#37: Business Mailbag
Spring is definitely in the air. (And by spring I mean pollen. All my allergy suffering comrades know what I'm talking about.) I just spent the morning cleaning up my room and studio, so it seems only fitting that I should clean out my Creating Comics! mailbox. Let's get to it!
Hey, Tyler. I am pursuing a similar approach to the indy comic thing as you are-- online free webcomic, with hard-copy collections, special editions, etc--and I'm curious how it's worked out for you thus far. What are the best and worst aspects of publishing your own books?
Great question. The single best thing about self-publishing is the fact that there is no one preventing you from breaking into comics. Let's repeat that:
THERE IS NO ONE PREVENTING YOU FROM BREAKING INTO COMICS.
There are no barriers to entry. Step 1: Make a comic. Step 2: Publish it.
In actuality, this has always been the case. But with the advent of technology like the internet and print-on-demand, it's become easier than ever to get your work read.
So that's one great thing about self-publishing. The other is the fact that by pulling up my sleeves and doing it all myself (or with my collaborators) I'm learning SO much. Writing, penciling, inking, coloring, lettering, page design, graphic design, web design, marketing, selling, community building, educating, podcasting, advertising...the laundry list of skills I'm building ALL the time is pretty freaking impressive. Though I recognize the danger of being a Jack of all trades and master of none, I believe it's going to serve me well to see how every piece of this puzzle gets put together.
The downside to self-publishing? Money and prestige.
Money is always going to be a factor in any business. Not the only factor, but a factor nonetheless. You're going to need money to pay your collaborators, money to print your books, money to promote your work, money to attend cons. There's no shortage of ways to lose your shirt in comics. It would certainly be nice to have someone else footing the bill for my print runs or running a modest ad campaign for me. My goal at the beginning of the year was to have a break-even 2010 for my comics business. I've been in the red for the previous two years, so breaking even (and eventually profiting) is a milestone I need to hit before I can feel comfortable calling it a business. (After all, an activity that loses money isn't a business. It's a hobby.)
Prestige, or perceived lack thereof is the other downside of self-publishing, and this one is also sort of tied to the money thing. After all, if someone else is footing the bill for your comics, that's saying something, right? (And I think this actually gets some creators in trouble, doing work with less than scrupulous publishers who profit off their labor in return for the "prestige" of having published work.) Now, as Dave Sim, Jeff Smith, Terry Moore, and others prove, self-publishing CAN bring high acclaim. But I think most of those "How do I break into comics?" people really mean, "How do I break into the Big Two" or "How do I get an Image deal?" The fact that ANYONE can create comics and there is no gatekeeper makes it difficult to separate oneself from the pack of all the other thousands of creators trying to make it, too. But hey, it SHOULD be difficult.
I try not to let the prestige factor get to me. I look at it this way: The Yankees didn't make Derek Jeter a great shortstop. American Idol didn't make Kelly Clarkson a great singer. And Marvel did not make Brian Bendis a great writer. No, it was the hours and hours and hours of practice and work that made them good enough to get a chance to shine on a big stage. To be successful at creating comics, you and I need to become great. That's on us.
As an indy comic creator, what do you feel is the most popular aspect of your package (i.e. your comics, original art, prints, etc)?
I'll try to resist pontificating on the most popular aspect of my package. (Heh...Package.) I think it is a good thing to be reflective and self-aware, to know your strengths and weaknesses. For me, I think the fact that I'm approachable and accessible definitely has helped build my fanbase. I also think I'm a quick learner, and I'm not afraid to take risks (on subject matter for comics, approaches to selling, on being an open book in my column, etc.) I think it also helps that I GIVE a ton. This year I've given freely 60+ pages of webcomic goodness, a handful of columns, 152 and counting free sketch cards at conventions...this has definitely helped expand my readership and win a few folks over.
But if we want to get down to dollars and cents as a measure of popularity, I'm happy to break down some numbers for you. As an indy creator, I have a number of avenues of potential revenue from my comic business. Here is a breakdown of how each revenue stream has contributed to the total income picture of my comic business so far this year:
Looking at it this way, it's clear just how important conventions are to my business. Approximately 3/4 of my income (original art, convention comic sales, and print sales) comes at cons. Having a webcomic and selling goods online simply isn't enough (and for me, only 5% of my income is being generated through ad revenue and online sales.) As my fanbase grows, I hope to expand that a bit, but for the foreseeable future, cons are where my business is mainly done.
I think your column has a lot of great insight into getting yourself up and running in this business. Alas this is where my weakest point lies...the business end. I've been doing the freelance thing for about 4 years now, but I've never felt like I was running a business. Jumping into the self-publishing world really does require this sort of mentality, so I was wondering if you had some words of wisdom on that end.
The business end is definitely the one SO many creators struggle with. And I think many creators' secretly hope that one day a publisher will discover his or her genius and then they'll handle all this businessy stuff.
Unfortunately, it's hard times out there for publishers. While they are looking for great new talent, they're not looking to take a lot of chances. That's why 95% of the work goes to (and will continue to go to) guys with proven track records. Guys that have sold in the past.
And to become one of those guys, you're probably gonna have to sell on your own first.
And to sell, you have to know business.
I read a great blog post on "creative entrepreneurship" the other day, and I think to make it in comics, you need to think of yourself as exactly that: a creative entrepreneur. Luckily, there are plenty of resources out there for guys like us, trying to build businesses around our passion. I'm going to point you to a few of them:
- The How to Make Webcomics book, which I've mentioned before is loaded with solid, practical advice about the webcomics business model. Read it cover to cover, and then go back and read it again.
Having a strong online presence (and strategy) is imperative to your success. (Think about it...We've probably never met, but you "know" who I am now, right? Only in this day and age would that have been possible.) One non-comics book I suggest you pick up (and read with an eye to how you can apply to what you're doing) is Crush It: Why NOW is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk
- I also suggest you subscribe to and start going through the podcast archives of a show called "The 10 Golden Rules of Internet Marketing" (Free through iTunes.)
- I'd also recommend you read EVERYTHING ever written by a guy named Seth Godin. (Yup, mentioning him again.) Start with reading two books (they are short, quick reads:)
At the beginning stages of any career (and even though it probably doesn't feel like it sometimes, four years is still the beginning stages) it's slow going. But working hard and working smart is the only way to get things to pay off.
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
34: Patience Pep Talk
35: Tools You Should Be Using: Viddler
36: Zuda Says No More Competitions
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