Present: Brandan Roberts, Michaela Butler, Dahlia Thomas, Jennifer Weigel, Jason Willard, Kathleen Locke
Absent: n/a
Others Present: Jeff Kirkley, Patricia Washburn, Evey Reynolds, Francis Wiget, “Spielmadchen”, “.lynnet”, “doug_82239”, “badookie3490”, “lazrgoose”, “ebon_shward”, “robertmartinauthor”. (Discord handles utilized for individuals not on the Nat 1 Board for privacy reasons.)
Prior Meeting’s Minutes: Accepted as written.
Finances Topic 1: While a couple of expense figures are still pending, Nat 1 Publishing ended 2025 with a net profit of $2,965. This marks the first year that Nat 1 concludes the fiscal year in the black. This income was applied to the balance to repay a portion of the loans from the previous three years (2022: -$3,008; 2023: -$ 2,053; 2024: -$961; total deficit of $6,022), so the company is now operating with a deficit of $3,057. Based on January 2026 numbers, the house is already on track to have the annual and monthly operating costs met, so we feel confident that the house will not need to add to the debt—either short-term or long-term—and if 2026’s numbers follow 2025’s, Nat 1 should be able to fully recover from the first three years and be completely self-sufficient.
Finances Topic 2: All 2025 royalties above $5 (and thus eligible for payout) have been paid to the authors, and 1099-MISC forms have been sent to the authors who made enough in royalties to need to file for taxes.
Finances Topic 3: During the meeting, Nat 1 Publishing received an anonymous $1,000 donation to be applied to the house’s deficit, reducing it from $3,057 to $2,057.
Old Business: The first Winter Court Writing challenge concluded as a huge success, with 28 participants and a total of 100 submitted stories. Roberts is currently working through them to ensure each one has the required components, then he will tally the entries and draw a winner using the True Random Number Service. UPDATE: A winner has been selected and notified.
New Business
Vote on Board positions: Unanimous vote to keep all existing board members (Brandan Roberts, Michaela Butler, and Dahlia Thomas) seated on the board with Roberts as President of the Board.
Topic by Roberts: Roberts asked if there were any recommendations or volunteers to be appointed as officers/interns. Officers help moderate Discord and can optionally serve as “interns” for the company, in roles such as editors, artists, or similar positions. Becoming an officer is the first step toward becoming a non-voting board member and, in turn, a full board member. Voting will be conducted (in the private channel) at the end of the week for this topic, so people have a chance to ask questions and volunteer. It takes a majority vote (4 positive votes) from the Board to appoint an officer. After some discussion, two motions were put to a vote: one to amend the bylaws, and a second to accept or decline individuals who want to be Officers and/or prospective board members.
Motion by Roberts: With the company starting to need the various aspects of our non-profit bylaws regarding board membership, it’s becoming clear that it is a bit clunky and may need to be fine-tuned. This motion is to make modifications to the bylaws, as listed:
- Article 5F: Eligibility. An individual must have held the position of non-voting member for a minimum of twelve (12) months to be eligible to serve on the Board of Directors, and there must be a vacant seat on the Board (fewer than 8 Board Members). Individuals do not qualify to be non-voting members until they have held the position of probationary member for a minimum of twelve (12) months.
- Article 5J: …Additional meetings will be held in May, August, and November, corresponding with quarterly royalty payouts and finance updates; these meetings may be conducted via text, voice, or video platforms over a period of no more than seven (7) days.
- Article 5M: Quorum. At each meeting of the Board of Directors or Board Committees, at least fifty percent (50%) of the Board, with a minimum of two (2) directors, must be present to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Should there not be enough members to constitute a quorum, any Non-Voting Members in attendance may act as alternatives to vote. If at any time the Board consists of an even number of members and a vote results in a tie, then the vote of the President of the Board shall be the deciding vote. If a quorum is not present at a meeting, the Board members present may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice until a quorum is present at any meeting of the Board or Board Committees if, during the meeting, they are present via telephone or web conferencing with the other Board members participating in the meeting.
- Article 8C: Probational Members. This position grants an individual administrative rights within the Corporation, typically with a particular focus or role, with the objective of gaining experience for a potential future Board Member role. Probational members have access to confidential information on a need-to-know basis. An individual must hold this position for twelve (12) consecutive months to be eligible for an appointment as a non-voting member. A majority vote is required to appoint or remove a probational member from the role. Probational members may be employees or volunteers of Nat 1 Publishing.
