I was recently introduced to this Kickstarter Campaign and had to share it.
comics quest from Frederick Schroeder on Vimeo.
What a great use of 8 bits graphics and Regular Nintendo nostalgia.
Kickstarter Video:
Independent Artist
How to Submit to Comixology
What is Comixology?
We all have our favorite comic creators (some of mine are Stephan Pastis, Norm Feuti, and Aaron Johnson). We see them and think, how cool would it be to be “insert name”. They have made it and I want to be there.
Comic creators are forged, not born!
You might envy your heroes of comics, but you shouldn’t want to be them. You can’t be them, so lets focus on you (what are we going to do with you?).
All those guys started off creating their first comic strips or comic book pages. They have been where you are right now and struggled with finding their way in making it a career.
What did they need to do?
Of all the things I have covered in this blog about web comics, the one thing that seems to be asked the most is “how to start a webcomic“.
Since I have a blog about learning to be an independent comic book creator and starting a web comic is an important part of the independent comic world, I’ll go ahead give you a simple checklist to get started.
Read then ACT!
Before I jump into the list I want to give you a little heads up on most people reaction to this post.
Many of you will read this and never act on it.
The reason I am not impressed with the book is most of the writing feels like filler and a lot of long drawn out rants. As I already said, there is some great stuff in the book, but if all the fluff was taken out the book would be half the size.
The One Paragraph Start-up Plan
One of the great things that is brought out in the book is the idea of the one paragraph business plan. I have taken entire courses on business plans while getting my MBA. They are long, boring, and really mean nothing.
Side Note:
Even with that said, I hope to create a series of posts in the near future that is basically a business plan for web comics that all of you can read.
The One Paragraph Start-up Plan for my Web Comic
You just started a web comic and you’re very excited!!!
The Negative news for the new web-comic creator
Sorry to tell you, but you’re not special. Nobody knows the exact numbers of web comics that currently exist, but I have heard the number 40,000 thrown around by several of my peers. Of those 40,000 there are probably 2,000 that are good, regularly updated, and able to make any money from their efforts.
This means the slogan “if you build it, they will come” is not an option for web comics. You are not going to have bloggers, reporters, or even your friends asking to interview you or begging to put your link on their site. People don’t care that you started a web comic, but they are always interested in reading great content.
This means your web comic has to be as good as you can make it.
If you are not prepared to work your butt off you must accept the fact this comic book or web comic you want to make is going to be a hobby. Something you do once in awhile. A Website people will check out every now and than.
It will not accidently become a full time career. You can turn your hobby site into a career if you work hard enough at it, but the myth of you making millions while having fun creating a few images is not the reality.
The Positive news for the new web-comic creator
I keep getting asked by family and friends what my current job situation is. When I tell them I am creating a web comic they respond with, “Oh, that’s nice, but what are you doing for a “real job”.
I hate having a real job
I haven’t worked a full time job in my life. I have always worked part time while running one side business or another. The reality is, I have hated every job that I have had. I had one or two I could stand (Teen Center Attendant, Camp Counselor, & Delivery Boy for a Farm Animal Feed Store) but most I hated with a passion.
Some of those jobs:
