A Blog Entry In Which I Hope For Reader Comments
Jeremy and I have been talking about the future of the OMGJ Store. And I have a few questions for you kids.
Well, mostly - what is it that you want?
I know that we have very few options right now. I have drawn like 15 different fine shirt designs, but we don't have them up for some reason. Also, I think I've noticed that they all have omgjeremy.com on them, when we had wanted a few of them to NOT have reference to an actual url on there, because, well, I know I wouldn't want to wear a shirt with a url on it in public, so I don't expect every reader here would want to.
Also, I understand that there is a strange thing with the availability with only black tshirts of medium, I think, and large. Some people have requested smalls, others, 3XLs. And I believe xv has accomodated them. At least, I only assume he has because he's in charge of the whole Store scene and doesn't inform us with weekly progress reports. Also, we seem to actually rarely see him online anymore. Or at least I don't.
As it stands, the shirts are relatively cheap. We make very little profit on them, from what I am told. XV makes them himself, by hand. He actually put in like $100 of his own money to gather the materials to start with, and he uses only the finest materials. For real. I know a lot of people who have used an option like cafepress, and their shirts have cracked within two wearings. Our shirts do not do that because that's crappy.
However, if what we currently offer doesn't include a wide enough variety, we may have to go to cafepress. Even though the shirts might cost a bit more, flake away instantly, xv will lose money, and most of the profits will go directly to cafepress. Also, it will annoy me because I really don't like them.
But it would be easier...
Or, I guess we could theoretically offer shirts here and use cafepress as a way to offer coasters, shot glasses, thongs, pillowcases, and whatever other junk they allow these days.
Or or or - I guess we could just leave things as they are...
Does anybody else have any suggestions? Please - talk about it - a lot.
posted by Amanda @ 2:42 PM
22 Comments:
OMGJTampons, OMGJ Jelly (warms on contact), OMGJ DVD Box Set, OMGJ Widescreen Edition, Rent-A-Slave sponsored by OMGJ, etc etc.
Also. Like. Shirts for free would be nice. Everyone would buy one then.
Yes, I guess "negative profit" IS still a kind of profit...
Although I am pretty sure it is Counterproductive to Our Cause, as they say.
Yo,
You addressed the only real qualm I had. The fact that they only come in two sizes and all of them are black shirts. I'm not asking for a rainbow of colors here. Just, I dunno, maybe a white. And since XV does make other sizes, maybe you guys should change that on the order form. I almost didn't buy one because they didn't have a small, but as it turns out, XV came through (muchos gracias).
I think the different size graphic you offer is pretty extraneous. I think you should just pick a size that generally looks good and go with it. That should streamline production... and stuff.
As for the other stuff, keychains and such, I don't know. That seems sorta tacky/tourist trapish to me.
An OMGJeremy book, as our friend stated above, however, would be frickin' awesome. I mean, I know we get to read the material for free now but for some reason a book seems so much cooler. I'd buy it. Go figure.
Holla Back Now,
Black Sheep
I have heard a lot of people saying that they would be ever so pleased if we offered some posters. Posters which involve my comic panels, mostly. But other things could probably work. Like maybe a glamour shot tyle photo of Jeremy.
Which reminds me.
I noticed that cafepress offers calendars now. Hello, Boys of OMGJ Swimsuit Calendar!
I super wouldn't mind releasing a book, but we will have to look into the best way of getting that done.
Any suggestions?
Also, if we offer any cafepress shirts, I would definitely recommend that we do the baseball shirt type.. with the colored sleeves.. Like the shirt I usually draw Jeremy wearing in my comics. And the picture on the front of the shirt would just be a little drawing of his head. Maybe a small omgj included somewhere on it, to remind you when you put it on. It sounds like the cutest idea I have had in a while.
Thank you for your inputs, by the way.
Please. More.
If there would be any cafepress then it would be smaller, cheaper things. Posters are definitely there too.
I will say that a couple of those shirts on cafepress (the baseball t and the new "ringer" shirt) are very nice shirts and almost impossible to find anywhere.
Also, to the people who mentioned books, you have no IDEA how much I've wanted to do that and for how long. It's just a matter of figuring out how to do it. Cafepress offers a book you can make, but i'm not exactly sure how shitty it would be. I'll look into it.
I am still all about the idea that people should want to go with hand-made by XV black tshirts. And I am hoping that their consciences will drive them to purchase these black tshirts BEFORE they choose to buy any of the other products we have offered, if only because I would very much like XV to break a bit closer to even than he is currently at.
