Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

WE all take on AWESOME CONVENTIONS!!  We highlight the recent “Awesome Con” and then we talk about the highlights of our past conventions.  Plus, it’s all Arnold all podcast and then Robin transforms into a Cylon at the very end.  It’s total chaos.

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Byron: What to do at a convention when the artist next to you is more well known and (in your mind) WAY better than you?

Robin: I’d like to give more presentations to kids at schools and libraries. Who do I contact? What do I need?

Chris: I am thinking about re-tiring a part of my convention display that I really like and I think a lot of fans enjoy – my Roy stand-up. I’m thinking about making a smaller, more manageable one. Should I let people know that I’m re-tiring the big stand-up… like THIS will be the last show to get a picture with Roy… Thoughts?

Dawn: Distribution channels through POD publishers like Kablam, Createspace, Lulu, Lightning Source… good for exposure, or not worth the loss in profit?

The Alliance Chat: where no topic has gone before!

Welcome to the Alliance Chat! This podcast will be about various topics in not only the comic industry, but nearly anything that effects creators of all types. And sometimes just plain old life issues.

In this podcast, we chat about: I am at a crossroads: I’ve been working on my Webcomic, Space Pest Removal, for almost 2 years. Anniversary is in May! My renewal for my server is coming up and it is making me look back and see how it has progressed. I am posting about it on FB fanpage and twitter 3 times a week. I’ve only ever missed one deadline (my B-day this year). And I can honestly say that my readership has not really grown all of that much during that time.

I have yet to do Project Wonderful or other promotional ads. I don’t think I am in a position to start doing ads on my website… not enough readership I think. I had created a self-published book just before the start of the webcomic and started to attend conventions. I thought that I would use the this opportunity to promote the webcomic. What evolved out of that, was to start selling posters. I make a lot of $$ through the posters.  More than the book and… there is no money coming from the webcomic.

My question is this: Should I concentrate on just doing posters or should I have a specific goal to try to attain by year 3? I am not sure what that should be.
Thanks, Richtoon, http://spacepestremoval.com/

The Alliance Chat: where no topic has gone before!

Welcome to the Alliance Chat! This podcast will be about various topics in not only the comic industry, but nearly anything that effects creators of all types. And sometimes just plain old life issues.

In this podcast, we chat about: Listener issue: I have a long format story that’s just starting to get into the real  meat and potatoes of the storyline. Recently the readers have began to  grow more active with their comments and questions. Whiles its fun to  sit back and watch the fans conjecture about story and characters on  the rare occasion someone will make a post where they have completely  misunderstood/misinterpreted a scene or plot line to a point where they must of read my comic in an alternate dimension. While my own readers will sometimes correct each other there are times when i want to jump in and explain things and/or correct people myself (or perhaps find out what led them to that idea). But I really fight this urge because Im not sure if I should butt in tell people how my story should be interpreted.  So i guess my question is when to talk and when to shut up when talking to readers directly about the comic’s story.

Thanks!
Christy

And Robin brings up a great topic about a problem that faces Webcomics is a TON of supply (comics) and limited demand (readers). She wanted to know other industries that have faced this (and we give some examples) but we also want to know what you think on this, so add in your examples in the comments section!  Listen to the podcast, this will make more sense. WHAT? 

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Dawn: FB pages: unless you’re going to empty your pockets to get the people who liked your page to actually SEE your posts, is it worth it to have one anymore? Should we just start promoting on our own profile pages and leave it at that?

Drezz: Issues vs. Books – what are your thoughts on readers picking up multiple issues or a collection (mainly for long form) – is it worth the effort to divide your story in episodic format?

Chris: Live art vs. “Quick Sale” items: My caricature sketch cards I do at conventions are easily my best & most consistent sales item but, there’s good and bad. If I get a lot of requests, they take time to do. Time that takes away from my pushing the books, prints or other ‘quick sale” items. What kinds of things can I do to take advantage of the popularity of the cards but still make other sales? My wife suggested a book + caricature sketch card combo but at what price? Currently the cards go for $10 a piece and the books are $15 a piece. I also offer specials for multiple book purchases as well: 1/$15, 2/$25, 3/$30.

Robin: Logistical question:  Doing my first out of state convention.  What do I need to know to get there, get my equipment there, etc?

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Our regularly scheduled podcast was blown up by our recording software, so in its placed we offer you this conversation we had at the end of a podcast recently.  We often have a lot of discussions once we “finish” the podcast and we’re still recording.  In this case, it came in handy.

So this topic is about how women are drawn in mainstream comics, particularly in poses that are ridiculously impossible.  Chime in and let us know what you think about this controversial subject.

The Alliance Chat: where no topic has gone before!

Welcome to the Alliance Chat! This podcast will be about various topics in not only the comic industry, but nearly anything that effects creators of all types. And sometimes just plain old life issues.

In this podcast, we chat about: Listener issue: Hi, I’m a writer/artist looking to create a long-form comic, hoping to release on the web and then move to print if all goes perfectly.  I have two personal projects in mind, and would love to hear your thoughts on which  to start first:
A) A lengthy long-form series (I estimate ~24 issues) that is my baby, the story I’ve always wanted to tell, or
B) A medium-length (6 issues) story that is interesting to me, but not as important as Story A
I  think finishing “B” is a plausible goal within the next couple of years, whereas there would be no end in sight for “A”; that said, I’d just be putting off “A” yet again, and fear it’s a story that’ll never get told.
Thanks for your insight!
- Adam Pilkington, Crosstowncomic.com”

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Dawn:  Lets discuss ratings for an all-ages comic. It’s my #1 question at a con- “what ages is this for?” I want to imply that Z&F isn’t JUST for kids- most tend to think it’s kids only and aren’t considering it for themselves. Is it better to avoid the all-ages label (or an alternative) or to promote it poudly as such? Can you suggest a good alternative, such as “E for Everyone” or “P for Pixar”?

