This is the first in a new series of Hitch It / Ditch It critiques. (The Open Call is still open, if you’re interested.)
The rules are simple: I go to your site and point of one thing you’re doing well, and one thing that might stand some improvement. The discussion goes on from there are the members join in with their thoughts.
You don’t need a subscription to read today’s post!
If you’ve ever been curious about the kind of information, tutorials and advice that you’ll get as part of your subscription to Webcomics.com, this is a good example.
If you’d like to join the site, you can get a 12-month subscription for $30 — or you can get a one-month Trial for $5 … with no obligation after your 30 days expire. For less than three bucks a month, you can get a steady flow of information, tutorials and advice targeted towards your webcomic business — plus a private forum to discuss issues with other professionally minded cartoonists.
Having launched my first Kickstarter campaign, I’ve been doing a lot of “I make mistakes so you don’t have to” research for this site. Here’s a few things I learned and a few tips I’ve culled from from others along the way.
Start the verification process early
NOTE: Kickstarter has since switched to Stripe for their transactions. Skip ahead to Number 2!I started the process for my first Kickstarter campaign in June 2012. It took me three months to get verified by Amazon Payments! I got stuck in a log jam that was only broken up (minutes) after I posted a particularly sour accounting of the process on my comic’s blog. My theory is that I encountered problems when I used my Employer Identification Number (EIN) instead of my Social Security Number (SSN) in the registration process. And I’ve heard anecdotal evidence from others who encountered a similar situation.
Set a reasonable goal
The Kickstarter campaign does not end with the goal. Stretch goals have come to be expected in a Kickstarter campaign. It’s much more impressive (to a potential donor) to have surpassed a reasonable goal than to struggle to reach a lofty one.
Don’t end on a weekend
Pay close attention to the end date of your campaign. Ending on a weekend is murder. Internet traffic slows to a halt over the weekend. You want to be able to ramp up the excitement in the closing minutes of the campaign. And that’s not going to happen while everyone’s away from their computers.
Engage
Answer questions and respond to comments. Talk it up on your social media feeds. The more excited you are, the more excited they’ll be.
@guigar You’re good at this, I only read comics and still felt like it needed to be backed.
Kickstarter allows you to take polls among your supporters. what a great way to gauge interest in stretch goals and rewards.
Participate
There’s a huge social aspect to Kickstarter. People will look at how many Kickstarters you’ve backed and use that to help decide whether to back yours. A healthy number of backed Kickstarter campaigns can replace name recognition or brand.
Make it visual
People don’t read. They look and then they read (if they’re interested). Show pages from the comic or book that you’re gathering funds for. Get them interested.
Short and Sweet
Make your video friendly, informal, and — most importantly — short! Get to the point. There’s nothing worse than trying to slog through a video that takes more time showing you how cute the creator can be with his copy of iMovie. I wanna know who you are, what you’re doing, and why I need to be involved. Make eye contact. Smile. And talk clearly.
Avoid mailing
Wanna know what’s going to take a bigger bite of your profits than you’re prepared for? Mailing costs. They’re gonna eat you alive if you’re not careful. Avoid shipping anything to anyone until you get to your higher tiers. Make as much use out of digital rewards as you posibly can.
Adapt
Listen to your supporters, study your numbers, and adapt your campaign accordingly. I noticed that my Kickstarter was stagnating a bit because my reward tiers topped out at $100. When I included rewards at higher numbers, my campaign took a leap ahead as new supporters joined the campaign. But more importantly, current supporters increased their pledges. They wanted to give me more money, but I wasn’t letting them!
Clear your schedule
This was originally a top-ten list, but I can’t not include this one: Clear your schedule for the next 30 days. You have a defined window of opportunity, and you need to be completely tuned-in to make this happen. That means a significant investment of time and mental energy. Get ahead on your buffer and warn your family. This is going to be thirty very intense days.
A few weeks ago, I posted 12 Ways You’re Doing Patreon Wrong. In it, I advocated moving away from an ad-supported business model, and into a subscription-supported model. After one member read the piece, they asked:
Q. I have a question about this: Do you EVER provide the paid material to the general population? I.e. if Patreon subscribers get your NSFW work, will the visitors to your [public website] … see the archives one day? And if so, how?
A. A few days ago, I posted this under the Webcomics.com Twitter account:
Webcartoonists: It ain’t about the pageviews anymore. Once you let that sink in, you’ll rethink your entire publishing approach.
