#34: Patience Pep Talk
In the last two Creating Comics! columns, I discussed the tough realities of making this comics thing work. The article on sacrifice lead to a great discussion on the Javiland Podcast. Likewise, the article on "The Dip" was followed up with a discussion on The Lightbox Podcast. Definitely check out those shows if you enjoyed the articles. Now, if you've been reading this column from the beginning, it should come to no surprise to you that I'm an optimist. But I'm also a realist. And I think those are traits you need to make it. And you also need a big old heaping pile of patience.
Tyler, a lot of what you're saying makes sense. Like you, I'm trying to build a readership and I think I'm doing everything I'm supposed to be doing. I'm putting out good content online almost daily and have been for about two years. And yet it's not enough. I'm putting in so much time and effort into this thing and not making a dime off of it. We all need something to come back our way, other than a slight uptick in readership, don't we? Are we all just fooling ourselves in thinking that there will EVER be any kind of payback for the effort we're putting in? You've been on my radar for a while and you're clearly putting in a lot of work to deliver a lot of content. What good things are coming back to you at the moment in return for your efforts? Or are you content to work now in hopes for some big reward down the line? I realize I'm still in the early stages too, but with the work I'm putting in, it sure doesn't feel like it.
That, my good readers, is a great question from someone currently in "The Dip." [Reworded and generalized, but based on an actual discussion I'm having with a talented writer at the moment.] Because it's such a great question and because it's highly relevant to the types of things I've been discussing recently (and because I suspect many of you have had similar thoughts), I want to share my response here.
First, go order Godin's book, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) (Or request it on inter-library loan, ya cheapskate.)
Second, take two minutes and watch this short video by Gary Vaynerchuk, one of the top thinkers in social media and personal brand building in the world right now.
You back?
Great. Gary gave some great general advice and now I'm going to bring it back to comics. The honest to God truth is that most businesses, be they bars or blogs, retail chains or webcomics, take five years to be profitable. And that's not five years of half-assing it...that's five years of busting your tail. While we all love an overnight success story, the truth is we tend to prefer a proven brand. And becoming a proven brand takes time.
The fact that there is A.) No guarantee that there's gold at the end of the rainbow and B.) Thousands of reasons to quit and do something else with our time and money, is precisely the reason that so many people who try to make it in comics eventually quit. And it is only because SO many people quit that there are big rewards out there for those who stick it out through the tough times and make it to the other side.
Personally, I would love to be further along in my comics career. When I see Jim Lee this weekend at the Boston Comic Con, I'd love to have him offer me a writing gig on a Batman mini-series.
But the truth is, I'm exactly where I deserve to be in comics, career wise.
And so are you.
I've earned my current place in the pecking order...Hard-working indy guy putting out some interesting stuff with a bit of potential. And you've earned your place, too. When our work is good enough, and the time and effort has been put in and the dues have been paid, I have NO DOUBT the rewards will come.
For all the knocks against our capitalist society, the good news is, rewards flow to exceptional work. So to get those rewards, it's really easy. Do exceptional work.
The hard thing for aspiring comics writers and artists to admit is that we currently aren't capable of doing the exceptional. We haven't put in the work. We haven't sharpened our skills. We can't put out truly great comics until we've first put out some bad ones. Comics is no different than anything else. Dues need to be paid to get good at anything. Take teaching for example. Studies show it takes seven years to become a highly effective teacher. SEVEN YEARS! Seven years of behavior management and lesson planning and grading and faculty meetings and professional development. Seven years.
Studies also show most teachers leave the profession within five years.
Comics is no different. Most of you will quit before you've even had a shot at being great at this. But for those of you who stick with it...
But what about now? The long hours and little rewards? How do you stay motivated?
How do I stay motivated?