Chris:  Social Media anxiety

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Drezz:  Other sources of generating income in relation to your site – instead of slogging it out just drawing comics, do you attempt to create a business that centers around a product and have the comic as an additional draw

Robin:  Persona & the dangers of false internet familiarity.  Do you have an internet persona – and is that a good or bad thing?  How does that impact your interactions with readers?

The Alliance Chat: where no topic has gone before!

Welcome to the Alliance Chat! This podcast will be about various topics in not only the comic industry, but nearly anything that effects creators of all types. And sometimes just plain old life issues.

In this podcast, we chat about: Holidays and your comics.  Do you avoid or celebrate the holidays in your comics?  We also chat about some of our favorite horror movies.  Holiday Horrors just in time for the, well, holidays.

But wait, there’s more!!

Correctly name the three cartoon shows featured in the introduction montage and you could win a copy of MANGA STUDIO 5!  Yes, our friends over at Smith Micro will award one of our lucky listeners with a totally free copy of Manga Studio 5 (yes, I say Manga Studio Debut int he podcast, but I got it upgraded, so ignore the man behind the curtain).  Email you guesses to Byron@1977thecomic.com by December 31st  January 5th, and we’ll announce the winner on January 7th!  Byron will pick the grand prize winner from the correct entries, so email in your guesses today!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Chris:  Okay, I have occasionally put REAL people in my comic strip. If you do that on a regular basis and something happens to that person in real life – let’s say something negative happens to that person in real life (a car accident, a death or a very serious illness, etc.), how do you handle that in terms of that person’s character within your strip?

Drezz:  Reeling in commission work – for those of you who offer commissions, what do you do to get people interested and signed up, willing to pay for your work. As its stands, I have a few different outlets I could sell to, but I’m not quite sure how to go about setting up the right pitch for it.

Dawn:  Thinking of offering digital books of 100 comics, either on my site or through iTunes (or both). What are some things that could be added to “”spice up”" a downloadable e-book?

Byron:  READER ISSUE ->  Peter Palmiotti: Here’s a question for your group/show… “If you worked in the same studio (all of you) do you think you would be better at what you do, or just distracted!?”

Alliance Chat, where no topic has gone before!

Welcome to the Alliance Chat! This podcast will be about various topics in not only the comic industry, but nearly anything that effects creators of all types. And sometimes just plain old life issues; like stinky feet or that Drezz pees in pools.

In this podcast, we chat about: We slip into a conversation about how Colorado has legalized smoking of pot (or at least made it less ill-legal) and then we take on a listener’s question about juggling a newborn child and creating her comic.  Good perspective from all of us on that one!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Dawn - Many have said smaller volumes is the way to go to market towards kids.  Should I break my 200-comic volumes down into 2 100-comic books?  The pricing evens out in the end, so all it means is I come out with books more often. Smart move, or waste of time?

Drezz - Establishing yourself as a commission-based artist at a con – better to brand yourself as more of a versatile artist than one specific type/style of artist.

Robin - Libraries:  How do you get in them?  How should they be approached?  What makes them more likely to put your book on the shelves?

Chris - Do you ever have the worry about revealing too much of yourself and possibly offending readers who may not agree with you or your point of view?

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Byron:   None of my books really sold well, even with extra content.  Either my readers are cheap or I’m not giving them what they want.  Besides polls that few people respond to, what would you suggest I do to get feedback from my readers to help me plan the next book… if they want one at all.

Dawn:  Are long story lines for a comic strip a bad thing? Do people enjoy comic strips simply because they are easy to jump into, and a complex storyline will turn new readers off?

Chris:  Is there anything you would not consider drawing for money at a convention?

Robin:  What is key to include in a Kickstarter video?

Alliance Chat, where no topic has gone before!

Welcome to the Alliance Chat! This podcast will be about various topics in not only the comic industry, but nearly anything that effects creators of all types. And sometimes just plain old life issues; like stinky feet or that Drezz pees in pools.

In this podcast, we chat about: Crowd sourcing websites like Kickstarter and IndiGoGo.  The pros and cons of both site.

Alliance Chat, where no topic has gone before!

Welcome to the Alliance Chat! This podcast will be about various topics in not only the comic industry, but nearly anything that effects creators of all types. And sometimes just plain old life issues; like stinky feet or that Drezz pees in pools.

In this podcast, we chat about:  The mountains around Denver, how Dawn missed this podcast due to preparing for a convention, and Smart-Phones vs. Tablets.

Alliance Chat, where no topic has gone before!

Welcome to the Alliance Chat! This podcast will be about various topics in not only the comic industry, but nearly anything that effects creators of all types. And sometimes just plain old life issues; like stinky feet or that Drezz pees in pools.

In this podcast, we chat about: We all do our “best” imitations of our favorite Muppet or Star Wars characters, Byron talks about driving his son’s Mazda Miata MX5 convertible on a sunny day, then on a serious note Dawn brings up her thoughts on what it takes to be a successful indie-cartoonist and the percentages of talent versus the percentage just dumb luck, and we don’t have an ending for this new Chat format…. still.

PODCAST 50!

Holy mackerel!  We all get together to celebrate our 50th podcast as Ken Drab and Antoine Gagnon join the usual crowd at the Skype chat window as we chat about the webcomics community and how we came to do the Alliance in the first place. PLUS! A literal f@#$ fest at the end as we sign off with a whole slew of f’in comments.

Got Issues?

Have an issue? Let us know! Fill out the form below with your issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Alliance Chat, where no topic has gone before!

Welcome to the Alliance Chat! This podcast will be about various topics in not only the comic industry, but nearly anything that effects creators of all types. And sometimes just plain old life issues; like stinky feet or that Drezz pees in pools.

