Let’s take another look at the bedrock of a webcomic business — its website. What are we most interested in improving? Share your thoughts!
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Earlier today, Patreon unveiled a new logo, a new site design, and several new features. For a crowdfunding platform that took webcomics by storm last year, there’s no signs of slowing down. Here’s a look at some of the changes.
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The most recent Webcomics.con Poll asked respondents to complete this sentence: “The thing that worries me most about 2017 is…”
The results weren’t particularly surprising. The top two answers were actually related, as a matter of fact. 23% of the people said Net Neutrality was their top concern. And 21% said that political changes were their top concerns.
But the really interesting discussion is about what fell to the bottom of the list…
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I have a confession to make: I stopped allowing my readers to make comments on my public website, and I’ve never been happier. What’s more… my work has improved, too. Back in the day, reader comments were the lifeblood of a website. Today, they do more harm than good. In this episode of Webcomics Confidential I’ll talk about the new way I’m using this relationship to my advantage — and my thoughts on handling negative comments when they occur.
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If you file quarterly estimated tax payments, your Q2 payment should be mailed by Thursday.
If you mail your estimated tax payment and the date of the U.S. postmark is on or before the due date, the IRS will generally consider the payment to be on time. If you use IRS Direct Pay, you can make payments up to 8 p.m. Eastern time on the due date. If you use a credit or a debit card, you can make payments up to midnight on the due date. [SOURCE]
If you don’t pay enough tax through withholding and estimated tax payments, you may be charged a penalty. You also may be charged a penalty if your estimated tax payments are late, even if you are due a refund when you file your tax return. [SOURCE]
I spotted an example of this one in the wild, and figured it was a good opportunity to talk about the finer points of lettering.
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May 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…
This post has been submitted by Webcomics.com member Tyler James, of ComixLaunch. I strongly recommend his post on keeping a 30-Day Patreon Launch Journal.
“Patreon is not a tip jar. It’s a subscription service for exclusive content.”
That was one of several big takeaways from my recent ComixLaunch interview on the state of the webcomics business model with Brad Guigar.
During our conversation, Brad talked frankly about how figuring out Patreon and more importantly figuring out what his patrons actually wanted from him, was a key to keeping his business sustainable in the face of changing market forces.
Like many of you, I love hearing great ideas.
I love the explosion of possibilities gaining new knowledge sets off in my mind.
But I also know that knowledge alone is not power.
In this information age, ideas are selling for far less than a dime a dozen.
And good ideas have an expiration date. [Subscribers can read the rest of this post]
We’ve had an excellent discussion in the Private Forum about traffic-building on the post-ad-blocker web.
In the course of the conversation, I started brainstorming on a special publishing strategy for longform comics that can’t/don’t use humor as a hook for their updates.
I think it’s worth experimentation.
And it’s all about cultivating the orbital reader
[This was a FREE FRIDAY post, you can read the whole thing without a subscription!]
It’s why you’re underachieving on Patreon. You think it’s about you and your dreams. You think it’s a tip jar. You think it’s about your personal journey. It’s not about any of that stuff. It’s all about the reader, and they want to know “what’s in it for me?” If you can’t answer that — satisfactorily — then you lose. People want stuff for their money. It’s that simple. But until you understand it — and apply it – you’re going nowhere fast.
[Subscribers can view the entire video here]
Today’s Webcomics Confidential is a step-by-step tutorial on preparing images to be printed in CMYK/offset setting. We’ll talk about setting up a properly working “lineart” layer, setting a trap layer for a rich black, and more!
[Subscribers can view the entire video here]
I strongly endorse using the Jetpack plug-in for WordPress sites. I’m also a big fan of DreamHost, and I use them for my sites. Here’s good news for members who use both… [Subscribers only]
My Twitter feed exploded last night when someone asked for the top three ways to bring traffic to a webcomic. My answer was simple:
That was NOT what people wanted to hear. But I believe it passionately… and since Twitter is a horrible way to communicate, I decided to elaborate on my thoughts on the next Webcomics Confidential.
[Subscribers can watch the entire video here]
Around 2014, webcomics reached the tipping point with ad blockers. With ad revenue restricted to a trickle, many of the traditional, assumed features of webcomics have lost their original purpose. Daily updates…publishing the most recent update on the home page… free archives… all of these things were created to service an ad-supported business model. Removing ads, then, makes it necessary to rethink webcomics from the ground up.
[Subscribers can watch the entire video here]
Designing a book cover entails creating the back cover, spine and front over all on the same document. And that can be a little tricky. Heres a little tip to get you moving fast. [Subscribers can read the entire tutorial here.]
