With No Brand Con 2026 in the rearview, I think it's time to talk about the business of running a small, nonprofit convention. This year was genuinely really good for us, and kind of a miracle. Events like ours usually don't come back from the dead, and I want to talk about how that death happened, and how we used the lessons from that collapse to bring it back.
When we failed in 2023, it wasn't out of nowhere. Events like ours don't just just spontaneously combust. There are a number of reasons cons can fail, and ours wasn't special. Now there were some cirumstances that accelerated that death, like the COVID-19 pandemic suspending any income for a few years for an organization that has to get most of its revenue from memberships, but that train had left the station long before that.
Something we don't talk about a lot is how No Brand Con's attendance had been steadily declining for years.
The last time No Brand Con publicly reported its numbers was 2015 (1504 for the record). 2015 was No Brand Con's last year at The Plaza (which has since been demolished) in Eau Claire, with 2016 being the first year the event was held at the Chula Vista in the Wisconsin Dells. Now an attendance drop was always anticipated with the move, but the con saw a steady decline year over year afterwards.
Now I wasn't heavily involved with the con for a few years, so I don't have access to figures for 2016 and 2017 without digging through an old SQL database, but both years as far as I was told hovered around 1000. In 2018 I returned to staff fully though, and began running the backend for our registration system. In 2018 we were in a transition, so a good chunk of our records were still paper based, so I only have an estimate. No Brand Con 2018 barely broke 900.
Starting with 2019 my numbers get exact, as I totally took over registration record keeping. While in our early years we operated under warm body counts, starting with the new system we just go for paid attendees. Attendees are counted just once, and Vendors, Artists, Staff, Volunteers, and Guests are not counted at all. Sadly, things got worse, with 2019 only hitting 771 attendees.
And then the pandemic hit.
Our return was rough, and when we came back in 2022, we ended up with 628. It was clear that the Dells were not a good home for our event. So we went to Stevens Point in an attempt to rebuild... and only got 478. Which, uh, was significantly worse than what we needed to do financially. That's when I had to make the now infamous post announcing our shut down.
Now one of the biggest problems was that we kept operating like a con with a four figure attendance, when we hadn't been one for a long time. We stayed big, didn't shrink our scope as needed, and spent like we were still the "larger" event we weren't anymore.
And reality hit us hard on that one.
I could give the whole story of our return, how the cons debts were paid, and how we returned, but I only really want to focus on part of that story here. Effectively, when we decided to bring the con back, we broke down the money of what we wanted to do, how much it would cost, and eliminated everything unnecessary in the budget. If it didn't face the attendees, it was out. We tightened our belts in every way we could. We'd shrunk every year, so we made our plans asking the question: What if fewer people show up in 2026 than who came in 2023. So we built the con for that.
And, uh, we kind of smashed those numbers.
In 2026 our attendance count was 645. It was our first year in a long time where the current year's numbers were higher than the previous year's. Now it helped that after a decade, we were bringing the con home to Eau Claire. There was a nostalgia factor in some of the attendance, and the community's love for us one hundred percent helped. But it's important to note that this was probably the first time since our early years that we were genuinely prepared to not make our numbers. A lot of people wouldn't be excited by only 645 people coming to their con, but when you plan for less than 400... it's phenomenal.
It also helped that we finally raised our prices to match inflation (while still charging less than most cons in our category by a significant number).
The important thing is that we're making our plans with the idea that we're a small con that's going to stay a small con. In fact, our philosophy is so focused on that, that we intend to cap our attendance at 1000 long term. We're focusing on stability and providing a quality attendee experience. We've always been a small con, but now we're finally being honest with ourselves about it.
- Traegorn
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 So we announced it a little while back, but I'm excited to say that the first print collection of Peregrine Lake is now officially on sale!
That's right, all of Ethan's gorgeous artwork (and my acceptable writing) could be in your hands right now for just $29.99. Besides the first "Chapter" of the comic, you'll also get the now book exclusive mini-four page story "The Move" which was drawn by me (in the style of UnCONventional).
That's... that's it! It's the comic! In dead tree form! And you can buy it!
I've been really happy the way the comic has been going. Peregrine Lake has been a true labor of love, and working with Ethan has been amazing. We're two thirds of the way through releasing the pages that will go into the second book as well, and things will be ramping up quickly. It's spooky, it's funny, and it gives me an excuse to keep writing Lynn Baxter.
But I've talked about how important Lynn is to me before.
I honestly don't know if all of my old UnCONventional readers know that Peregrine Lake is even happening. I talked to a couple this last weekend at No Brand Con who literally had no idea that the comic was happening.