In this podcast, we chat about: Cross dressing Bugs Bunny, baby poop, Penny Arade’s Kickstarter project & “Strip Search” reality show, what makes for a good ending in comics in story terms, crickets near Drezz and our favorite endings in film and TV, plus we don’t have an ending for this new Chat format.

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Byron:  I am sharing the same issue with a listener on a new comic I want to launch in 2013: Do you think it’s a mistake to release a webcomic that’s black & white? It’s not film nior, and the lack of color isn’t artistic specifically. I just would like to release 5 pages weekly, and color isn’t my strength. From: Stephen Fox of http://www.foxstorytelling.com/

Dawn:  Now that Z&F is “seasonal”, meaning 4 months on and 2 months off, should I do away with my Caption Contests? Those used to be my cover for when “life happens”, and I need a week off. Now, I could probably post the contest on Mon, then a comic on Wed, then the winner of the contest on Fri, especially with the buffer I have planned. Would keeping the contests be pushing my luck, or do they still have some merit?

Chris: Have you ever thought you had what you thought was an interesting online promotional gimmick for your comic only to later be accused of promoting spam instead?
    
Robin:  What is the psychology of a sale?  How do you find the right price point?  EXAMPLE:  At DCC I was offering a poster for $10, but not selling any of them.  On Sunday, I held a special Father’s Day sale for the poster and reduced the price to $7.  We sold almost all of them, but was it the right price point, or the sale?

Got Issues?

Have an issue? Let us know! Fill out the form below with your issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Alliance Chat, where no topic has gone before!

Welcome to the first Alliance Chat!  This podcast will be about various topics in not only the comic industry, but nearly anything that effects creators of all types.  And sometimes just plain old life issues; like stinky feet or that Drezz pees in pools.

In this podcast, we chat about window air conditioners, enjoying a hiatus from your comic, dogs, gender specific advertising, broken bones, grossing Byron out and child birth stories.

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Robin: Convention Booth Alchemy.  I know all the theories — go for vertical, make display attractive, “write” the booth the way we read, get eye-catching colors, make clear signs, etc.  Except that the most common tale I’ve heard is “I was at the con and the 1st day we sold nothing.  Then we re-arranged things and magically, the next day, sold everything!”  What are the secrets to this Con Booth Alchemy?  What behavior in passer-bys should I be on the look-out for?  How do I know if my booth set-up is living up to the greatest potential?

Chris: What is the craziest, wildest promotional idea that you ever had? No limits on money, popularity or anything like that. Just the craziest promotional idea you would like to do if there were no limitations.

Drezz: Radio silence. As a long form webcomic, I’m seriously thinking of avoiding promotion of new comics on twitter, G+, etc and just focusing on delivering a chapter in full. there seems to be too much distraction and wasted time spent sending out links every second day to the same groups of creators and fans. For strips and initial promotion its fine, but for stories that take longer to develop, its a big burden and time suck. Do you feel this is suicidal, or better suited for producing more quality content.

Dawn: An interesting notion brought up recently: Major publishers don’t want anything to do with an “all ages” material. The only exception: popular newspaper comic strip collections. You need to have a clear-cut label, like pre-teen, teen, 5+.. to be able to bring in a new title. Z&F isn’t really a kids-only comic, there’s plenty of topics raised that adults will enjoy too. The best place in a bookstore for it would be the humor section, not the kids section. I fear if I want to get signed with a publisher, I’ll have to kill any adult topics and stick to cheeky kiddie stuff, so they can label my books properly, for kids only. Thoughts on this? Yet another reason to say “screw the publishers”, or should I consider making kids my sole audience and write for them?

Got Issues?

Have an issue? Let us know! Fill out the form below with your issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Tonight’s Topic:  Doing your comic on-line in seasons.  Meaning, you’d publish a set amount of comics, take a predetermined break, then return for another “season” of comics.  We address the Pros and Cons of this format and how it applies to both gag-a-day strips and long form comics.  In this Podcast we have Byron, Dawn and Drezz trying our best to avoid technical issues with Skype.

Got Issues?

Have an issue? Let us know! Fill out the form below with your issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Byron: When should you, if at all, use colloquial terms or expressions? Or even cultural references?  For example I’ve used the term “Free Clinic” and I had to explain it to my readers.  They say if you have to explain it, then don’t use it.  Is that really true?  I know MST3K used a ton of movie references and it became hip to try and figure them out.

Dawn: Eventually, I will have to end my comic and move on to something else. With gag-strips it’s more like the sappy end of a sitcom, you bid farewell to the characters more than the storyline. Do you think it’s better to give fair warning, to prepare readers, or “surprise” them with the final comic? Obviously, hyping up “the end” could get more hits, but it seems inappropriate for some reason.

Drezz: Getting rid of the ads, getting rid of the clutter and delivering just the comic – making it a fully online reading experience without the distractions (Wormworld Saga, His Face all Red, Sarah and the Seed, etc) since ads don’t do much more than take up real estate, and I want the GN to be something to read and enjoy (and eventually integrate into a ‘studio’ site).

Chris: After Heroes Con, I’m going to try and launch a Kickstarter Campaign because I now have three books and it’s getting harder to print enough copies of all three books for all the conventions I go to. A Kickstarter campaign will go a LONG way to remedy that situation. Some of the Kickstarter money would go towards having a bigger advertising presence on the web as well.  My Problem: The campaign goal was going to be between $1,500 – $2,000. I don’t know if I have a big enough fan base that would be able to make this campaign a success. I know a lot of it is not just relying on your fan base. You also have to promote, promote and promote. Still though, I still have that “What if I can’t reach my Kickstarter” goal feeling that’s making me have a little bit too much paralysis by analysis. What should I do?

Got Issues?

Have an issue? Let us know! Fill out the form below with your issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Antoine: Comic Format:  Are the Standard “Comic Book” and “Newspaper” Formats getting too old? Where is it written that a comic book needs 22-24 pages. Is there really a need anymore to follow the format defined by Marvel, DC?

