondents (39 of 43) feel the site is contributing to the small press community. Thanks for everyone's support, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. The survey has already been helpful in driving positive changes and there will others to come.
-RK
Call for News Items
Got a small, pressing news item? Send your mini comic and small press comic and pulp news to me for next week's Midnight Ramblings.
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The Midnight Fiction Shop has the following comix for sale via PayPal or Money Order. Check the shop for more details, scans, and terms.
Bug Infested Comics #5
Bob Vojtko's indie-fatigable Bug Infested Comics is back at last with its fifth issue! This mini-comic is a limited edition, printed in full color on heavy-weight matte paperstock.
• Cover jam by Bob Vojtko and Richard Krauss
• Murry's Garbage Worms 4-page comic by Bob Vojtko
• Fine Art Flyby, Skeeters, and Bar Fly Theater 1-page comics by Richard Krauss
$2.00 postage paid Buy Now
Review: Allen Freeman Review: Shannon Smith
Review: Joe Gordon Bug Infested History
Media Report Comix
5" x 6" full color mini comix by R. Krauss. 16-pages including cover. Signed and numbered limited edition printing of 100 copies.
"Usually it's the graphic quality of a cover that attracts my attention first when viewing a new comic. Even though this publication has a striking and well done cartoon illustration, it still plays 'second fiddle' to the fantastic production quality of this mini."
Dan W. Taylor, Ka-Whump!
$3 postage paid Buy Now
Funny Paper #3
A few remaining copies of this
8-page, B&W mini comix published in 1980 are still available.
Comix by Tom Fisher (cover), Brad W. Foster, and
Richard Krauss. (5.5" x 8.5")
$8 postage paid Buy Now
Funny Paper #2
A few remaining copies of this
8-page, B&W mini comix published in 1979 are still available.
Comix by Brad W. Foster (cover), Bob Vojtko,
Richard Krauss, and Gary Whitney. (5.5 " x 8.5")
$8 postage paid Buy Now
Midnight Fiction #2
A few remaining copies of this 24-page, B&W small press comix published in 1976 are still available.
Comix by Dan Marcum and Richard Krauss (Da Boids, Smart-Ass Simpson, Larry Lagoon, Dusty, and Crawdad Jones). (8.5" x 11") Staples are slightly rusty, due to age.
$12 Postage Paid Buy Now
MidnightFiction.com is updated every Saturday.
Karen Wehrle Recovery Fund Direct donations via PayPal to kwehrle at gmail dot com or USPS to:
Joe Wehrle, Jr.
PO Box 41
Punxsutawney, PA 15767
Join Reading Frenzy on Kickstarter until 9/1
Adventures in Plymptoons documentary
on Kickstarter until 10/12
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Got a small pressing news item? Send your mini comic and small press comic and pulp news to MF.com for next week's Midnight Ramblings.
Items For Sale:
Midnight Fiction Shop
2001: A Space Odyssey
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Alien Encounters #1 VG $2
American Film Dec-Jan
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Comic Book Price Guide
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Feathered Serpent
by Edgar Wallace G $1
Felix the Cat's Greatest Hits
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Films in Review
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