Because it is.
And it's fun.
And you should read it.
Anyways, I'm working on the final edits on the fifth Mia Graves novel which will come out later this year. I should be able to reveal the final cover and give you all a release date later this month. I also plan on talking more about the history of No Brand Con more this month, but I wanted to make sure I made a post about the new book first.
Lots of stuff is happening, and for the first time in a long time I'm not super stressed about it.
- Traegorn
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 No Brand Con did what a lot of people thought would never happen this last weekend – we came back from the dead. Like in 2023 we were truly dead, buried, in the ground, and all of us thought the con wasn't coming back.
But a year ago some of us decided to do something truly insane. We decided to resurrect it. We decided to bring it home. We decided we weren't fucking done.
And we took a hard look at what we were doing. We had to scale back the con a bit to bring it back. We had to tighten our belts in ways we haven't had to do since the early years of the con.
And while we certainly didn't do everything perfectly (and we're already compiling ways we can improve stuff for next year), overall it was a success. The con not only brought in significantly more people than we expected, but for the first time in a very long time we're in a solid financial position again in ways we never were in the Wisconsin Dells.
...and I feel like I don't need to comment on Stevens Point.
But what you need to understand is this doesn't happen. When cons go under, they stay dead. They never come back. They get buried, maybe something new comes from the same people... but they die. What we did is just honestly unheard of.
Well except for the time I wrote a storyline about this exact thing happening in UnCONventional. So, uh, I managed to write an autobiographical story before it happened.
It really is such a strange thing though. This weekend was the most fun I've had at a con in the last fifteen years, and I'm so proud to have just been a part of it. Everyone who made it happen should be proud, and I'm happy to call you all my friends.
And with the right friends, sometimes you can do the impossible.
I might talk about the history of the con about here over the next week or two if I have the time. Talk about some of the stuff that happened behind the scenes that a lot of people have never been public about. Nothing awful, there's no deep scandal – just a lot of good people doing their best. It might be interesting though.
- Traegorn
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 So I'm in the middle of prepping for two events: UWEC Barron County GEEKCon on April 25th and No Brand Con the weekend after from May 1-3. And yeah, it's as exhausting as it sounds like.
The con prep for UWEC Barron County GEEKCon is pretty easy at least. I'm going to do a stripped down table setup there as an experiment, to see how well it works. It's just a one day con up at UWEC Barron County in Rice Lake, WI, so the stakes aren't super high if it doesn't work out. I've never done this event (though I've done its sister event down here in Eau Claire several times), so it's all a question mark to begin with. But it's a little one day con at a college, and I usually have a really good time at those, so we'll find out I guess.
What's really occupied my time though is prep for No Brand Con, but if you know anything about me that should not be shocking. I'm a co-founder of that event, and have been one of the most public faces over our more than twenty years of existing. What makes this year even more challenging is that this really is our attempt to revive the event and bring it back to some of its former glory.
I've taken on some responsibilities with this year that I normally wouldn't have in the past, but I'm super excited about the con. No matter what happens, I'm confident that the con will be a very, very, very good time for everyone who comes. Our prereg numbers were right within our targets, and I'm super excited. Like I haven't felt this excited about a con I was helping run in at least a decade, and I'm practically buzzing sometimes.
Here's the thing though, even when everything is going right, running an event like this is incredibly stressful. I am looking forward not just to the con, but maybe also the weekend after the con. I was, at least, smart enough to take the Monday after the con off of work.
Now, obviously I'm not tabling at No Brand Con, since I'm the one in charge of the vendor room and artist alley, and that would be a massive conflict of interest. Ethan is though, so copies of the new Peregrine Lake book will be available for sale there for anyone interested. I won't have my novels on hand, but if you ask nice enough, maybe I'll meet you in the Tony Caponey's parking lot at midnight and we can make a deal. 😆
So yeah, if you want to know why I'm exhausted right now, that's why. And there's more work to do right now...
- Traegorn
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 So say you're sitting down to dinner after a long day of travel. You're in the dining room of one of the historic inns in the Indiana State Park system -- let's say, the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park on the shores of Lake James. You order food, sit back, and then realize something important.
There's a good chance your waiter is a Nazi.
You see, he's wearing an iron cross necklace. And while it's true that this symbol isn't exclusively associated with white supremacists, in the context of an American wearing that symbol today there are very few cases where it isn't. Like yeah, it's associated with biker culture here too, but nine times out of ten when I've seen someone with this symbol on them (and it wasn't a He-Man reference)... they've been a Nazi.