Drezz: Selling your comic: I am looking for advice on setting up an online store to sell the PDF collections of my comic, but I’m not 100% sure HOW to. Any suggestions?

Byron: eReader formats.  Which one should we use? iPad or Android? Is there a standard? Or is good old PDF fine?

Tyler: “I wise man once said, you’ll be the same person a year from now as you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet.  I’d love it if the Alliance could recommend one book I should read, and one person I should meet or learn about, that will help me improve as a creative entrepreneur.”

Links from this Podcast:

Ecommerce:

Antoine uses:

• eShop Plugin for WordPress – http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/eshop/

Tyler recommends:

• http://bigcartel.com/
• Add on for digital – http://pulleyapp.com/
• http://www.storenvy.com/
• ComixTribe Store (example) http://comixtribe.storenvy.com/
• The “Not 99 Cents” Method – http://www.massivesqwertz.com/the-not-99-method-the-diy-ibookstore-alternative-for-indie-books-comics

Byron uses WP estore:

• http://www.tipsandtricks-hq.com/wordpress-estore-plugin-complete-solution-to-sell-digital-products-from-your-wordpress-blog-securely-1059
• EPUB format on Wikipedia (listing In-Design as an editor):
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPUB

Books/Person

Antoine:

• “The Little Black Book of Connections” by Jeffrey Gitomer

Tyler:

• Thoughts on Graphic.ly – http://www.comixtribe.com/2012/04/08/to-graphic-ly-or-not-to-graphic-ly-that-is-the-question/
• Interview with Graphic.ly CEO – http://www.comixtribe.com/2012/04/16/talking-graphic-ly-with-micah-baldwin/

Drezz:

• Books: Gary Vaynerchuk: “Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on your Passion.”  http://garyvaynerchuk.com/post/107300929
• Barry Siskind: Powerful Exhibit Marketing http://www.siskindtraining.com/product_books.php
• Interesting Links / People to Watch:
• Mark Waid – http://markwaid.com/
• Ryan Woodward – http://www.bottom-of-the-ninth.com/

Byron:

• Kelly Carlin:  @kelly_carlin  and http://www.kellycarlin.com/
• Guerrilla Markeint in 30 days at Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Marketing-Days-Conrad-Levinson/dp/1932531297

Got Issues?

Have an issue? Let us know! Fill out the form below with your issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss some issues we’ve had in the past and re-cap where we’re at with them today!

Ken: Thinking of scaling back from five days to one – is that too much and how would you reformat a comic from daily four panel to weekly nine panel? Note, I’d do as I recommended in past podcasts by posting the sketches on Monday, inking (no text) on Wednesday and Final on Friday OR should I do Comic on Monday, sketches on Wed and inking (no text) on Friday?

Dawn: Going to refer back to my issue on Tumblr. I didn’t bother setting up a Tumblr account, and now I’m thinking about cutting back other accounts. I just do not have the time for a Z&F account along with my own account on FB, G+, twitter. I do not get enough interaction to make it worthwhile. Follow-up question: Is it worse to have (for instance) NO Z&F facebook page, or one that gets easily ignored (or potentially annoys people) with only automatic updates when a new comic goes up?

Antoine: Going to reflect on the long I’m in right now and how some previous podcasts helped me in preparing my “new comic version”; how I will launch it, how I will present it, how I will market it, etc…

Drezz: I figured out a potential fix for this isuuuue (Being ‘typecast’ as an artist. I’m doing a comic strip in more of cartoony style, but will people be interested since they’ve been following me for my noir-styled comic, or will they be turned off and disappointed?)

Byron: “What’s Failed: RSS & Feedburner still a major fail on my part.  I don’t get it at all.  I’ll pay someone to do this for me or train me.   AND What’s Worked: Using Seth Godin’s book “”The Dip”" to motivate myself past my previous dips and getting back on the comic train.

Got Issues?

Have an issue? Let us know! Fill out the form below with your issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

No one said we could count… this one is actually Podcast #43! Now we can all sleep at night. 

This podcast we discuss

Byron:   Remembering stuff.  I am having a terrible time with it.  I use to use my Outlook w/ Pocket PC software but that’s finally died.  Outside of buying a Smartphone (which I won’t do) any goo things out there that may or may not sync with Outlook to remind me to do shit?  Or other software (sticky notes is okay) that stands alone?  My biggest issue is I have two PCs I work on and keeping the reminders in sync (the Pocket PC did this easily).

Dawn:  Just got an iPad. Would love to hear some app suggestions that may help with comic creation or productivity. Yes, yes, I already bought skethbook pro for doodling, but I do not intend to create my comics on the iPad.

Drezz:  Adult oriented comics – should I be doing more to explain to first time readers that I have a ‘restricted-material’ type comic before they get into it? I’ve had my fair share of social media followers drop after they’ve read into my archives to find violent material. Its more off-putting than cheeky sexual innuendos and swearing – violence seems to be a bit taboo…

Got Issues?

Have an issue? Let us know! Fill out the form below with your issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Drezz:  Switching gears – I’m looking for some insight on how to get creatively ‘centered’ on a project when you’re working on two things that are radically different at the same time. What do you do in order to stay focused?

Dawn:  Tips on painting resin models: what paints to use, do you need a primer or finish? Also, do you think it’s worth the hours spent painting figurines, just to add to my con table presentation, if few want to spend $20-25 on it?

Byron:  I want to go back to the topic of “are conventions a good way to promote your comic” as I’ve done a few and realize, that at this point in time in my comic career, they’re a waste of money.  Point – counterpoint on this, as I’ve seen some newbies ask what they should do for their first con and my opinion is “don’t do them unless you’ve got a big audience”.