And also, I think it is about four million times more awesome to be able to say "The shirt I am wearing was hand made - TOUCHED! By THE xv bones! Perhaps he even rubbed it over himself or something. YOU ARE ALL SO JEALOUS." and etc. At least that's easier to brag about than saying something like "this is a cafepress shirt... :-r "
As it stands, we are starting to compile a nice and fancy cafepress store. We will probably have a lot of greeting cards (I love making greeting cards), and stickers and magnets and TOTALLY AWESOME JUNK of that kind of style.
Sadly, I did not see that Jeremy had selected a calendar yet. But I swear to god that I will try my hardest to get one on there.
And xv, we may have to have your Banana Suit in October, since you are costumed. Unless we claim that April is the International Month of the Fruitsuiter.
Maybe you could make a whole fuckbucket of shirts and just have them sold at local fleamarkets and boutiques. That would make me laugh for some reason.
If we ever wanted to advertise our site, adorning local well-known hobos with our shirts and hobo-caps would definitely be the way I would go.
My god, that's such a good idea.
I am keeping that in my memory bank for the future, thanks.
:-D
THEN the hobos could use the OMGJeremy cum rag to clean up after they give guys blowjobs in a back ally for five bucks!!! We'd have a OMGJeremy army of homeless Veitnam Vets and lunatics!!!
...I'm afraid we have gotten horribly off track.
On a side note: CK designer black tee? Does that make my OMGJeremy T-Shirt a Designer XV Bones Original? Am I now an OMGJ model?
Funny how the shirt I paid 14 bucks for will probably be the most expensive one I own.
But please, don't let me interrupt. Back to the bums!!!
Dos Vadonia,
-Black Sheep
The Bad Part of right at this moment, sadly, is that a lot of this is depending on me needing to give new scans and designs and things, which is made very difficult by being in Wisconsin right now. I don't have my Set Up that I normally have, and I have to move around a lot. So this won't be up and running as immediately as I would like.
Have any of you kids learned anything more abou the publishing of an OMGBook?
For the tshirt designs, you could add just omgjeremy on a bottom corner or in a thought/speech bubble. This way it's more like a designer name than a url. Seeing how having something say that isn't too common place, the wearer should get asked wth it means, and thus explain the site.
There's a publisher by school here. I know that's how the university does all their printing. When my computer graphics prof was trying to talk us all into making portfolios, she quoted some really cheap price. That was for postcards. I can ask about books. Might need to lay it out beforehand. If anything, I can always teach Fly how to do it.
-- hilary (mentallyillhil)
The problem with a book is that we use images off the web, and would probably get our pants sued off if we published them. Or maybe we could take our own replacement photos? I am unsure.
Telivarn [my stupid blogger shit I forgot the password to]
taking/drawing our own photo's for articles would seem to be best. but what about video game/movie reviews? is it legal to print screencaps for reviewing purposes or not?
-Fly
I'm pretty sure it's legal to reproduce the images as long as it's for review purposes
If the iUniverse was the road that was travelled, I would support the second option over the first, purely because it has that extra amount of customisation and support, as well as being an insane amount easier to get hold of. Bookstores in real life can order them. IN REAL LIFE! Can you imagine? The very idea!
I heartily support the book idea regardless, though. It is the kind of thing that keeps on giving.
if you do the video game screen caps, I'm pretty sure you have to either attribute it or get permission.
-hilary
The thought of going into Barnes and Nobles, scanning through titles on book bindings, and coming across an omgjeremy book, is truly sick. Then I could by an overpriced latte from the cafe and continue to read most of the book in the store.
And it'd be easier to refer a friend to a book than a website. Anyone can own a webpage. But a book? That would make you guys... professional authors (and professional illustrators {Amanda}).
I am quite into the book idea simply because I would like to have something like that on my bookshelf (and family, friends, and strangers' bookshelves). It is exceptionally difficult to get a website onto a bookshelf, or coffee table, or anywhere alse, for that matter, by any other means than making it into a book.
I am hip to the idea of getting new, relevant photographs for old articles that we actually own the rights to and don't have to kiss ass to get. Also, I am super way into illustrating articles. Because, well.. I find it fun to do.
Trev also should illustrate, like xv said. Or.. whatever xv was trying to say. I hope that's what he was trying to say.
Man, the comments in here are so good that I am reluctant to make a new blog entry because I don't want this one shoved down. :(
we could even have a "lost article" section of a book with stuff that isn't in the archives because jeremy never actually put them in there.
-Fly
This little section of Amandas blog should go in there so people can read about why this book was created in the 1st place. I think it would make a neat little filler on pages that dont have text or pictures.
--Extremus
how about just OMGBook!
And you know tentacle rape has to be involved somehow, like a choose your own adventure that always leads to it.
--hilary
well. yea, verily. I need a pretty young girl, half-naked, swinging a fucker of a chainsaw. And a text that goes: "Janesaw"
That´s what I wanna.
And make it fast, too. then give it to me.
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