I started writing what would become my first novel when I was a junior in high school way back in 2004. I continued to tinker and add to it over the next ten years. Through college, landing my first big boy job, and getting married it would always stay in the periphery, until I found a reasonable conclusion. But what then? It was 2015, I had no experience with self-publishing and didn’t know what to do with it once I did get it published. But as usual, I barreled through the process with all the reckless abandon of a Tony Jaa fight sequence. Have you seen him? That man’s incredible! What I ended up with was very obviously an amateur product. I had finger painted a tribal symbol on some canvas and scanned it because those were the tools at my disposal. I used a stock cover layout available through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KPD), which was still called ‘Createspace’ back then. The left-justified margins made the interior appear sloppy and chaotic. But the story itself had heart – and so did I.

After a couple months of peddling physical paperbacks to coworkers and family members, I was looking for something more. That’s when I was made aware of a new event in town called O Comic Con – now branded as O Con Expo or simply O Con. I knew what Comic Cons were but had never attended one myself. I was worried about overhead, so I asked about an option for up-and-comers where you could split an ‘Artist Alley’ table with another creator. I stocked up with 50 copies of my amateur-hour sci-fi book and invested in a PayPal credit card reader. I ended up being placed with another author – a fella named Christopher McLucas, who taught me so much in that first year. The night before the event, I saw how he had themed his half of the table to match his children’s book, ‘The Giggle Farm’. He had a checkered tablecloth, coloring sheets, and crayons and made it look nice and inviting for his young demographic. Seeing this, I made a last-minute run to Walmart and grabbed a tablecloth and paints to make a quick and dirty banner to draw in the crowd. Besides the value of a good table-scape, Christopher also taught me the importance of a strong pitch. Over the weekend I continued to hone and adjust, and by Sunday afternoon I had sold all 50 copies of ‘Beneath the Surface’!

In addition to Christopher, I met no less than three incredible artists I would eventually collaborate with and countless others with whom I have networked and connected. I was welcomed into an incredible community that first year. The heart and soul of O Con is the people, and it has a spirit and value that I haven’t seen at any other show.

While that first book took 10 years to write and publish, the sequel, ‘Breaking the Surface’, was written and released in time for O Con 2016. The inspiration was in no small part due to the incredibly supportive O Con fans who said “Hey, you’re book ends on a cliffhanger, ya jerk!” And thanks to the incredible cover art by local artist Tim Mayer, I also re-released book one with an allnew cover. With reformatted interiors and a new editing partner, the books were finally starting to look like an intentional, professional product line!

Leading up to that second year, I was invited to be interviewed on Omaha’s KPAO Public Access channel for a special which focused on O Con creators. This introduced me to the station manager, for whom I ended up hosting a 20-episode TV show about movie trailers. I ended up hosting several creator interviews for them at the next few O Cons as well.

In 2018, when my sci-fi trilogy was complete, I began collaborating with the talented Bailey Palmer on a chapter book series for kids called ‘A World of Lizards, Squirrels, and Men’. Each year that I return sees familiar family’s returning with slightly older kids asking, “Is there a new book?”

Now, one of the most influential characters I met that very first year and continue to stay in close contact is Mr. Justin Schillerberg. Justin is an incredible artist and graphic designer and, like Christopher, has schooled me year after year not just on the content and pop culture I was unfamiliar with, but also in the convention business and culture itself. We have bartered for artwork and table space over many years. Most notably, Justin took my sad, barely-there banner from year one and transformed it into a colorful and cohesive brand, designing original characters for my scifi series in the process.

And so it went for those first five years. New books. New collaborations. Both new and famil-iar faces as the show continued to grow and evolve.

And then the pandemic happened and the Comic Con industry, very reliant on the close-quarters, in-person format, was shaken pretty hard. But in ’22 O Con came back, and next year will be their 10th year in operation. In fact, they just made their big announcement that O Con 2026 will be July 17-19!

I’m just so darned proud of this show and the folks who run it. Proud and thankful. I’ve made so many important and meaningful friendships because of this show. I’ve grown as a writer and a salesman. I’ve learned how to be patient, resourceful, and humble.

The last thing I’ll say is this: Come out to year number ten. Show up for this locally-grown, world class event. There is literally something for everyone. Beyond authors, you will find folks making 2D art of every kind, crafting jewelry, or other whimsical creations. There are also vendors selling any kind of pop culture merchandise you can think of. There are celebri-ties of all kinds and have included greats like Michael Rooker and Ray Park in years past. There are panels on a variety of topics, an Omaha Film Festival area, and even a corgi room. A corgi room! And with big year ten surprise announcements coming non-stop on social me-dia this week, the fun is only just beginning.

It’s been an incredible 10 years with O Con, and I can’t wait for 10 more!

Matt Hebert is an engineer and self-published author. His dopamine-fueled creative pursuits have spanned from chicken keeping, sand sculpture, acting, and public speaking, but writing is nearest and dearest to his heart. He lives in Bellevue with his wife and two daughters. You can find him on Instagram at @jerkofalltradeshebert or email him at matt.hebert.books@gmail.com

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