Today’s show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! This week, we’re talking about juggling multiple projects.
Questions asked and topics covered…
Juggling two projects
Sound effects
Patreon solves VAT dilemma for its creators
Running out of Patreon rewards
Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!
Today’s show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! This week, we’re devoting a special hour-and-a-half episode to advice for exhibiting at comic conventions!
As conventions re-open, there are a lot of people who are anxious to get back into the swing. And that includes folks who are planning to open at their first-ever show. If you’re a first-time exhibitor, this guide is for you.
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Writing comedy is a challenge that is made even more daunting in the fact that humor itself is completely subjective and impossible to define. Here’s some thoughts on taking a clever idea and pushing it until it’s actually funny.
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It’s becoming increasingly obvious that we’re headed for another major pendulum swing for webcomics. Social media — which has been a mainstay for independent artists to promote and publish their work — is grinding to a halt. As the major platforms continue to restrict their algorithms in an effort to force people into purchasing more views for their posts, creators are weighing their options. Some are choosing the “pay to play” option. But others are taking their game elsewhere.
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Today’s show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! This week, Dave shares his strategy for meeting his Kickstarter goal in the opening days — and juicing the algorithm — by using Patreon!
Questions asked and topics covered…
Reaching a Kickstarte goal in the opening days — using Patreon
A fellow creator once shared that they were told that a comics page should have between 4 and 7 panels per page. Not only is this bad advice, but it removes the focus from where it ought to be.
I’m reading the most AMAZING comic! It has between four and seven panels on every page! It’s absolutely delightful!
— No one, ever, in the history of comics
Here’s the problem with establishing a rule of thumb like the 4-7-panel rule. It puts the emphasis exactly where it doesn’t belong. Because while you’re sitting at your drawing table counting panels, the successful creator has their eyes on a much different prize:
What do I need to do to make something SIGNIFICANT happen on this page?
Making good comics isn’t about panel-count. It’s about creating a desirable reading experience. It’s about compelling storytelling. It’s about not boring people. And that’s a challenge to keep us, as creators, busy for a long, long time.
In short, designing a page with 4-7 panels is easy. Being interesting is hard.
Therefore, if you’ve created a compelling page that has only one panel, then that’s a good page. And if your page is enthralling at 14 panels, then by golly, you get to work on that 14-panel page!
Here’s the problem with following that terrible rule of thumb. It’s not only bad storytelling advice, it’s downright deadly web-publishing advice. That’s because that page you’re working on is most likely the next update on your website. And if you paid more attention to counting panels than you paid to making something interesting happen, then you are running a double risk:
You’re not gaining new readers through that update
You may be losing the readers you have
Remember: Every day someone is coming to your site (or your social media) for the very first time, and the update they see in that moment will either keep them or lose them. If your update is compelling, you’ve got a fighting chance of converting at least a few of those newcomers. If you’re focusing on how many panels you have on the page, you’re going to have one, new reader.
Merry Christmas — and Happy New Year! Set down the sunblock, and step away from the pool. It’s time to start planning for December and January.
I know it’s hard to get into the spirit, but this is the time to start working on merchandise for the holiday shopping season. In recent years, webcartoonists have offered an increasing compliment of holiday goodies that have ranged from specialty T-shirts and mugs to holiday-themed greeting cards. And let’s not forget to add calendars to that list. Those will start appearing in stores by November — at the latest!
So, let’s take a closer look at some of those specialty products, and how we can start working now to be ready to compete when the snow falls.
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This is the time to plan your Christmas-season merchandise. I suggest offering something new in the $10-$20 price range during the holiday shopping season. But you have to get started now if you haven’t already. Christmas cards, for example, are cheap to produce and tend to be very good sellers.
Speaking of the holidays, if you’re thinking about offering a calendar, this is a good time to start work. Here are some thoughts.
The bulk of the convention season is over, which means that convention promoters are prepping for their 2020 shows. Ship them one of your media kits to convince them what your bring to the table as a guest.
Look at your bank account. If you have a significant profit, how are you planning to use it to grow your business? Promotion? Equipment? Merchandise? If not, where are you losing money? Convention costs? Poor ad rates? Low traffic? Start making plans now to finish the year strong.
Don’t forget to set aside money to pay income taxes.Speaking of which, quarterly income taxes are due in September.
Take a stroll through your site. Make a few notes of broken links, out-of-date images and other errors to fix in the coming month.
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