It’s time to get started on (*choke*) the penultimate month of 2017.
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Patreon has proven to be a game-changer for may people pursuing webcomics. But some new patrons have a hard time navigating the Patreon interface to get the most out of their patronage. While I don’t mind seeing “my financial situation has changed” and “I only intended to pledge for a limited time” in my Patron Exit Surveys, I hate seeing “I’m not happy with Patreon’s features or services.”
To be fair, the “I’m not happy…” response appears rarely. But, in optimizing my Patreon approach, I’ve created something that I’m seeing very positive results from…
I recorded a brief screen recording of me navigating Patreon, narrating the process and adding titles to help patrons fast-forward to each new topic.
In my walkthrough, I covered:
Mind you, much of this stuff is covered in my welcome e-mail. But, let’s face it, most people give that a skim at best.
Once I posted the walkthrough video to my Patreon page, I tagged it as “User Guide,” and made it one of the Featured Tags on my Posts page. In fact, I made it the top Featured Tag:
Now, it has a position of prominence on the Posts page. So as new users are trying to navigate the system, it’s very likely to be spotted — and used to help them solve their issues.
Back in July, I have you a heads-up to start planning holiday merchandise. Well, surprise! It’s November! In case you need to catch up, here are a few thoughts…
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UPS is raising its rates on Dec. 24. This will include rates for UPS Ground, UPS Air and International services, as well as UPS Air Freight rates within and between the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. These hikes will increase prices an average net 4.9%. Criteria and pricing for Additional Handling and Large Package surcharges will also change.
Here’s a detailed rundown of the changes…
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Kumoricon, an anime convention in Portland, Oregon, has taken a hard-line stance on unlicensed merchandise — posting signs to help attendees identify vendors who are flaunting the con’s rules.
On Facebook, the response was, as usual, overblown and underthought.
“This is big news in the comic con circuit and frankly a welcome development!” posted one artist.
“So this would kill artist alley then as well, no more commissions or prints from Indy guys? Cons can’t survive without filling the artist alley spaces. It’ll be interesting to see…” responded another.
Hmmmm.
Let’s take a realistic look at what just happened.
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Smith Micro, the company that developed Manga Studio (which was renamed Clip Studio Paint) is officially handing the property over to CELSYS. According to their press release:
“We are pleased to announce that our good partner, CELSYS, is now expanding their capabilities beyond software developer. For Smith Micro customers of CLIP STUDIO PAINT / Manga Studio 5, as of October 28, 2017 you can now look to CELSYS for download licenses, support and technical inquiries.”
According to Smith Micro, CELSYS has taken over technical support for copies of Clip Studio Paint purchased from Smith Micro, and they promise the transition will be seamless. They also insist that “although CELSYS is a Japanese corporation, their capable English support staff will be more than happy to provide stable user support.”
The new CELSYS support system is described as follows:
An ISBN is a 10- or 13-digit number that is used to identify a book from a specific publisher. Once your book is in print, you can register the title and link it to the ISBN here.
Honestly? Not really.
You definitely need an ISBN if you’re planning to release the book through a distributor (like Diamond Comics Distributors) or to a retail outlet (like Amazon).
If you’re just selling books directly to readers through your site, you don’t need an ISBN.
I recommend that you buy your ISBNs from R.R. Bowker. POD companies may offer an ISBN, but if you buy it from a reseller, you take the risk that you may not be listed as the book’s actual publisher. CreateSpace is a notable exception. Their ISBNs are legit.
The ISBN is printed on your book’s copyright page, and it is incorporated into the barcode that should appear on the book’s back cover.
The ISBN is used (along with the retail price of the book) to create the barcode. You can create a barcode easily online or you can purchase software like Barcode Producer to create them.
The retail price is coded in a five-digit number.
You print the barcode on your book as part of your back cover. Here are some guidelines — including how to place it properly on the back cover.
Here’s a ton more information on the topic. If you have the How To Make Webcomics book, there’s information on ISBNs there, too.
This is something I’ve been yearning for since Patreon launched — the ability to serve Patreon-exclusive content on my own website! Here’s what we know…
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A Webcomics.com member pointed to a comics pro who has come to the conclusion that Facebook is a poor way to communicate with readers. After all, this person has nearly 7,000 Likes on their Facebook Fan Page, and a typical post only reaches about 30 people. It must be a rigged game! It must be a push to make you buy advertising!
Or it might be something else.
I have a few thoughts…
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I saw a lot of panic Sunday night, when Patreon released its revised Community Guidelines regarding adult content. Some people openly surmised that this was an indication that Patreon would be banning adult content.
It’s not.
Let’s take a little time to understand the situation.
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