A lifelong sci-fi fan turned his passion for storytelling into a self-published comic and podcast that now earns him $30,000 a year.
Challenge
Travis V. had always dreamed of creating his own world. Growing up, he was fascinated by science fiction — from Star Wars to Terminator 2 — and spent countless hours building imaginary universes through games like Dungeons & Dragons. But turning that imagination into something tangible felt impossible.
After college, Travis worked full-time managing real estate projects in Florida, a practical career that paid the bills but left little creative outlet. Still, the fictional world he’d been building for years — a dystopian colony called Liberty — kept calling to him. Could he transform it from a hobby into something real?
Action
Determined to give Liberty life, Travis wrote scripts, hired artists from around the world, and self-published his first comic under the pen name Jon Dossin. To promote it, he booked a booth at New York Comic Con — his first big public test.
What happened next shocked him. During the four-day event, he sold 304 copies of his debut issue — averaging one sale every six and a half minutes. It was validation that people genuinely wanted his work.
From there, Travis expanded the Liberty universe. He launched an audio drama podcast, complete with voice actors and cinematic sound effects, bringing his story to life for a new audience. Alongside the creative work came an education in business: marketing, ISBN registration, print production, and the logistics of shipping thousands of books.
Result
Today, Travis earns roughly $30,000 a year from his comics and podcast. Most of that comes from direct book sales at conventions and online, with additional revenue from listener donations and ad sponsorships.
While it’s still a side business — he keeps his day job — the creative freedom and sense of accomplishment have made every long night worth it. Each new episode release, each new page of art, feels like a small victory.
Lesson
Travis’s success shows what’s possible when creativity meets persistence. He didn’t wait for a publisher’s approval or outside funding — he built his own platform, piece by piece.
You don’t have to quit your job to build something meaningful. Start small, stay consistent, and let your passion evolve into something that earns both joy and income.
Inspired by a true story originally featured on Side Hustle School by Chris Guillebeau. This rewritten version is independently produced and fully original.