ComicLab Ep 357 — Innovation fascination

ComicLab Ep 357 — Innovation fascination

Having wrapped up his 16th Kickstarter, cartoonist Dave Kellett shares some insights about setting realistic expectations, avoiding paid advertising, and...
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Adding lettering to improve original art sales

Adding lettering to improve original art sales

Selling original art is an integral part of the business model of an independent cartoonist who works with traditional media...
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Reader retention

Reader retention

Let's face it. One of the biggest hurdles in growing a webcomic is reader retention. That's why I encourage you...
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The Butso Method will change how you think about writing

The Butso Method will change how you think about writing

The Butso Method will change the way you think about writing. https://youtu.be/KapOLlA3KlA It's very easy to get hopelessly lost during...
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ComicLab Ep 356 — Dave’s New Bucket List

ComicLab Ep 356 — Dave’s New Bucket List

Attending this year's National Cartoonists Society conference and Reuben Awards has changed Dave's bucket list. He wants one of those...
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How to remove Jetpack Stats and avoid a $200 upcharge

How to remove Jetpack Stats and avoid a $200 upcharge

Out of the blue, I received the following message from Jetpack: We are writing to inform you that your site,...
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Shipping comics via USPS Media Mail

Shipping comics via USPS Media Mail

There seems to be some misinformation about whether it's legal to ship comics using the Media Mail service of the...
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Three different types of newsletter posts

Three different types of newsletter posts

Cartoonists continue migrating to Substack to use its audience-building potential, and they struggle with the same question: What should I...
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Has your creativity “hit the wall?”

Has your creativity “hit the wall?”

It can be frustrating to "hit the wall" in your creative output, but — speaking from experience — that wall isn't...
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ComicLab Ep 355 — Our Review of the National Cartoonists Society conference and Reuben Awards

ComicLab Ep 355 — Our Review of the National Cartoonists Society conference and Reuben Awards

In the final installment of a three-part series on the National Cartoonists Society conference and Reuben Awards celebration, cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar...
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ComicLab Ep 350 — Kickstarter mistake: confusing rewards with add-ons

Brad and Dave discuss using rewards and add-ons in a Kickstarter campaign. Then, they tackle the problem of whether your dialogue should feature proper English or your character’s “natural” speech.

Today’s show

  • Kickstarter mistake — confusing rewards with add-ons
  • Check out Dave’s Kickstarter at Newdrivebook.com
  • Should you write in proper English?
  • UPDATE: Reuben Awards — two live ComicLab shows on Thursday, Aug. 22
  • How to start at the very beginning
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by on August 29, 2024
Posted In: ComicLab, Uncategorized
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hands exchanging dollars

Some brilliant marketing advice — and a warning

There’s a discussion on Reddit that I want to call your attention to for two reasons. First, it’s packed with some really good tips on writing marketing/promotional text. Second, one writer’s response to that advice is a microcosm of everything that’s wrong with many artists who find themselves trying to build a business.

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by on August 27, 2024
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What to post in your Substack newsletter

Webcartoonists have discovered Substack, and they’re flocking to the platform. After all, it’s one of the very few platforms where users are reporting measurable results. But setting up a Substack account is easy. Figuring out what to publish there… isn’t.

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by on August 21, 2024
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Support-Based Crowdfunding vs. Exclusives

Recently, a comics artist decided to remove the paywall for their Patreon campaign, asking instead that people view the previously exclusive content and support the artist if they like what they see. Predictably, this had disastrous results.

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by on August 20, 2024
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ComicLab Ep 348 — Special Guest Scott Kurtz — How to make a graphic novel

Show note: Unfortunately, we had some daunting technical difficulties during this recording session, so we had to switch to Zoom to record half of the show.

As Dave Kellett recovers from a successful San Diego Comic-Con, Scott Kurtz steps in to help Brad talk about making a graphic novel. In the second half, the two spill some tea over early webcomic history. 

THIS WEEK

  • How to make a graphic novel
  • Webcomic history

“Table Titans Club” is available at Target stores nationwide, along with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local bookstore!

by on August 15, 2024
Posted In: ComicLab, Uncategorized
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When a content scraper steals your exclusives

It happens from time to time — especially if you’re offering exclusive content on Patreon. Criminals (there’s no other word) access your site and use various means to scrape the content and post it in places where others can access it for free. As long as we, as artists, allow ourselves to be undervalued, there will always be people comfortable doing this. So, what can you do to stop it?

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by on August 14, 2024
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