Webcomics Confidential: What size should your webcomic be?

Webcomics Confidential: What size should your webcomic be?

Beginning cartoonists often ask what size they should make their comic. Many are looking for "standard" sizes. The answer is...
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Give Yourself the Gift of Time Off: Low-Impact Holiday Content Ideas for Cartoonists

Give Yourself the Gift of Time Off: Low-Impact Holiday Content Ideas for Cartoonists

The holiday season has a way of sneaking up on us — and suddenly we’re juggling year-end deadlines, family commitments,...
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ComicLab Ep 417 — Special Guest Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott from “Baby Blues”

ComicLab Ep 417 — Special Guest Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott from “Baby Blues”

Syndicated cartoonists Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman share their journey of collaboration that spans over 35 years, focusing on their...
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How Many Social-Media Posts Per Day?

How Many Social-Media Posts Per Day?

According to a Very Popular Influencer, one should post on social media six to eight times daily. I disagree, and...
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Social media and behavioral modification

Social media and behavioral modification

B.F. Skinner's research showed that rewards and punishments can alter a subject's behavior. We can use those same simple techniques...
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Webcomics Confidential: You’re wasting money on advertising

Webcomics Confidential: You’re wasting money on advertising

Unless you have a granular knowledge of advertising, demographics, and much more, you're probably wasting money on "plug-and-play" advertising and...
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ComicLab Ep 416 — What’s the Best Platform for Audience Building?

ComicLab Ep 416 — What’s the Best Platform for Audience Building?

Where should you post if you want to build an audience? Substack delivers unbeatable audience-building tools... but it has some...
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Does Your Comic Have to Be in Color?

Does Your Comic Have to Be in Color?

If you’re starting a new comic project, one of the first artistic decisions you’ll face is deceptively simple: color… or...
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Blambot’s Cyberweek Sale

Blambot’s Cyberweek Sale

Blambot's biggest sale of the year is happening now! Save 25% off your entire order at blambot.com. This sale runs...
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December To-Do List

December To-Do List

It's already December. This month is dominated by holidays—both preparing for and celebrating them—and it's the end of the year....
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Writing Creativity icon

Diversity and Inclusion in Comics

Two cartoonists were sitting at a car after a day tabling at a comic convention. The topic of diversity and inclusion came up. Slightly lubricated, one of them said, in a hushed whisper, “I’d write more black characters into my comic, but I’m… scared.”

“Scared?” asked his friend.

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by on May 23, 2018
Posted In: Writing
6 Comments

Bonjoro

I hated Bonjoro.

I discovered it during the recent Patreon video conference, Hang Time. They were pushing it hard, and I decided to give it a shot.

Bonjoro is an app that you can pair with Patreon that enables you to record a personalized greeting when a new backer makes a pledge. You can also pair Bonjoro with other services such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Slack, MailChimp and Stripe. It works like this:

  • Backer pledges to your Patreon account
  • You get a notification on your Bonjoro app
  • You record a greeting to the person
  • You have a “Call To Action” button on the bottom that you can use to link wherever you want
  • Send the video greeting and you’re done

Interesting? Sure. But when I tried it out, I found that I couldn’t stand the way I looked. I sounded dumb. And I couldn’t imagine that anything could be worth this amount of trouble. On top of that, the app costs $20 per month.

I didn’t like it at all. In fact, I ridiculed it on ComicLab.

Then something happened…

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by on May 22, 2018
Posted In: Business, Marketing / Social Media, Merchandise
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How to set up a spot-UV gloss in Adobe InDesign

A spot-UV gloss effect can really add some pizazz to your book cover.

But it’s a little tricky to set up. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial.

I recommend using Adobe InDesign for book layout. (I know… no one likes Adobe’s subscription-payment model, but I’ve yet to find a free/inexpensive option that does a tenth of what InDesign does.)

Once the layout is completed, it’s time to add the spot gloss.