Ken:  I’m wondering if I should switch from daily comic to doing books. I’ve gotten a much better response to the book than I have for the comic as people can relate to it better. That’s where it dawned on me that maybe the comic will never catch on. I enjoy doing the comic, but the book has been so much more satisfying.

Got Issues?

Have an issue? Let us know! Fill out the form below with your issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast we discuss:

Ken: How do you get ramped back up to doing the workload you previously had on your comic after a hiatus? Part of me doesn’t want to go back to that schedule/lifestyle…

Dawn: After ditching the syndication route, I have seemingly been brainwashed against submitting my comic to anyone, anywhere. When someone initially suggested submitting Z&F to a comic publisher who has kid-friendly material, I scoffed at the idea. But after thinking about it, maybe it would be better financially for me, as well as broader exposure. What are your thoughts on this, if the contract is legit (ie: doesn’t claim ownership over my work, for instance)

Antoine: We did discuss in past podcasts about releasing a Chapter, then take a break while making the next one. Would a “Summary Strip” be a good thing to do before starting a new chapter? If yes, should we keep it in the arcives once the new chapter as started?

Byron: How should I handle the “Old 1977″ gang comics vs. the “Young 1977″ gang comics?  I think bouncing back and forth from Old Bud to Young Bud will confuse people.  We talked once before about my having a second URL, 1977 Again.  Would posting the Old Gang comics there and the Young Gang at the original URL be okay or not?

Reader Issue: Charles Dowd of http://lilithdark.com/ – Here’s a question(s)- As an all-ages comic creator, how do you manage advertisers on your sites that constantly post inappropriate material, ie furry pron ads, gore, extreme sex or murder? Do you hand approve every ad? What about the services like PW or Scibbol? What is the responsibility of the creator/website owner?

Got Issues?

Have an issue? Let us know! Fill out the form below with your issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

This podcast features guest Joel Duggan of the comic “Starcrossed” as he joins Dawn and Byron for an hour of comic discussions.

This podcast we discuss:

We went a bit off format and the three of us chatted about Income from your Comic in 2012, Byron revisits InkOutbreak & gives a second review, then we discuss recovering from a WordPress hack and finally Dawn & Byron chat with Joel on Preparing a book for Printing.

Got Issues?

Have an issue? Let us know! Fill out the form below with your issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.

Drezz was busy becoming a papa and Byron was busy doing whatever Byron does in New Orleans so it was up to Dawn, Antoine and Ken to resolve their issssssuuuuuues…

This podcast we discuss:

Dawn:  What do you think is most important to focus on when reviewing your stats on analytics, if you want to expand your readership? hits, page views, traffic sources…something else?

Ken:  What do you guys think about offering the comic on the site 2 or 3 days per week or by subscription for 5 days. In other words, if you subscribe, you get all 5 days. It could be a free

Antoine:  While we all agree (I hope) in having some sort of notepad at all time with us to write down ideas. Is their any good techy toys to use? An app like Evernote?

Got Issues?

Let us know! Fill out the form below with you issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast! Happy New Year! First Podcast of 2012!

This podcast we discuss:

Antoine:  The more different Social Medias we are using, the more we start using tools that is duplicating posts from one to another. At what point using multiple Social Medias is too much? Or is it the more the merrier? Or the more you use (and duplicate the posts) the more it becomes less personal and marketing focused only?

Byron:  Am I putting too much effort into my pencils?  I do a rough sketch layter, then I do a nearly finished pencil layer, then essentially I trace over that finished pencil layer.  When I see pencils for comic books, they are practically identical to the inks, but usually the inks are done by a separate person.  In comic strips, in most cases, the inks are done by the same artist who did the pencils.  So, am I wasting time doing such finished pencils?

Ken:  What’s the best way to jump back in from putting your comic on hold – what’s the best way to make a splash and generate some excitement?

Dawn:  I’m doing my 500th comic this week. I have already revealed that the “big surprise” is that it will be 100% done by hand, start-to-finish, no computers used until I scan the final piece. What are some other awesome landmark ideas you have seen or have done? Something to make the update special and exciting for your readers?

Got Issues?

Let us know! Fill out the form below with you issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast! Happy New Year! First Podcast of 2012!

This podcast we discuss:

Dawn:  Thoughts on using Tumblr to post your comics. In addition to your WordPress? INSTEAD of a WP site, like Ken has been testing out on G+? What kind of audience does Tumblr have, compared to twitter, G+, FB… and is it worth your time getting involved in yet another social medium?

Antoine:  Writing a script for a brand new comic. How do do it? Do you create your character first, then develop a plot? Do you have an idea for a plot, then develop your characters as you write the story?

Byron:  I’m starting to wonder if the conventional wisdom/success stories for digital comic publishing are geared for more toward humor strips than a long-form serial comic. For example – things like having your site land on the current page… does that even make sense for a long-form serial narrative?  (This is from Don Garvey of EchoRift.com but I share the same issue)

LISTENERS ISSUE: In the upcoming convention season, I’m considering offering a sign-up sheet for people to “hook” them into the comic. I’ll tie the sign-up to a raffle of a drawing to sweeten the pot. I’m also going to offer the sign-up on an iPad or laptop so I don’t have to deal with peoples’ sloppy-ass handwriting. A few questions:  Pretty much all of us are using WordPress. What plug-ins do you think would work best for allowing people to subscribe and automatically get emailed as you update?  I use Feedburner to currently subscribe people via email but Feedburner doesn’t seem to allow ME to enter additional email addresses to the feed. Am I missing something?  What are the pros/cons of doing this?
* From Brock Beauchamp  http://selfcentent.com

Got Issues?

Let us know! Fill out the form below with you issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast! Happy New Year! First Podcast of 2012!

