#fanmerch process

First up, a response summary of the major takeaways.

Most wanted fanmerch items:

1. Plush 2. Keychains 3. Stationery 4. Enamel Pins (tied) 4. Custom Figurines/Statues 5. Drinkware 6. Wearable/useable accessories (hats, socks, scarves, bags) 7. Soft home goods (blankets, towels, pillows)

Since plush took an early lead, and because it will take the longest in terms of manufacturing time, I got underway with plush designs foremost. While I would love to make all of these things, I’m figuring out what will be most viable to make and how I can supplement options for the rest via my existing print-on-demand storefronts.

Thinking about costs:

Another factor that I want to be considerate of based on responses is the overall cost for any items I make; for example, while I could design super-detailed and intricate poseable plush with removable clothes, they would easily cost $100+ USD each and - while I'm sure they'd be neat - they'd be rather unaffordable. As I'm planning to front the manufacturing costs for everything, they'd also be quite the investment for me too;;;

So, the plush I'm designing will be smaller (around 10 centimeters) with a keychain attachment, and my goal is to try to get the set of both to be around $40 USD (+shipping) or under, which will be a challenge but I'm happy to be working with a great manufacturer to bring these lads to life!

For other items I’d like to tackle, I’m similarly aiming to be mindful of overall cost, especially for this first batch of items; I’d rather err on the side of caution and approachability however I can.

How will the merch be sold?

When merch items eventually go up for sale, it will be via Etsy as the primary storefront. This is for a few reasons:

Platform familiarity & safety for both buyers and sellers.

Etsy has price breaks on shipping and has other things set up that make it internationally viable - Etsy did the hard work with navigating VAT so I don’t have to!

While Etsy does have some fees/cost to me as the seller, I can factor those into the overall cost of any item being sold through there without it being a massive extra cost (both in terms of time & money).

What’s it gonna look like?

In terms of design aesthetic, the predominant preferences were for either stylized realism or cuter stuff, with an excellent additional write-in contingent of folks who like it when things err on the side of subtle. I like to call this latter design aesthetic “secret handshake” where it’s a strong design first, and then - upon closer inspection - you notice the reference; this tends to be more approachable for folks to incorporate into everyday situations like taking/wearing something to work no matter what their dayjob situation is like! Obviously each option has its own challenges and lends to certain things more than others, so it’s going to be fun to balance designs for these approaches with some different items. I’m happily comfortable creating in all of these design styles and excited to do more!

Fanzine interest summary:

100% of responses are interested in a fanzine!

100% of responses indicated support for a fanzine which included a mix of both new and old/previously-shared works.

Format preference is for a main fanzine to be G/T (using AO3 ratings), with an optional secondary collection separate from the zine for any M/E/NSFW content.

I’m excited at the prospect of working together with folks to craft a fanzine! Before doing that, however, I’d process to do some diligence for organization and planning so that it won’t be a doomed undertaking before it begins. I also obviously won’t be tackling that on my own so would want to determine a team and process for production and transparency. Pre-orders also present their own tricky challenges but are often necessary when doing production runs for unknown interest without taking on a great individual financial burden up-front, so I’d want to ensure the zine for any M/E/NSFW content.