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. [Subscribers can read the entire tutorial here]
A Webcomics.com member challenged my thinking (in a good way) on reader retention in the “Do A Good Comic” episode of Webcomics Confidential. He suggested a mathematical formula to help track his success at retaining readers. It was a concept that rattled around in my brain for several days afterwards. After all, it seems logical that — if what I was saying was true, it should be able to be measured. But, I’m not convinced that it can. And I’ll try to explain why that it…
[Subscribers can watch the entire video here]
A new “talent search” … a new warningYou’ve heard me say it before… always read your contract, and pay careful to the fine print. I’ve been traditionally wary of talent searches and talent contests going all the way back to Zuda (and beyond). There’s a new talent search being promoted for an upcoming comic convention, but in this case, it’s important to pay attention to a little bit more than the fine print… [Subscribers can read the entire post here]
Tapastic Adds “Right of First Refusal”Bleeding Cool is reporting that webcomic host/publisher Tapastic has added a “right of first refusal” clause to their Terms of Service:
If user desires to sell, license, exercise or otherwise dispose of, indirectly or directly, any rights or any interest in any content posted on the Platform (the “Offered Right”), then the user shall give written notice to Tapas Media of such desire. Commencing upon Tapas Media’s receipt of such notice there shall be a 30 day period in which user will negotiate in good faith with Tapas Media for Tapas Media’s acquisition of such offered rights. If by the end of 30 days no agreement has been reached or if at anytime Tapas Media declines interests in the offered rights, then the user shall be free to negotiate elsewhere with respect to such offered Right.
I suggest you take a close look at Tapastic’s updated languages and make your own decisions soon.
I deleted my Tapastic account because they granted themselves right of first refusal in their updated Terms of Service agreement (TOS). After I deleted my account with them, Bleeding Cool reported a response from the company to the angry backlash over the rights-grab. My deleted account is staying deleted, and I’ll tell you why… [Subscribers can read the entire post]
Twelve Ways You’re Doing Patreon WrongSome cartoonists have been asking me to give them my thoughts on their Patreon pages. And I’ve opened up a new Hot Seat critique series based on members’ Patreons. And — honestly, I’m a little obsessed — when I see a new Patreon page being promoted, I go over and see how they’ve got it structured. Sometimes, I find ideas worth stealing. But more often, I’m seeing a lot of the same mistakes being made over and over again. And, in my opinion, it’s having an adverse effect on your ability to generate support.
Now, this is usually where I cut the article and throw the rest of the post behind the paywall. But this one is so damned important, I’m not going to do that. If this is you, you need to stop, rethink and rebuild.
[This was a FREE FRIDAY post, you can read the whole thing without a subscription!]
It’s Q&A time on today’s Webcomics Confidential! A Webcomics.com member writes:
I was hoping you could talk a little social media strategy sometime. I was terrible for being that “go check out my comic” person but I get completely stumped as to what else to post. I can’t imagine anyone cares what I had for lunch as those kinds of things always make me tune-out and I’m never sure when a simple opinion like, “Tupperware is useful sometimes” is going to set off a rage response about someone’s Tupperware trauma. Do you have any go-to tricks for posting ideas? Questions you might ask yourself or techniques like the word-association thing you’ve discussed for breaking writer’s block?
So… when it comes to media, what do you say when you have nothing to say? — Plenty! That’s when you drop back to the Three Cs of social media. And then, let’s talk about the Mirror Research that brought you to the (mistaken) conclusion that “Tupperware” posts are bad!
And then, near the end of the video, we tackle a burning question for all cartoonists. And the answer just might explain why we cartoonists have such a hard time getting paid for our work!
[Subscribers can watch the entire video here]
A Webcomics.com member wrote in asking me to talk about common mistakes webcartoonists make when they’re preparing to do their first book. I started thinking about it, and there are a lot of them! I know because I made almost each one!
[Subscribers can watch the entire video here]
It just struck me in the shower this morning… the nominations for the Harvey Awards haven’t been announced. A quick check of my previous posts shows me that nominations had usually opened in late February or early March. Then, when I went to HarveyAwards.org, I was re-directed to Pheidias Project Management.
So what gives? [Subscribers can rad the entire post — including the “response” from Reed Expo]
Productivity apps, daily planners, Post-it™ notes… they’re all swell, but there’s a secret to mastering time management, and it’s important to understand it before you plunk your money down on any of that stuff.
[Subscribers can watch the entire video here]
A Webcomics.com member wrote:
I’ve been reading webcomics since the early 2000s, and many of the webcomics that I read over the years were members of webcomics communities – Keenspot/Keenspace, Blank Label, Halfpixel, and a few others. I always thought that being a part of a community like that would be beneficial because of strength in numbers, cross promotion, and having people to lean on when you need help. Do you think that webcomic communities are a thing of the past or could they still be a good thing (or is it a case-by-case kind of situation)? It would seem to me that in an era of social connectivity that maybe it’s unnecessary.
It’s a great question. We’re certainly in an era in webcomics in which “everything old is new again.” Does that hold true for the Collectives of old? Perhaps. But here’s a few things you’ll want to keep in mind before signing up.
Having launched a few Kickstarter campaigns of my own, I’ve been doing a lot of “I make mistakes so you don’t have to” research for this site. Here’s a few things I learned — and a few tips I’ve culled from from others along the way.