Q. I was reading an article about some things new comic creators should do, and avoid. For the most part the article gave really good advice, however, one piece of advice struck me as odd and I was curious what others thought. It said that for new creators, a long episodic comic should be avoided, and in its place the creator should do something shorter. The reasoning was that new creators need experience in crafting comics and shorter story (maybe something over the course of a year) would help them build the tools necessary to do a long, episodic comic. I also want to be clear that I respect and love the creator who gave the advice. Just wanted to get others to weigh in and share some thoughts.
A. I think that’s pretty smart advice — especially considering s/he’s talking specifically to people who are new to creating comics. And here’s why…
The content you are trying to access is only available to members.
Q. I have a webcomic that gets around 1500 pageviews a day. I’d thought of that as a small number, but I work in an online marketing company, and my boss and co-workers were telling me that I should be thinking of monetization. I’m not sure if I want to be focusing on that yet (I’ve been reading a lot of the articles here on writing and sitcom structure, and improving the actual comic is my short-term goal), but I’m wondering if this is something I should be thinking about in the medium term.
My Stats
I update twice a week, and the comic’s been running for over a year, with 82 pages currently (there was a period of one page a week while we worked on a big animation update)
I get 7-8k pageviews a week, with 1500+ on update days (lousy Sundays…). Per Google Analytics, I’m getting ~1400 users per week, fairly consistently over the last month. ~85% of them are repeat users.
I’m making $45/mo off of 12 patrons on Patreon.
I have a webcomics review tumblr blog with 760 followers, which I use to drive traffic to the comic
My Facebook page also has 720 likes. However, unlike the Tumblr blog which built a following over several years, I advertised the Facebook page a lot.
On the advice of my marketing coach, I’ve added Amazon Affiliate Links. I have no idea if they’ll amount to anything.
My gut feeling is that I’m way too small still to be thinking of “the moitch”, but I’m curious what your experiences are. At what point should I start looking into the logistics of selling T-shirts? 5000 pageviews? 50k? Will I just kind of “know”?
A: So, here’s the thing. Take those pageview stats and Facebook Likes and throw them out the window.
UPS is making two changes next month that are liable to affect your bottom line. It’s raising its shipping rates, and it’s reducing its “oversize” threshold.
Here’s a PDF describing the rate hike. The oversize threshold works like this: Previously, items that were over 60 inches on the package’s longest side qualified for an extra handling charge. That dimension has been reduced to 48 inches. So now, if you’re shipping something that measures over 48 inches on its longest side, you’ll be charged an extra $10.50 for handling.
Now, more than ever, it’s easy to see what a subscription to Webcomics.com will get you.
Every Friday, you can read the entire Archive Dive post without a subscription. This is a post from the site’s archive that I pull out front again because it still has relevant information you can use today. This is especially nice for newer subscribers (or anyone else) who may have missed it when it originally ran.
Plus, at the beginning of every month, I do a wrap-up that highlights some of the best posts — from the site as well as the private forum — from the preceding month.
If you’re curious about joining, we’ve made it easier than ever with a $5 trial membership.You’ll get full access to the site for thirty days so you can see what you’ve been missing. At the end of the trial, you can choose to re-subscribe ($30 for 12 months of access) or walk away with no strings attached. You will not be re-billed unless you choose to subscribe.
Please note: The links below will lead you to content that is “subscription-only” content. Why do I do this? Simple. If you see something that intrigues you and decide to subscribe, you can come back here and use this post to jump right to the post that caught your attention. And once you do that, use the other Best Of posts to drill even deeper into the site!
According to Comics Alliance, TokyoPop founder Stu Levy has unveiled an ad-supported comics app called POP Comics. He also announced vague plans to return to manga publishing this year. This has resulted in a very pronounced outcry from folks who had negative experiences with Tokyopop contracts in the past. [READ MORE]
Posting NSFW content on Patreon has lead to a stunning revelation on my part. It happened when I noticed the reaction when a new Patreon backer doesn’t find the NSFW content to his or her liking. Instead of downshifting the pledge from $10 to a lower level that avoids the spicy content (like a monthly pledge of $1 or $5), they delete the pledge entirely.
Stop and think about that.
Keep in mind that many — well over 90% — of my backers registered with Patreon so they could back my campaign. They had no previous pledges with any other Patreon campaigns. Most (if not all) of them saw the promotion for NSFW content on my site (or on my social media) and decided it was worth $10 to try it out. They were already readers of the PG-13 version of my comic on my (free) website.
I’ve done a good job of keeping the vast majority of my patrons, but the ones that didn’t stay… they cancelled their pledge all together instead of reducing it.
What does that tell you? Does it prove the age-old axiom from the Broadway musical Avenue Q?
Perhaps.
But, to me, it’s an indicator of something far more interesting. [READ MORE]
It never ceases to amaze me when I have a hard time finding someone’s comic.