- Article 8D: Company Staff. The Board of Directors may appoint individuals to be employees, volunteers, interns, and/or moderators should the need arise. All appointments and terminations for these positions require a majority vote of the board, and the requirements, expectations, and duration of the roles are to be established during the voting period when determining the appointment.
- Throughout the document, all references to “officers” replaced with “probational members.”
- Strike this portion (“Should these Bylaws and Non-profit status be rejected by the State of Maine, Nat 1 Publishing shall revert back to NAT 1 LLC as described in the May 2022 Operating Agreement.”) from the Preamble because we were approved to be a nonprofit.
>>The motion passed unanimously
Recommendations and Volunteers for Vote:
- Jeff Kirkley to be a Discord Officer. Passed unanimously.
- Francis Wiget to be a Probationary Member. Passed unanimously.
- Evey Reynolds to be a Probationary Member: Passed unanimously.
- Evey Reynolds to be a Discord Officer. Rejected: 4 nays, 2 yeas.
- Patricia Washburn to be a Probationary Officer. Passed: 5 yeas, 1 abstained.
Topic by Roberts: Planning for 2026: Between Nat 1 Publishing, Audience Askew, Gaslamp Pulp, and Nat 1 Games, there are 60 publications planned for 2026. The editors have been working to get through the list as quickly as possible so the house doesn’t fall behind. As discussed in a previous meeting, we plan to significantly reduce the number of publications starting in 2027. When going through the slushpile, we are now aiming for an acceptance rate of roughly 4% instead of the current 9%.
Topic by Roberts: In 2025, Nat 1 Publishing had its first physical booth at the Western Maine Arts Festival. Due to its success, Roberts has applied to have a booth there again this year, as well as two weekends at the Maine Renaissance Faire, PortConMaine’s Nor’geeker fair, the Burgundar Faire at the Burgunder LARP Venue in Harrison, Maine, and the Weird Fair in Lewiston, Maine. He is still looking for additional venues in the state where our products would be a good fit. It was also recommended that the company look into the “World Fantasy 2026” event. UPDATE: Western Maine Arts Festival has accepted a return of the booth, while the Maine Renaissance Faire has declined and put the house on a waitlist. Discussion was made about the feasibility of other people making Nat 1 Publishing booths in their home states, and it was agreed that a “Vendor Guide” be created to determine what is needed and how finances are handled.
Topic by Roberts: The Kickstarter backer copies of Schoolyard Insults have been manufactured, mailed, and arrived. The packages were put together and mailed to the backers. The game is set to go on sale as soon as the backer copies are shipped. Next, we will launch the Not My Proudest Fap card game Kickstarter. Lastly, Roberts is going to so it can be released either by the end of 2026 or in early 2027. Willard reminded Roberts to check the dice included with Schoolyard Insults, as they were incorrect in the advance copies. Roberts noted that the dice have been updated for future purchases, but they were incorrect for the backers. Correct dice was added to the Kickstarter pledge packages.
Topic by Roberts: In 2025, the Write, Wrong or Otherwise event had roughly half the participation of 2026, but given the huge involvement in the first WCWC, which surpassed even the WWoO’s first year. Roberts believes that the more structured (and longer) format of the Winter Court Writing Challenge works better for community building and growth, and called for a discussion regarding its future:
- A) Nothing, keep the event the same.
- B) Reformat the event.
- C) Eliminate the event and replace it with a “Summer Court” challenge using the same format of Winter Court.
He also noted that the free gifts in WWoO (particularly the posters) have become less feasible due to rising shipping and printing costs. If Nat 1 is to keep the event, the Board should discuss a different structure for the participation rewards. For example, offering a “rewards” pack on the website for as little as $10 would help cover the shipping costs for the poster and stickers.
After a discussion between the Board and the Discord Community, it was determined that WWoO should remain an event, but to create different tiers of participation packages (Free, $10, and $20), as well as potentially adding a new month-long “Summer Court” event, was also brought up and discussed.
Motion by Roberts: “Nat 1 should keep the WWoO as is, but trim back expenses by taking the route of prizes able to be sent with regular stamps and other things, such as the posters being available for purchase at discounted rates for participants. In addition, we add a third event—Summer Court—with the same structure as Winter Court, possibly a little easier (still up for discussion). The WWoO would be moved to April, and SCWC would take place in July.” The motion passed unanimously
Meeting Adjourned: The next Board meeting is scheduled for the week of June 8-12, 2026.
Minutes Submitted by Brandan Roberts, 6/5/2026.