This podcast we discuss:

Antoine: We’ve seen it in the Comic Books industry. But how do you feel about getting a better artist than yourself to draw a Cover Page of a Potential Upcoming Comic?

Byron: Does Google Analytics have a way to see what files (i.e. images) are being used?  My old stats reports would have a listing of pages and then files.  This way I can see who’s downloading a certain size Desktop, etc. or if a Member’s only file is suddenly being abused.

Ken: Thinking of scaling back from five days to one – is that too much and how would you reformat a comic from daily four panel to weekly nine panel? Note, I’d do as I recommended in past podcasts by posting the sketches on Monday, inking (no text) on Wednesday and Final on Friday OR should I do Comic on Monday, sketches on Wed and inking (no text) on Friday?

Since it’s our first of 2012 why don’t we each tell one or two resolution as artists?

Got Issues?

Let us know!  Fill out the form below with you issue or question and we’ll add it to a future podcast!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!

This podcast we discuss:

Ken: How do you guys evolve your characters – both personality-wise and graphically.

Dawn: Gimmi ideas of how to market (and if you even should?!) a webcomic to kids who are too young for social media, project wonderful ads and the like!

Chris: “I established Capes & Babes as a humor strip from the very beginning. Lately though, I’ve been contemplating  doing more interpersonal related stories where there may not necessarily be a humorous punchline in every last panel.  I’ve been reluctant to do that though simply because I worry the change would be too jarring for the people who have come to expect humor in Capes & Babes. I know it’s my strip and I shouldn’t base my creative decisions on fears of what my readers may or may not like but for whatever reason, I’m still reluctant to pull that trigger – even though I think it could potentially take Capes & Babes in a new and exciting direction. So why can’t I do that? What’s holding me back?”

Byron: A simple one: Should I put my blog posts on my home page or not?  I have had them turned off for a long time for it felt to me it made the home page really long and ugly, but then I also notice the blog posts get few hits, even though they have their own page.  What say you all?

Reader Issue:  from Robyn of LeyLines: “Is it better to be your own publisher, or seek one? Do the connections outweigh the control? Death by “exposure”?”

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!

This podcast we discuss:

Ken: I think it’s natural that your art style evolves with time and practice… But to me, writing is different. I read recently that people really relate to well defined characters so I’m trying to develop deeper characteristics in my characters. For instance I’m trying to discover: what does Rick like about Milton? What does he hate about Milton? What secrets does he know about Milton? What does Milton like about Rick, etc. Do you guys do anything to help your writing evolve? Is it okay to podcast without pants on?

Byron:     What to do with a Google+ page that hasn’t already been done at Facebook and essentially failed (in terms of bringing in significant new readers)?  And I’m not wearing pants right now…

Drezz: What are your future plans? Do you have a 5-year or 10-year goal that you are working towards, with outlined steps or somewhere in writing for reference, or are you just winging it? How successful has it been for you (in both regards – planned and unplanned)

Dawn: Native and regular retweets: is there an easy way to view a list & thank your retweeters? Rather than going to twitter.com, to the “your tweets, retweeted” list, and typing in everyone’s name 1 by 1? Know of any 3rd party apps/services that will just show me a list and allow me to populate a tweet w/ their names? This is driving me NUTS.

Reader’s Issue:  I’ve been listening to your podacst archives over the past few weeks and have really enjoyed the show. I do a webcomic with a friend of mine (he writes and I draw) and I had a question about copyright regarding one of our occasional characters.  We do Dax at www.daxcomics.com and it is a scifi humor strip, mostly full of scifi references along with a storyline. We recently introduced a Ferengi (from star trek) who is going to be revealed to be married to our hero’s sister. It is a short side arc for the holidays and we figured it’s parody and falls neatly into copyright laws. However for the future of the strip would we be able to keep this character as part of the main cast or would that be infringement?  We intend to merchandise the comic when our readership can support it, however we don’t want copyright infringements to prevent us from making books and the like.  I hope this question didn’t ramble too much and I thank you for your time.
Jess Boudrie, daxcomics.com

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!

This podcast we discuss:

Byron: When you know you will be late to post a new strip, posting your sketch on schedule: Yay or Nay?

Drezz: Working on a new strip scheduled for release in the new year – should I promote both at a con even though the ideas are completely opposite? Does that dilute the brand of each one even though the targets are completely different? Should I pick and choose which comic to promote at certain cons? Should I look at eventually building myself as a brand over the comics (future goal?)

Marc: I was thinking my issue could be about strategies for bringing a comic back from an extended hiatus. With my work on SuperFogeys, I’ve had to put Spooky Doofus on hiatus, but I have no firm plan on when or if I can bring it back. With work, family and SuperFogeys I don’t have the time to bring it back anytime soon but I do hope to gradually build up enough strips in between other things to bring Spooky Doofus back in some capacity. I guess what I’d really be looking for isn’t so much tips on balancing my time (since you guys covered that topic already) but ideas on marketing the comics return. Maybe we could also discuss putting out a comic at a steady regular schedule verses a “seasons” type approach like television shows do.

Ken: I’m wondering if my brand out performs my comic. Maybe the graphics and design set the wrong expectations – I’m a better designer than I am a comic artist so maybe in trying to look good, as in “the carpet doesn’t match the drapes” (that’s what she said – zing!).

Reader’s issue: From David Reddick: Managing promotions of your comic. For me, it’s a time issue. It’s so hard to take the time to put out ads on other sites and navigate all the promotions it can take when I’m so heavily focused on making comics. Are there any easier solutions? are there people out there who will do that for you in the webcomic community?

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!

This podcast we discuss:

Antoine Conventions for smaller artists: Should I advertise I do quick commissions or should I focus on greating and talking to people?

Drezz What is the benefit of showing HOW your comic is produced? (streaming video, process blog, etc) Is it wiser to keep the secrets of your magic so people remain in wonder, or is it important to show people how its done so they can learn how to DIY it?

