WorldCon 2026 and Hugo Awards review

A Hugo Award nomination brought cartoonist Dave Kellett new readers, book sales, and Patreon supporters. Five days behind a WorldCon booth brought something else entirely: A serious crisis of confidence.

This week, Dave shares his WorldCon experience, from wonderful conversations with Drive readers to a painfully quiet dealers’ room. Brad and Dave discuss the emotional cost of a poorly performing convention — and why even an established cartoonist can mistake a bad show for a verdict on their career.

Along the way, they share John Picacio’s terrific metaphor for designing book covers, explore a storytelling approach that falls between planning everything and improvising everything, and discuss why an award nomination can deliver real business benefits without a win.

On this week’s show:

• WorldCon’s strengths and challenges. How a convention built around fan participation, volunteer organizers, and panels differs from the comics shows Brad and Dave usually attend.
• A better way to think about book covers. John Picacio’s approach: introduce your book as you would introduce an interesting friend at a party.
• Connecting with your most dedicated readers. Why a small coffee gathering became one of Dave’s favorite experiences as an author.
• Architect, gardener… or road tripper? Knowing your story’s major destinations while leaving room to discover what happens along the way.
• The emotional cost of a bad convention. Five days, approximately $2,000 in gross sales, and one day without a single sale — compared with Dave’s $19,000 San Diego Comic-Con.
• Award recognition and independent publishing. Why audience size matters in voting, and why a smaller readership can still support a strong business.
• Making the most of a nomination. How Hugo recognition and a Bluesky starter pack helped bring new readers to Drive.
• What’s next? Questions about webcomic eligibility, the possibility of a ComicLab nomination, and forthcoming Tales of the Drive stories from K. B. Spangler and Ursula Vernon.

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Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.