The Kickstarter campaign does not end with the goal. Stretch goals have come to be expected in a Kickstarter campaign. It’s much more impressive (to a potential donor) to have surpassed a reasonable goal than to struggle to reach a lofty one.
Pay close attention to the end date of your campaign. Ending on a weekend is murder. Internet traffic slows to a halt over the weekend. You want to be able to ramp up the excitement in the closing minutes of the campaign. And that’s not going to happen while everyone’s away from their computers.
Answer questions and respond to comments. Talk it up on your social media feeds. The more excited you are, the more excited they’ll be.
@guigar You’re good at this, I only read comics and still felt like it needed to be backed.
— Lager Kire (@MayWeDieInThe) June 21, 2013
Kickstarter allows you to take polls among your supporters. what a great way to gauge interest in stretch goals and rewards.
There’s a huge social aspect to Kickstarter. People will look at how many Kickstarters you’ve backed and use that to help decide whether to back yours. A healthy number of backed Kickstarter campaigns can replace name recognition or brand.
People don’t read. They look and then they read (if they’re interested). Show pages from the comic or book that you’re gathering funds for. Get them interested.
Make your video friendly, informal, and — most importantly — short! Get to the point. There’s nothing worse than trying to slog through a video that takes more time showing you how cute the creator can be with his copy of iMovie. I wanna know who you are, what you’re doing, and why I need to be involved. Make eye contact. Smile. And talk clearly.
Wanna know what’s going to take a bigger bite of your profits than you’re prepared for? Mailing costs. They’re gonna eat you alive if you’re not careful. Avoid shipping anything to anyone until you get to your higher tiers. Make as much use out of digital rewards as you posibly can.
Listen to your supporters, study your numbers, and adapt your campaign accordingly. I noticed that my Kickstarter was stagnating a bit because my reward tiers topped out at $100. When I included rewards at higher numbers, my campaign took a leap ahead as new supporters joined the campaign. But more importantly, current supporters increased their pledges. They wanted to give me more money, but I wasn’t letting them!
This was originally a top-ten list, but I can’t not include this one: Clear your schedule for the next 30 days. You have a defined window of opportunity, and you need to be completely tuned-in to make this happen. That means a significant investment of time and mental energy. Get ahead on your buffer and warn your family. This is going to be thirty very intense days.
Forget the Stretch Goal. The Add-on is where it’s at — especially if it’s a digital add-on!
Editor’s Note: The Add-on was a huge part of the success of my own recent Kickstarter. However, there’s a new twist — Backerkit. We’ll be talking more about that in an upcoming post.
Whenever a Kickstarter campaign attains its goal, it’s expected that the creator will announce a Stretch Goal. I know that was the expectation when I hit my funding goal with two weeks of campaigning to go. But I really didn’t have a good Stretch Goal lined up. My readers have never strongly supported merchandise outside of the graphic-novel line, so maquettes, action figures and toys were out.Heck, I’ve never even seen a strong enough demand for hardcover editions to justify that expense. Besides, adding all of that stuff to the mix means accounting for extra shipping expenses, and I wasn’t certain that I was going to be able to hit a Stretch Goal if it accounted for all of the extra money that would be needed.
And — really — now that I’ve reached my goal, isn’t it wiser to simply run up the numbers for the current Kickstarter? I mean, I have a three-volume omnibus book that I want to pitch to my readers, but I think it’s better to let that stand on its own merits — with its own Kickstarter.
However, I did want to maximize the money I’d be able to generate in the next two weeks of Kickstarter funding.
And that’s when I discovered the beauty of the Add-on.
The Kickstarter Add-on was pioneered by tabletop-gaming project creators, who have used them to allow backers to add expansion packs, extra cards and game pieces. Since then, add-ons have become popular for projects in every category.
I offered a single Add-on — a PDF that collected the NSFW comics I was doing for Patreon since last April. I alerted my Kickstarter backers that it would be available as a $20 add-on. That announcement went out on April 7.
Three days later, I’ve seen $720 in increased pledges.
It’s June. Comic Con International is only weeks away. Many of your readers are going to be out of school and enjoying summer. And maybe your own kids are, too. There’s a lot to get to, so let’s get cracking.
The content you are trying to access is only available to members.
A Webcomics.com member wrote:
I’ve been reading webcomics since the early 2000s, and many of the webcomics that I read over the years were members of webcomics communities – Keenspot/Keenspace, Blank Label, Halfpixel, and a few others. I always thought that being a part of a community like that would be beneficial because of strength in numbers, cross promotion, and having people to lean on when you need help. Do you think that webcomic communities are a thing of the past or could they still be a good thing (or is it a case-by-case kind of situation)? It would seem to me that in an era of social connectivity that maybe it’s unnecessary.
It’s a great question. We’re certainly in an era in webcomics in which “everything old is new again.” Does that hold true for the Collectives of old? Perhaps. But here’s a few things you’ll want to keep in mind before signing up.
The content you are trying to access is only available to members.