  1. Create a new layer above all other layers.
  2. Create a new color swatch. Change the Color Type from CMYK to Spot. And make it a bright color that will stand out on your layout. I use 100% Magenta. I usually label the color swatch “SPOT VARNISH” so I don’t use it by mistake.
  3. I’m unaware of a shortcut for this step.* Using the Pen tool, you need to draw the areas that will be spot-glossed. If it’s a rectangle (like in the Bloom County book above), then it’s easy. If it’s something with a weird shape, bump your screen up to its best display (View -> Display Performance -> High Quality Display) and take your time.
  4. This one’s super-important! Select all of the spot gloss areas on your Spot Gloss layer and go to Window -> Output -> Attributes. Click on Overprint Fill. If you don’t do this, the spot-gloss areas will obliterate anything beneath it!
  5. Nervous yet? Me, too. So go to Window -> Output -> Separations Preview and change View from Off to Separations. If you don’t see a fifth Spot Varnish layer, you did something wrong in Step Two.
  6. Now, zoom in and toggle that Spot varnish layer on and off. You should be able to see all of the underlying layers unaffected by the Spot varnish layer. (if everything is blotted-out white, you’ve done something wrong with the previous step!

*If you know of a shortcut, it’s time for a guest post! I tried everything I know to avoid tracing the Evil Inc After Dark logo (created in Adobe Illustrator). I tried dragging paths over from Illustrator to InDesign… and from Illustrator to Photoshop to InDesign. I tried all of the above with copy-paste. I tried every sneaky graphic-designer trick I could remember, and got a big fat zilch. Ironically, if I would have just traced the damned thing, I would have spent a fraction of the time I was trying to save.

by on May 18, 2018
Posted In: Archive Dive, Print publishing
2 Comments

ComicLab Ep 20 — Special guest Erika Moen

Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are thrilled to welcome Erika Moen, creator of OhJoySexToy. They talk about her currently running Kickstarter to launch a collection of sex-education cartoons. She has a decidedly different approach to the “soft launch” for Patreon backers discussed on an earlier ComicLab podcast — and her strategy is worth strong consideration.

Then, the gang tackles some great topics like the uncomfortable relationship we artists have with photo reference. Why is there a stigma around using it? And what’s the best way to use it? Then Brad and Dave marvel over Erika’s participation in Helioscope studios. She assures the two crusty hermits that working in an office full of other cartoonists can actually be a positive experience.

Finally, they grapple with the complexities of character design, and discuss the importance of diversity and inclusiveness in building a comic.

BUT FIRST… Dave and Brad catch the Bonjoro bug. It’s either an incredibly powerful tool for cultivating Patreon backers or it’s a good way to send poorly lit videos of your not-ready-for-primetime mug to a recoiling patron. Or both. Is it a good choice if you have a face like Brad’s? Is it an effective tool to build longterm patronage? Could it possibly be worth $25 a month??

Show notes

  • 0:00 — Using Bonjoro to cultivate Patreon backers
  • 11:55 — Erika has a decidedly different approach to a Kickstarter launch than the one promoted in an earlier ComicLab show
  • 20:47 — Using photo reference wisely
  • 32:01 — Working in a studio
  • 43:16 — Savvy approaches to character design
  • 54:19 — Diversity and inclusion. It’s tricky, it’s complicated, it can lead to misunderstandings… and it’s really, really important.
by on May 17, 2018
Posted In: ComicLab
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Blasty

Blasty is a simple, easy-to-use, effective way to address eBook piracy and copyright infringement.

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by on May 15, 2018
Posted In: Business
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Webcomics Confidential — How Do I Get More Patrons on Patreon?