For now, I'm just trying to enjoy the journey and stay present in this phase of my career, which if I'm not obsessing about the future, is truthfully a very cool place to be. At this stage, I can build my readership one person at a time. I can really connect and interact with all my readers directly, and respond to every email and comment. That's a nice thing...Bendis and Morrison don't quite have that luxury anymore.
As for rewards for the effort I'm putting in, though, I'm certainly seeing them...
There are really talented artists willing to collaborate with me on projects. Matt Zolman, who I'm working with on EPIC, has no shortage of writers interested in working with him. But he chose to work with me because he's seen the work I've put in and has determined that I bring a lot to the table as a co-creator. As a result, he's come on board and is doing the best work of his young career. And since Matt is knocking it out of the park, we've been able to attract to our team Ty Tyner, a hungry aspiring colorist who is busting his ass and also doing the best work of his career.
- I've been invited as a featured guest to a number of cons. Okay, so none of the majors yet, and no one is flying me out or sending the limo. But some mid-tier shows are waving my table fee and promoting me on their websites. That's definitely a cool get and greatly improves my bottom line when it comes to selling at those shows.
- I'm building a readership and entertaining people. There's a power here. So what if your readership is small at present? You HAVE a readership! If you're doing a webcomic and only get a few comments here and there, don't take those for granted. People are busy and they don't have to take the time to leave a comment on my comics or retweet my stuff....but some of them do. And that's damn cool. A kind word of encouragement can go a long way if you'll let it.
- I'm really learning how to do this comics thing. Writing, collaborating, producing, marketing, selling, customer service, (hell, even my art is improving a bit)...I'm getting to run my own little comics business. I've always had an entrepreneurial drive and this is scratching that itch. As far as financial rewards...I have the goal this year to break even. (That would be an improvement on the past two years.) I have a plan in place to make that happen. And so far, I'm on track.
So those are just some of the rewards I'm getting. What about yours? What rewards are you getting out of this passion to create comics? Are you fixated on the rewards to come or investing in your current stage of your career and enjoying the benefits it brings?
As always...I'd love to hear your thoughts.
NEXT: 3 Creating Comics Tools You Should Be Using (For real this time)
Tyler James is a comics creator residing in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He writes and draws Over, a romantic comedy online graphic novel updating every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He also writes Tears of the Dragon, an epic fantasy webcomic. His work has been featured at Zuda Comics, and includes Interrogation Control Element, a political action thriller, and Super Seed, the story of the world's first super powered fertility clinic. When not making comics, Tyler works as a game designer and content producer for a software company.
Contact Tyler directly at tylerjamescomics@gmail.com, keep up with him at his blog, or follow him on Twitter.
Attention Readers: If you enjoy this column, you might be interested in checking out The ComixStreet Recap. It's a new series I've begun where I share and comment on interesting topics, resources, and events relevant to comic creators. The column is bi-weekly, and posts on Thursdays.
Previous Columns
1: Big Goals
2: Resolutions
3: The Great Idea
4: Research Part I
5: Research Part II
6: The Killer Pitch Part I - The High Concept
7: The Killer Pitch Part II - The Synopsis
8: Pay Your Artists
9: Zuda Comics- A Tale of Five Submissions
10: Creating Great Characters Part I (Or Why Wolverine is Everywhere)
11: Creating Great Characters Part II (Or Why Wolverine is Everywhere)
12: Structurally Sound- The Beginning
13: Your Reputation
14: Structurally Sound- The Middle
15: Structurally Sound - The End
16: Your First Con
17: Beat It
18: Memorable Scenes
19: Mailbag
20: Comics Dialogue - Part I
21: Comics Dialogue - Part II
22: Baltimore Comic Con - Part I
23: Baltimore Comic Con - Part II
24: Is It Worth It?
25: The Re-Write Part I
26: The Re-Write Part II
27: The Re-Write Part III
28: Taking Initiative
29: Setting the Table for a New Year of Creating Comics
30: Ready to Script
31: An Artist Ready Script
32: Going All In
33: The Dip and Being the Best in the World
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