Dawn Would just like to pick your brains (eww) about easy, quick, non-time-consuming extras that I could offer registered members, if I decided to set up a membership side to Z&F’s site. That, and what would you put behind the paywall, if anything?

Ken Is it too much to rely on a certain construct of a storyline. Like the Dorothy (Wizard of Oz) scenario for instance, where a character gets knocked out and has an adventure and awakes just in time and everything is alright.

No special comment at the end of this podcast – but be sure to catch the outtakes!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!

This podcast we discuss:

Antoine Launching a New Webcomic: Get a mini-archives ready or start from the beginning? Example: The Trench started with only one Strip.

Drezz Only keeping the comic digital, but selling other merch at shows (e.g Steamcrow, QC) like prints, posters and limited edition minis – is it worth it?

Dawn Slideshows of comics at conventions. Is it worth lugging around my precious tablet PC? (can’t afford an iPad yet, iPhone works for everything else) I have not seen enough evidence to say it leads to sales, unless the exhibitor across from me who’s stuck watching it buys a book. Do YOU guys stop to watch slideshows, or notice people who do?

Ken I’m trying to find my niché or demographic. What have you guys done to research or find that?

Special Comment: Webcomic Alliance One Year Anniversary…what it means…

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!

This podcast we discuss:

Antoine: I’m debating in posting my full Chapter 6 Storyline (40+ pages) in Google+. While I am planning to put it into a book. Thoughts?

Byron: Regaining my focus.  I find even when I’m drawing I get distractions… kids, phone, etc.  It breaks my rhythm and I lose my concentration and thus my motivation.  What do you do to eliminate those things, or is there a way to cope with them?

Dawn: A reader suggested an idea– adding a page to Z&F that features reader-submitted real pics of their “alien-dogs”– which I initially liked. People love to show off pics of their pooch! But I wonder if it’ll be one more thing cluttering up my site. Since we recently discussed simplifying the website to focus on the comic, are these types of fun reader-interaction helping or hindering the webcomic experience? Does being “hidden” on a separate page make it okay?

Ken: I have other projects I want to start and with time being at a premium, I’m wondering if I should just keep them on hold until I can give them more time and likely a better chance of getting completed or just start. Sometimes that initial push is great because you’re enthusiastic about everything and after that’s gone and time has lapsed sometimes it’s hard to get that back. So – what should I do – start or wait?

Reader issue: From Drezz Rodriguez http://www.el-cuervo.com/ – Booth placement. How do you determine where you want to be at a con, or do you just let the organizers place you?

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!

This podcast we discuss:

Dawn: Where do we find webcomic READERS as opposed to other creators? How do we reach them? It feels like I surround myself with other creators, but I have a feeling it’s the readers who will spend money and get me to the next level.

Ken: Do you guys think it’s okay to seek out reviews for your comic? There are particular sites that review comics for the good or bad of it, and I’m always eager to get fresh feedback on my comic. Is it too self-serving to reach out to these sites and ask for a review?

Byron: Placing an advertisement in your header is something I see some sites do, but feel strongly against it.  Am I missing the boat on this?

Antoine: Is Google+ already fading as far as giving you more exposure for your comic?

Reader’s Issue:  From Scott Story of Johnny Saturn: Could you discuss the effective use of Twitter?  I only use Twitter to auto-post when I have a new episode out, and don’t really know how to make good use of it beyond that.

Join the Webcomic Alliance crew for a very special Webcomic Workshop that occurred during the evening of September 10th, 2011. We take an introspective and touching look into Antoine’s inner kazoo, Byron gives a heartfelt explanation of the best way to shoot a fart, Dawn encounters the experience of being driven to the edge and enjoys an expletive driven tirade, and Ken finally grasps and learns how to use the English language.

Okay, none of that is on this cast as we joined DigiCon and had a great discussion about Branding Comics. We took a real world situation of a project Antoine is considering developing and bring you through the process from the very beginning. We discuss concept, pitch, logo, fonts, colors and a whole lot more. There were questions from the chatroom and other various random acts of randomness… You can check out some of the other panels and get more information on the DigiCon website.

Please be aware that this ‘cast does include coughing.

Check out Digicon 2011!

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!

This podcast we discuss:  WOW! More Cowbell! It’s a RECAP Episode!

Byron    I’ll recap “acceptance by your artist peers” from #5

Ken    I’ll recap my multiple issuuuues about the blog…

Dawn    I’ll recap my question about small vs. big conventions.

Antoine    I’ll recap preparing for con stuff

Reader’s Issue:  I know first thing would be the name, but what aspects should you change so that it’s not too similar to the person you’re parodying or mocking…like a boss (lol) ? Johnny

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast! Special Guest: Howie Noeldechen of Tara Normal.

This podcast we discuss:

Ken: My issue revolves around growing your social circle. I’m a relatively shy person when meeting new people and I don’t consider myself great at “small talk”. I would consider you guys as more gregarious than me and I’m curious about your general approach towards reaching out, including and engaging others.

Dawn: What WP plugin do you guys use or suggest for social-network sharing on posts? I need a combination I’m having a hard time finding. (twitter, FB like, FB share, Google +1, stumbleupon, reddit, and a way to email the comic to a friend– that’s the current RSS feed or at least the comic itself, NOT just a link)

Byron: I see Ken & Dawn are on that Ink Outbreak website for referrals.  I just had Scribol added to my website.  With no advertising budget at moment for me, are we helping or hurting ourselves with these types of links on our sites.  Is it too much for the visitor to take (making our sites too busy again).

Howie: Converting Twitter followers to Readers

Reader’s Issue:  From Chris Watkins on Google+: It’s always interesting to know what single method of promoting has netted a creator the highest number of sustained new readers. For some folks, it’s con appearances, for others, it’s highly targeted Project Wonderful ads. I wonder what works for you folks? I’d be curious, too (given the attention I’ve been paying to my own first book), what avenues have brought you all the most reliable sales for your webcomic collections?

