Q/A with Lynsey G & Jayel Draco co-founders of Oneshi Press

I stumble across a lot of Comicbook Creators/Imprints, but not one that is as inclusive as Oneshi Press. Why is it so important for Oneshi Press to not only be inclusive on the page but behind them as well?

Lynsey: We believe that diversity and inclusiveness helps everything we do. The more perspectives you get on anything, the more well-rounded and well-thought-out your end result will be. So we try to apply that thinking to as many parts of our company as we can. Basically, we think hearing multiple voices from multiple backgrounds makes our stories and our products better, period.

Jayel: Yeah, and I think at the end of the day, we want the world to be even just a little better off for having had us in it. How can we possibly make the world a better place if we’re leaving people out? 

What does the word “Oneshi” mean?

Jayel: It’s actually a fictional word from the first book we ever officially published together as a company back in 2017. It roughly translates to a Union or coming together in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Lynsey: Since we made it up and there’s no pronunciation guide, we always think it’s worth mentioning that it’s pronounced oh-NESH-ee.

Kickstarter can be very grueling, especially if a project doesn’t get funded. How does Oneshi Press handle such a taxing task?

Jayel: Oh gosh, yeah that is a BIG question. In terms of how we’ve been able to figure out running our campaigns, from the very beginning we’ve always sought the wisdom of our peers and those before us. From consultations by artists like stevieraedrawn and Walter Ostlie, to reputable author/publishers like Russel Nohelty and Charlie Stickney, to an all-out in-depth immersive series of courses from comics Kickstarter guru Tyler james Voegel via ComixLaunch Pro, and joining the roundtable at ComixLaunch Mastermind. You don’t just have a successful campaign simply on the merits of your neat idea. There is so much to know that you can’t even know you don’t know until you start to learn about it. And what better way to learn than directly from the folks you admire.

Lynsey: Another part of the equation is persistence. Kickstarters, as far as we can tell, never get easy, but the more practice you have, the easier it is to decide what your next step will be. Every campaign comes with its own set of unique problems to solve, and that’s why creators tend to do so well on the platform: creativity in how to tackle those problems is key! That and unending, boundless, sometimes ridiculous optimism. Failure really is a great opportunity to learn, so if you keep that in mind, it’s nearly impossible to truly fail.

With the success of Tracy Queen, Mr. Guy, Pack, and many more. What’s up next for Oneshi Press?

Lynsey: We’re planning a few very new things in 2022, starting with our first foray into prose fiction! I wrote a dark speculative fiction novella called Dwayne about a girl and her roommate…who is a boulder. Jayel is providing some illustrations for it, and we will be creating an e-book, a paperback, and an audiobook version of it, which will be launching on Kickstarter in February. The pre-launch page is live now, so go follow it for all the updates!

Jayel: This is actually set to be a pretty big year for us. After Dwayne, we have the next installment of everyone’s favorite love warrior, Tracy Queen Volume 3; an off-the-hook TarMucks coffee thermos & mini-comic combo; a follow-up to our modern-day high-fantasy zom-com caper, Mr. Guy: Zombie Hunter Act II; a reprint of the first book in our fantasy series Children of Gaia: Great Nations; and finally, the awaited Anthology 12: Destinations. Oh, and we’re already working on projects for 2023, but I think this list should suffice for now.

Wow that sounds like a heck of alot to look forward to from Oneshi Press this year! Be sure to click that highlighted link and Follow Oneshi Press on Kickstarter!

-Joey Galvez (Host)