Comic Creators Free Talk

[Psycho Bunny Studio]

The Zorya

Psycho Bunny Studio

Holy s**t is there any way to get rid of that OBNOXIOUS AS ******** pop up ad at the bottom of the page that keeps blocking everything?
))

I guess you are talking about Meeboo footer gaia has. I had it first few days it came out, then changed it back to old one since it lagged me like mad with those extra adds.
Go to my gaia>Account>Preferences then find Footer display and choose either Old Footer or No footer and see if it works out for you.

OH GOD IT'S GONE NOW! Thanks so much!

[Kaxen]

Psycho Bunny Studio

Jeze how many plush do you sell at a con?

I sold 25 last year.

[Seijaku_Ishida]

Here's a good post by Gail Simone some people might find useful.

Quote:

New comics creators, remember, there ARE people out there who want to take advantage of your time, enthusiasm, ambition and talent. Be careful, be aware. If you are offered a deal that sounds hinkey, it probably is. Ask around, use google. We no longer have to just guess at someone’s reputation. If someone is trying to cheat you, odds are they have tried to cheat others. Google is your career’s friend. Do the research, and it will save you UNTOLD heartache.


Don’t let this be a roadblock to your aspirations. There are tons of honest publishers and other people who keep their word. But if you do a google search and some red flags come up, PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION.


Sometimes, a company or individual will have too much negative commentary on their practices, and they will change their company name. In that case, use Twitter and Tumblr, ask around about that person or company’s reputation.

We’re often so eager to get established that we overlook our instincts. Don’t be that person, don’t let anyone take advantage of you. Do the research!


By the way, it is PERFECTLY acceptable to take terms that are not all that favorable to you IF you get something else out of it. You can work at a low page rate, for example, if it is for a PROVEN publication that can give you exposure and credentials you need. That is your choice, and it’s okay for you to make that choice. But be aware it is not ideal. Be aware that it may give you a rep for working cheap. Be wary of backend deals from unproven publishers. Your work, time and talent are either worth something, or they aren’t.

Ask advice, do the research, and good luck.

[Psycho Bunny Studio]

Here's a bit of an interesting read. Yogs Law written out by Neil Gaiman on the Law of Creation.

"Money Flows towards the Writer" (Or in this case, Artist)

Quote:

That’s all. All writers should remember it.

When a commercial publisher contracts a book, it will pay an advance against royalties to the writer. Money flows towards the writer.

Literary agents make their living by charging a commission of between 10 and 20% on the sales that they make on behalf of their clients, the writers. When advances and royalties are paid by a publisher the agent’s percentage is filtered off in the direction of the writer’s agent but the bulk of the money still flows towards the writer.

If a publisher ever asks for any sort of financial contribution from a writer, they’re trying to divert money away from the writer, in direct contravention of Yog’s Law.

If an agent ever asks for up-front fees, regardless of what they call them (reading fees, administration costs, processing fees, or retainers), then they are trying to divert money away from the writer, in direct contravention of Yog’s Law.

It’s a brilliantly simple rule. We should thank James D Macdonald for it in the best way there is. Buy his books


Money flows toward the writer.

No, that doesn’t mean that the author should get paper and ink for free, or that he won’t pay for postage. It does mean that when someone comes along and says, “Sure, kid, you can be a Published Author! It’ll only cost you $300!” the writer will know that something’s wrong. A fee is a fee is a fee, whether they call it a reading fee, a marketing fee, a promotion fee, or a cheese-and-crackers fee.

Is this perfect? No. Scammers have come up with some elaborate ways to avoid activating it. But it’s still a good and useful tool, and will save a lot of grief. Any time an agent or publisher asks for money, the answer should be “No!”

[Psycho Bunny Studio]

Kaxen

Psycho Bunny Studio

Jeze how many plush do you sell at a con?

I sold 25 last year.

Jinkies!

Yeah you should knock the price a little up on those and good luck! Seems like a good venture.

[Kaxen]

Psycho Bunny Studio

Kaxen

Psycho Bunny Studio

Jeze how many plush do you sell at a con?

I sold 25 last year.

Jinkies!

Yeah you should knock the price a little up on those and good luck! Seems like a good venture.

Yeah, raising my prices a little this year.