So you're sitting there, and he brings you your dinner, and in your head you're asking yourself "Is this a Nazi?" He compliments your outfit. He asks if you're staying in the hotel tonight. He's overall being pleasant. But, like, in the back of your head you have to keep asking yourself if you're safe here.
And it sucks, because this place has been a haven for you for over a decade. You stop here a couple of times a year even though it's far from where you live. You've told all your friends and family about it. It's been a part of your personal story for a long time. And now? Now it feels different.
And for the record, I did tip him. Did the normal 20%. Because I might be wrong. He might not be a Nazi.
But I'm never going to find out.
- Traegorn
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 Okay, a lot of you probably know that I am part of the group of people who run No Brand Con. Frankly, if you didn't, you're probably new here. It's an anime con. Wisconsin's longest running anime con to be specific. We're holding it May 1st-3rd here in Eau Claire.
It's neat.
Anyway, because I help run that event (and manage most of its communications), it means that every company trying to sell us something ends up in some inbox I'm in charge of monitoring. The biggest offenders are the folks who make white label con apps and virtual program guides. And let me tell you, some of these folks send us stuff a lot. They all have similar names too, where it's actually hard to keep track of which one is which for me.
To make things more unpleasant, some of these folks just feel aggressive. Like one company literally messaged our Facebook page today, which is, to me, a step too far. That's an inbox we keep open to interact with our attendees -- that message pretty much guaranteed that we will never do business with that company if I have any say in it.
Of course, I don't want to use any of these because, as a policy, I don't reward spammers. If you're confused, any unsolicited sales email is spam, and that's what this is. It clogs up inboxes, and puts a foul taste in my mouth.
Let's be clear -- this does not apply to someone pitching a guest to us or a vendor reaching out, my anger is purely "people trying to sell us a service we didn't ask for." We ask for guest ideas, even if it comes from the potential guest. We didn't ask for this.
The worst part is all of these companies selling white label apps and virtual program guides make terrible software. I have never found a single one of these apps where I wouldn't rather just have a PDF of the program guide, a mobile website, or a Discord server. I have a deep hatred of these apps, and refuse to let them touch my devices anymore (let alone my attendees' devices).
So. A bunch of apps. That I hate. Keep spamming us. And it is deeply annoying. I didn't really have a point here, besides "this annoys me and they should cut it out."
So please cut it out.
- Traegorn
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 This morning I went down to Collector's Con here in Eau Claire. It's a fun little con, and I stopped by last year too. I thought about selling there (since I'm at, like, literally every other con in town) but a week after Evercon was just too much to plan for.
I've done two cons in a row before, and it almost burnt me out. I need at least a weekend off between.
This is convention season though, and events are packed tightly together. Maybe too tightly together. Because, as I literally just said, I was at Evercon in Wausau last weekend. That same weekend I had friends at Anime Milwaukee. Oh, and I also had friends at MarsCon (the Minnesota one). The region had a long running Gaming Con, Anime Con, and Scifi Con happening simultaneously.
And here's the thing -- those are all cons I would go to... and that I'd want to sell at. I mean, sure, AMKE has a highly competitive artist alley and my odds of getting in there are nil, but it'd be nice to, like, have a shot, y'know? And I'm trying to get into scifi cons, but there just aren't that many anymore. With all three on the same weekend, I had to make a choice.
There was a point in time where con organizers went out of there way to make sure they didn't conflict with other events. Hell, we used to worry about being a few weeks away from another con. When events ended up on the same weekend, it was an anomaly. Now? Well, let's just say these three cons will all be on the same weekend next year too.
It's just... it's just frustrating.
Like all three of these events have organizers who I am sure care deeply about the community they serve. Like I genuinely want all of these cons to succeed, but I feel like they're not thinking about the other cons in the region. Like the stronger the entire scene is, the stronger they become. When the Wisconsin con scene was at its strongest a decade ago, it was because all of the events were working together.
I just really hope 2028 won't see this pattern repeat. Because, y'know, I'd like to go to MarsCon or AMKE again some day.
But maybe that's just me.
- Traegorn
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 Convention season is upon us, and it's time to kick off the year for me with Evercon 2026 in Wausau, WI! Well Rothschild, really -- but if Syfy can conflate the two, so can I. I mean, it pretty much is in Wausau.
Just, like, next to it.
I'm going to be in the main vendor room at booth six, roughly in the same spot as last year. I'm going to have all of my books, and will also cheerfully talk about No Brand Con if you stop by.
Like most years though, I won't be the only familiar face you'll find at the con. My Peregrine Lake cohort Ethan Flanagan will be sharing a table with Nerd & Tie's Gen Prock in the artist alley. Gen will, of course, be selling her amazing hand made pillows and plush, and Ethan their amazing art.