Webcomics Confidential was a video series I did last year for Webcomics.com members. This was the third in the series, and it covers one of the most-frequently-asked questions in webcomics — “How do I get more Patreon patrons?”  The video is below, as well as an mp3 for audio-only enjoyment. (Please scroll down.)

by on May 11, 2018
Posted In: Uncategorized
2 Comments

ComicLab Ep 19 — Motivation, underperforming Patreon tiers, and trying something new

We recorded Drunk ComicLab Saturday, and boy are our livers tired! Brad and Dave talk about the fun they had recording this upcoming Patreon-exclusive show — and the horrors they faced the morning after. Then a listener asks: “How to you stay motivated to comics year after year?” The guys go on to discuss the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (May 12-13), handling an underperforming Patreon tier, working on a new comic at the same time you’re working on an existing one, and the mixed blessing that a cartoonist’s flexible schedule can sometimes be.

Show Notes

  • 00:10 — Drunk ComicLab: Look Back in Horror
  • 10:29 — How to you stay motivated to do comics?
  • 19:47 — The Toronto Comics Arts Festival ‚ is it a good show?
  • 24:02 — What to do with an underperforming Patreon tier
  • 33:52 — How to explore an idea for a new comic while maintaining your current comic
  • 49:49 — A cartoonist’s schedule is flexible — and that can be a mixed blessing.
by on May 10, 2018
Posted In: ComicLab
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Multi-Image Posts on Instagram

Multi-panel posts on Instagram are tailor-made for comic strips and other sequential art. But it can be a little vexing if you haven’t done it before. Here’s an easy-to-follow video walkthrough to get you on the right path.

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by on May 8, 2018
Posted In: Marketing / Social Media
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Archive Dive

Best of Webcomics.com — April 2018

Last month was an excellent example of the tremendous value offered by a subscription to Webcomics.com. My readers got early alerts on issues that would impact their businesses, helpful tutorials, insightful analysis, and meaningful feedback on their work. Here are some samples of what you may have missed…

What if I told you the algorithm is your friend?

We all hate the Facebook algorithm. Why? Because it keeps our messages from going out to all of our followers.

What if I told you that the Facebook algorithm — in fact, most social-media algorithms — was your friend. What if I told you it was an ally? What if I told you it was even more than that? Would you think I was crazy?

Pull up a chair.

What if I told you the algorithm is your friend?

Eisner Nominees Announced

The 2018 Eisner Award nominees have been announced. Here’s the entire list. Of special interest are the nominees for Best Digital Comic and Best Webcomic.

Eisner nominees announced

ComicLab Ep 18 — Comics awards, pen names and warm-up sketches

Beginner cartoonists — Stay off social media

“How do you study to improve and how do you fit that study into your schedule?”

That was the tweet of a cartoonist who was trying to figure out how to find more time to learn the craft. I checked his Twitter feed from earlier that day. They had posted twentytweets that day alone — counting replies to tweets, that number went much, much higher.

Earlier this month, I was actively promoting a Kickstarter, my Patreon, my comic, two podcasts, this website, and god-knows-what-else (making sure I was covering each of the Three Cs…). During that time, I rarely came close to 20 tweets in a day.

This person has the time to devote to learning comics, they’re just not using it.

Beginner cartoonists — Stay off social media

Kickstarter strategy — The Add-On

Forget the Stretch Goal. The Add-on is where it’s at! I was a huge fan of this strategy before, and now that I’m using Backerkit, I’ve been able to use it to tremendous advantage.

Kickstarter strategy — The Add-On

BuyMeACoffee app — Instant coffee

A Webcomics.com member posted rather excitedly about his experience with the BuyMeACoffee app.

It took me about twenty minutes to set up and place link buttons on my sites. Without saying anything to anyone I got my first tip within 12 hours.

“Without saying anything to anyone I got my first tip within 12 hours.” That’s impressive as heck! Then another member chimed in saying that he had been encouraged to register an account with the app. And the next day, he posted a follow-up: “DING! Someone just ‘bought me a coffee’ today!”

Getting that kind of immediate action is tremendous. Hearing about it happening twice within the Webcomics.com community got me wondering, though.

Then, I started doing some very simple social-media searches. What I found made my jaw drop…

BuyMeACoffee app — Instant coffee

Trending Hashtags and Writing prompts

Many of us are striving to become better writers.