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast! Special Guest: Brain Anderson from the comic “Dog Eat Dog”.

This podcast we discuss:

Antoine: Being at the last minute before a Convention with a huge To-Do list: How do  you set priorities? What makes you decide if you design a banner, or design something to put on your table?

Brian:  Business plans for webcomics as it relates to large publishers.

Dawn: Do you guys track your income vs. your spending for your webcomic yet, and if so, what tools/software/apps do you use?

Byron:  What is a minimal computer set-up for drawing comics and streaming video to Ustream (and the like).  I’ve been out of the loop on computers and don’t even know what processors are good or not anymore.  (No offense to MAC folks, but I need a PC).  I’m talking about Graphic cards more than anything.  This can be a general discussion on graphic cards as that is what drives digital comic creators.

Reader’s Issue:  Antoine: From Bearman: Noticed that Ken and Byron have uploaded a large portion of their archives to Google +. Whether it is Google+ or Facebook, what are the postives and negatives of doing that? Ex. Does it hurt traffic to your site or on the plus side does it engage people who you might never have on your site.

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.  Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!  Special Guest: TL Collins from “Bullfinch” the comic.

This podcast we discuss:

Dawn: Google + and how to use it for webcomics? Any different than Facebook?

Ken: My dip isn’t related to the work for the comic, it’s related to growth. How much of this extra outside work is worth it? If I’m being honest and saying I’m doing the comic for myself, then why should I continue to care about social media, my blog or frankly the Webcomic Alliance? It’s not helping my own readership numbers.

Byron: How to start building a local network. Where do you start? Comic book store? Art schools? High School girl’s locker room?

TL: I’m also interested in talking about colors and their importance in webcomics.  I really feel color helps the look of my comic and sometimes story-telling but some people tell me to just do black and white to keep the comic on schedule.

Reader Issue:  “Every so often I will discover something wicked has taken shelter under the bridge of one of my projects, and they’re not always obvious about trolling. How do you identify a troll? Where do you draw the line? Once that line is crossed, what do you do?”  RobinofLeyLines

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!

This podcast we discuss:

Ken: I’m wondering if I’m going far enough with the absurdity of my comic. If you compare the wacky/outlandish things that go on in some wildly funny cartoons on TV to my comic I think there’s a huge disparity. I’m wondering if I should not be afraid to push the boundaries and make things a little more absurd and take more chances.

Antoine: Following the discussion we had on podcast #15,  Is it relevant for one artist to be under a Studio Name? Example (fake name): Drunken Studios.

Dawn: Signs your comic and/or side projects are killing you, and you need to cut back.

Byron: Rebooting your comic.  On August 1st, 1977 will change dramatically.  How do I best transition from the old to the new?

Reader Issue: Bearman’s advertising questions: You always hear comic folk talk about Project wonderful but is there a better source?

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!

This podcast we discuss:

Antoine: Using Social network accounts for your characters: Does it bring anything valuable?

Dawn: Is Go-Comics worth it? Should us gag-a-day comic strip creators be looking into it, or is it a lot of work for very little money? Is the exposure THAT great?

Byron: RE: Tyler James & Godin’s book “The Dip” How do you motivate yourself past “the dip” I’ve hit them three times now in 2 years & I’m losing faith in my ability to successfully do a scheduled comic of any type.

Ken: How much detail in coloring should I be concentrating on. Shadows, backgrounds, etc.

Reader’s Issue: Byron’s Pick: Have just started a web comic. Should I advertise? Should I just let it run for a few months and see what occurs? If I do advertise, would it be a disappointment to come to a website that doesn’t have a huge archive?  I guess my question is… How do you best promote a new webcomic?  Twitter/forums/facebook/ads?  I’ve been collecting stats a month. Have had 1,200 approx visits in a month. Submitted by: D.M. Rolfe

Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face.  Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!

This podcast we discuss:

Dawn: Landing pages: best to link ads to your regular homepage, or to a “new reader” page that gives a breakdown of the comic’s concept? Do people prefer to be tossed right in and see a comic first?

Byron: Follow up on Twitter exposure. I’ve seen some “reports” that having too many RTs and URLs gets your Twitter account marked as spam and people drop you.

Ken: Since my comic is focused on one character, does it make the comic less appealing if I have a storyline that doesn’t focus on him?

Antoine: How do you fix prices for commissions? For cons? Is there any “standard”

Reader’s Issue: Have just started a web comic. Should I advertise? Should I just let it run for a few months and see what occurs? Submitted by: D.M. Rolfe of the Mighty Monocle, http://www.mightymonocle.com/

Drink of the Week: Irish Pirate

Less Swearing, More Talking. Coming to you for a whopping 60 minutes this time!

This podcast we discuss:

Ken: Blog section. Do people read that or just the comic and move on. When I’ve asked this in my blog, people have said that they do read it (obviously since they’ve commented about it). The problem is, that I could end up taking an hour writing what I think is interesting, but that’s an hour I could have invested in improving my comic.

Dawn: The quicker commenting plugin with AJAX: Is it better to get less page views, if your readers can comment quicker?

Antoine: How do you promote a rated G comic/webcomic/book that is related to a PG-13 Webcomic?

Byron: I wanted to continue my issues with RSS. I am unclear how Feedburner works and from the responses on the website, it seems many other folks are in the dark about this as well. Specifically, what’s the difference between a Feedburner RSS and the normal RSS that WordPress provides? Why do people have to subscribe again and how?

Reader’s Issue: Dawn’s Pick: “Is there a way (or have any of you) quantified how many loyal readers have come from ads? ie. If you stopped advertising tomorrow what effect would it have on your visits? Equal loss to what your ads brought in or less.” (Bearman)