Convention Dish: STAPLE

STAPLE

• March 6th, 2010
• Monarch Event Center
• Austin, TX

The Dish

If you've exhibited at this convention in the past, please post your experience below.

Convention Dish: Mega Con

Mega Con

• March 12th - 14th, 2010
• Orange County Convention Center Hall D
• Orlando, FL

The Dish

If you've exhibited at this convention in the past, please post your experience below.



Friday Archive Dive: What About 'About?'

Today's Archive Dive comes from May 28, 2009. We discussed the About page. It just might have some ideas that would be good for that advertising landing page we discussed yesterday.

Is there are more under-sung hero on the webcomics home page than the About page? In one, simple file, it allows us webcartoonists to achieve something that no previous cartoonists were able to efficiently do: Quickly indoctrinate a new reader. Newspaper comic strips have to be ruthlessly standalone. Every day they have to be completely accessible to a new reader. While the same is somewhat true for the daily webcartoonist, we have an ace in the hole. The About page, when organized and presented well, takes that moderately interested onlooker and prepares her to become a new reader. It's easy to become jaded with the About page. It's as obligatory as the copyright at the bottom of the page. But with that familiarity comes a degree of contempt. Many webcartoonists aren't using them to their full potential. So let's look at some aspects of About pages that work...

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Q&A: Not Ready for the Convention?

I need some advice.

About 6 months ago, I started my webcomic. Having been a long time comic-book fan, I structured it in 22 page stories so I could "easily" print it as a comic book. I was on top of the world, the "I did it" attitude was overwhelming.

It was at this point that I signed up for an Artist Alley table at ECCC, and formed a plan to get my first issue printed POD in time for the con. I was well aware that my comic wasn't going to be great, as I had almost zero art experience before starting. And I knew that I was way too early in the process to think about monetizing or exhibiting.

I didn't care. It wasn't about turning a profit. It was fanboy service to myself. I thought attending  a con as a comic creator would be a ton of fun, and that was worth losing some money to do.

Well, time has passed, and times have changed. I still haven't gotten my comic book printed. I had all the files at bizarre resolutions and sizes, and had paid no attention to trims and bleeds meaning each page takes a sizeable amount of re-doing before it's ready for print.

Also, looking back at my early work, I see some stuff I'd like to take some time to change.

So now I'm signed up for a Con that is little over a month away, and I'm beginning to panic because I have no product, no plan, no idea what I'm doing...

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Introducing Your Comic Through Advertising

During a Banner Ad Hot Seat critique, we discussed a problem that subscriber Megan Gedris (YU+ME) experienced with her advertising. The art style of her comic changes from day to so, so it was impossible for the ad to reflect the comic on any given day.

Erik K (Hex Libris) to the rescue with an awesome idea.

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