Importantly Ethan and I will both have copies of the Peregrine Lake print collection, which isn't officially released until May 1st. We're breaking our own street date on this, so if you want to get a copy before it goes on sale to the general public, this is where you can get it.
If you're looking to collect as many Nerd & Tie folks as you can though, we do want to mention that Celeste will also be there, helping work their spouse's table in the artist alley. That's right, you can spend your weekend talking to four different really cool people you might be vaguely aware of on this tiny corner of the internet!
Evercon is one of my favorite conventions to go to, and I'm excited to return. It's a bummer it's up against AMKE this year, but if you want to go to a fun gaming con and meet some neat people... come find us there. It's a good time.
- Traegorn
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 If yoiu don't spend time in the odd corners of bookish and queer social media, it's likely you've never heard of Paul Castle. Hell, even if you are in them, you may have scrolled on by, never to take note. But for those of us who have had him slide across their algorithmically driven feeds, he's become fairly infamous over the last few years. Paul is a blind creator who makes couples content with his husband Matthew, but more importantly for this discussion, he is the writer and illustrator of children's books that he independently publishes.
Now, I've never read his books, so I can't comment on whether they're any good or not. I have seen the illustrations though, and they, honestly, look very nice. His books are queer positive, and his determination to still create this work with his remaining vision is admirable. If that were all there was to talk about, this would be a potentially feel good story, and I probably wouldn't be writing about it in my personal blog.
But, y'know, this isn't the end of the story by far.
You see, if you follow one of Paul's accounts long enough, you'll inevitably end up on a video where he stands in front of the camera, crying about how some obstacle has gotten in the way of his books getting to people. Maybe a bookstore supposedly cancelled an order. Maybe it was something else. Paul will always frame this as his book getting "banned" and that anyone not working with him directly is an act of persecution. This will result in a spike in sales of his books from his TikTok shop. I won't go into too many details, but others have detailed things on multiple occasions if you want to dig into this. I'm not here to argue about the veracity of his statements. I have doubts, of course, and I've definitely been critical of the tactic of "pity marketing." I made a video in June of 2025 where, after he started talking about how he wanted to start publishing other authors, I said that people should avoid it. My reasoning was pretty simple -- the only advantage to working with a "publisher" that small is that they can help you get into bookstores.
And the one thing Paul Castle has proven is that he's bad at getting his books into bookstores.
I made other videos too, but the pity marketing is not the point of this post. My big problem is what happens after Paul Castle makes his videos. That's where the real trouble begin.
You see, inevitably his millions of followers will go after anyone who criticizes him or does some sort of perceived wrong against him. When one of his videos talked about a bookstore owner named Tanya, his followers went and attacked a completely unrelated woman who shared a name. Now this could be chalked up to an overzealous fanbase acting on their own, but it's rather clear that Paul Castle is more than happy to rile people up on purpose too.
Almost a week ago, Castle made a video on his PaulCastleStudio account dragging up a video from three months ago, claiming that someone who criticized his marketing tactics had been ableist. Never mind that the video he points at doesn't make any ableist statements, and just points out how manipulative his marketing techniques are. Paul claimed he didn't want people going after her, but while he censored the person's face, he didn't censor the name on the wall behind her.
The creator has now received a barrage of harassment across multiple platforms, and has made a response to the entire situation that is chilling. I've gotten a handful of harassing comments on a YouTube Short from October, because people found it looking for her. And it's not the first time he's done this. When an Ingram employee was critical of one of his marketing tales, he went after her. When he printed some books through IngramSpark, and she happened to get assigned to his account, he made another video complaining about it. That person also got harassed by his fans.
He knows that if he calls someone out that this will happen, and since he keeps doing it -- it's apparent he doesn't care.
And I guess I just wanted to write down how incredibly fucked up that is.
It's also interesting to note that he seems to exclusively target women. My masculine presenting, nonbinary ass has never been singled out. Don Martin, who's been highly critical of him, has never been singled out either. Maybe it's just coincidence. Maybe Martin has a bigger platform as a traditionally published author. Maybe I've been too specific and controlled in my criticism that it doesn't give him enough ammo. Maybe it's just because the demographics of bookish spaces just lean towards women.
But it's odd that a pattern seems to bubble to the surface.
Anyways, this is a weird post to put a promotional tag on, but remember that pre-orders for Welcome to Peregrine Lake: Peregrine Lake Chapter One can now be made through BookShop.org and Amazon! The book is out May 1st.
- Traegorn
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