And many of us are pushing to improve our reach on social media.

Here’s one way to kill two birds with one stone.

Trending Hashtags and Writing prompts

Tax advice

Today is the tax deadline. You must file your federal income tax return today (along with any state and local taxes that are due).

But what if you owe money and can’t pay? Don’t make a bad situation worse. This could end very badly if you handle it improperly.

It’s understandable.

You’ve gotten into a bad situation — you owe taxes but can’t pay. But don’t make it worse by avoiding the filing deadline. There’s a right way and a wrong way to handle this situation…

Tax advice

How Losing Followers Helps You Gain Success

I knew I had touched a nerve when I tweeted a conversation I had earlier with a fellow cartoonist…

Brad Guigar

✔@guigar

Cartoonist: Every time I mention Patreon on an Instagram post, I lose followers!
Me: Good
C: ?
Me: I’d rather have 1k followers who want me to succeed than 10k who’d drop me for that. The folks who left did you a favor. More room in the algorithm for you to reach the right people

Twitter Ads info and privacy

The response was a groundswell of support. So let’s drill down on the subject…

How Losing Followers Helps You Gain Success

Patreon prep

As crowdfunding takes an increasingly dominant role in webcomics revenue, more and more independent creators are turning to tools like Patreon to fund their work. But launching a Patreon page can feel daunting. Here are some steps you can take to ensure that you’re starting out on the right foot.

Patreon prep

Understanding Curation in Social Media

“I’ve been trying to do the whole Curating thing like you’ve been saying (primarily on Facebook), but I haven’t noticed any difference.”

That was the comment from a webcartoonist who was struggling to get traction on social media with their comic. When I looked at their Facebook page, I realized that we needed to have a discussion about two topics:

  • Understanding Curation better
  • Understanding the WHY

With their permission, I’m going to share some of our conversation because I think it points to some universal misunderstandings about how social media works.

Understanding Curation in Social Media

Kickstarter strategies that get results

Managing a successful Kickstarter campaign boils all down to planning. The time you spend in the weeks (and months) leading up to the launch can help ensure you hit your goal. So, let’s talk about Kickstarter strategies that really work well…

Kickstarter strategies that get results

Hashing out #hashtags

I loathe hashtags.

To me, there’s no quicker way to firmly establish your amateurishness — your desperation— than to end a social-media post with a long string of generic hashtags. There are a few exceptions. Instagram, for example, seems to make hashtags a requirement. But even then, conventional wisdom says that more than seven hashtags will get penalized by the app’s Facebook-influenced algorithm.

But as I scroll down my various social-media feeds, I realize that it’s really not hashtags themselves that bug me. Rather, it’s the unimaginative, lazy, knee-jerk way that we webcartoonists tend to apply them.

So, let’s talk about how we can up our #hashtag game.

Hashing out #hashtags

Mailbag: How do I market my webcomic?

Q.: I’ve started a Wix site for my webcomic but I’m a bit stumped when it comes to getting views on my website.

I’ve already filled out the SEO stuff (limited as it is for a free site) so I can’t do much more there. And added some social media buttons.

I’d like some ideas on how I can get views or where and how I can advertise to get views.

A.: There’s not a webcartoonist alive who doesn’t ask themselves that question. Heck, I would imagine it applies to any creative profession. It’s one of our very few Universal Sentiments.

But it’s a mindset that misses an important point, and until you understand it, I think it’s going to hold you back.

What I think you’re missing is this: You’re already getting new readers. Every day. The question you should be asking yourself is whether you’re keeping the new readers you doget. And if that answer is no, you have to take a long, hard, objective look at why that is. If you think your comic is good — and if you’re not keeping new readers — then maybe it’s not as good as you think it is.

https://www.webcomics.com/articles/art/mailbag-how-do-i-market-my-webcomic/

by on May 7, 2018
Posted In: Archive Dive
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