[xTeChNo_KiSsEsx]

How did I not realize this sooner?! That a comic book 30 sheets is really 60 pages. so someone actually producing a book a month is drawing 2 pages a day. Im not a fast drawer by any means. Thats something I need to work on T-T

[Kyousouka]

How do you guys feel about webcomics updating with teaser art before launch?

I find myself very annoyed with it when the comic is advertised prior to launch, but when it's not advertised and the comic is from an artist I already follow, I don't mind it. So, mixed/inconsistent feelings, I guess.

I want to finish my comic before I put any of it online, but I'm wondering if I should make the site and post some concept art and page WIPs before I launch (or even announce the launch date). I'm a bit interested in how much interest the concept will get, but I'm not going to post teasers if it's just going to annoy people.

[Kupocake]

Teasers should be posted outside the site to garner attention, but on the actual site itself it should be for comics only. That's how I see it at least. There is definitely a need to entice viewers into reading your comic in the first place, but it's somewhat inappropriate to put teaser art on the webcomic site as they're not actual comics.

I personally get really annoyed when I see comics on SmackJeeves/ComicFury/DrunkDuck/etc. that have pages upon pages of "teaser art" and random pieces of art that serve no purpose to the comic itself. I'm here to read comics, not look at your art gallery.

[Seijaku_Ishida]

I'm with Kupo on this. Outside the site is fine. I garnered a good amount of interest for Ravenfell by posting stuff on DA and other places before I started the comic. Seeing the actual comic site full of just teaser images/filler gives me the impression that the creator likes the idea of comicking, but would actually rather just draw pinups(which I know isn't the case for you, of course).

[Kyousouka]

I would never keep the teasers around post-launch. I can't stand filler on a comic site either.

But if posting it there to begin with is a bad idea, then I won't.

I don't have anywhere but the comic site to post that stuff, as SJ is the only art community where anyone follows my stuff. I don't use other art sites much (not enough to have any watchers on them, anyway) for various reasons. I guess there's my SJ art thread and tumblr? Those have a couple of subscribers each :D!

[Kupocake]

I personally put all my sketches and other art on my Tumblr, making sure that my Tumblr is pretty much dedicated to my comic and artwork, and reblogging unrelated material is kept to a minimum. Just make sure to link your Tumblr site from your main webcomic site constantly so people are aware about it.

Tumblr is my second biggest source of traffic referral, actually.

[Kaxen]

Kupocake

Tumblr is my second biggest source of traffic referral, actually.

Really?


Maybe I should pimp my comic more on Tumblr. Though I presently use one Tumblr for everything including tons of reblogging, so I suppose I might want to separate that stuff.

[Kupocake]

Kaxen

Kupocake

Tumblr is my second biggest source of traffic referral, actually.

Really?


Maybe I should pimp my comic more on Tumblr. Though I presently use one Tumblr for everything including tons of reblogging, so I suppose I might want to separate that stuff.

This is just my theory, but if you have a dedicated Tumblr for your comic, it sort of acts as a companion site, and the people who really enjoy your comic will actively check your Tumblr. They reblog stuff that they like, and then the people who don't know your work will see it, possibly like it, and then check out your actual site. A lot of my referrals come from fans who reblog my work.

I know a few comic authors who have two separate Tumblrs, one is their all-purpose Tumblr blog and the other is purely dedicated to their artwork/comic/etc. The all-purpose Tumblr will reblog the art-dedicated Tumblr every time it updates as well.

[Kyousouka]

Kupocake

I personally put all my sketches and other art on my Tumblr, making sure that my Tumblr is pretty much dedicated to my comic and artwork, and reblogging unrelated material is kept to a minimum. Just make sure to link your Tumblr site from your main webcomic site constantly so people are aware about it.

Tumblr is my second biggest source of traffic referral, actually.

My Tumblr is 99% own art posts, I'm not a fan of reblogging... but the reblogs are for all my art projects, not just the one comic. I guess I should have separate ones for each? And then the central one should reblog the others, like you said?

That seems like a neat idea.

Also, were you the one who suggested I use songs to time my thumbnails? I tried it and failed horribly~ But at least I got my goal at the time done on time, and this weekend I get to work on the next batch.