Let me give you an example: I read a Facebook comment from a webcartoonist and my first instinct is to go look at their comic. I click on their name to see their Facebook profile, and… nothing. Likewise, when I get an e-mail from a fellow webcartoonist, asking advice. The first thing I want to do is know more about this person’s work. But there’s no link in his or her e-mail signature.
It all falls under the heading of “everyday promotion,” and it’s a very fundamental part of networking and promoting your work.
I’ve been experimenting with a new approach in Reader Outreach that I’m having very good results with. I’ve started designing several small promos (300×50 pixels) to rotate in a position directly over my comic. The reader response has been strong.
Last week’s post, “People Will Pay For Content” generated a lot of good comments. However, there’s one response that really troubles me — and I’ve seen it repeated whenever we start talking about for-pay content on the Web.
“Someone should make a Netflix for comics!”
Unfortunately, I don’t think that works very well for webcartoonists. [READ MORE]
{(Guest column) I thought I’d share an experiment I’ve been running over the past few weeks with Blow The Cartridge and see if there’s anything to be learned from it.
Over the last year I’ve made a habit out of posting a link to one of my comics to Reddit every day. This is usually on the /r/comics feed. Some days I get a nice little traffic bump, but most days the link just sinks to the bottom of the Reddit pile and isn’t really seen by anyone. I just figure that’s par for the course, and posting to Reddit takes only a minute out of the day so it’s no great shakes either way.
Recently though I thought I’d try something markedly different: Link Bundles. [READ MORE]
Patreon Critiques
We launched a new Hot Seat Critique series, looking at participating members’ Patreon campaigns and giving feedback on what was working and what needed to be tweaked.
Comedian Patton Oswalt is a hero in the geek community. From his stand-up repertoire to his role in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, his freak flag flies high. And when his wife, Michelle McNamara, died unexpectedly last month, it’s safe to say that most of us shared a small part of that grief. Although there’s a lot to learn from Oswalt — about perserverance to one’s craft, about picking up the pieces after a tragedy, about figuring out how to raise his seven-year-old daughter alone, about life in general — one of the unexpected lessons I’ve gotten from his story is about something we all deal with, from time to time: Fan Entitlement.
It all started with this tweet from an account started under the name of Mark Madden, who had just watching Patton’s new “Talking for Clapping” comedy special on Netflix… [READ MORE]
Remember that scene in The Graduate, in which Mr. McGuire pulls Benjamin (played by a young Dustin Hoffman) aside to give him some life advice?
Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.
Benjamin: Exactly how do you mean?
Mr. McGuire: There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?
My father-in-law, having read about a global colored-pencil shortage, has taken on the same demeanor. But when he pulls me aside, it isn’t “plastics.” Instead, it’s…
Recently, after reading my critique of a member’s Patreon campaign, a fellow subscriber wrote:
Here’s something that scares me about this sort of crowd-funding : When is it acceptable to make changes, and how do you do that?
How drastically can you change things like the goal before users feel like you’re moving the goal posts and taking advantage of them? I assume you’d do it at the end of a month so you’re not literally lying to them, but do you worry about it still feeling like a bait and switch? Does etiquette require that you announce changes some period ahead of time? …How quickly can you make those changes without angering customers?
Some cartoonists have been asking me to give them my thoughts on their Patreon pages. And I’ve opened up a new Hot Seat critique series based on members’ Patreons. And — honestly, I’m a little obsessed — when I see a new Patreon page being promoted, I go over and see how they’ve got it structured. Sometimes, I find ideas worth stealing. But more often, I’m seeing a lot of the same mistakes being made over and over again. And, in my opinion, it’s having an adverse effect on your ability to generate support.
Now, this is usually where I cut the article and throw the rest of the post behind the paywall. But this one is so damned important, I’m not going to do that. If this is you, you need to stop, rethink and rebuild.
It’s not charity. It’s a business transaction
Asking for pocket change, thanking patrons in advance for their generosity, and any appeal that relies more on emotion than on the value of your work are poor strategies. In general, anything that makes your Patreon campaign sound like a hand-out, an act of mercy, or a charity is setting exactly the wrong tone for what you’re trying to do.
Honestly? I’d make it a point to avoid words like “generous.”
This is the A-1, second-to-none, deal-breaker mistake that people make on Patreon.
Why? Because it not only puts your potential patrons into the wrong mindset, but — more importantly — it putsyou in the wrong mindset. And if you’re in that mindset, you’re going to make a bunch of bad decisions.
Keep reading. You’ll see exactly what I mean.
When you’re trying to get someone to give you charity, you make promises — often promises that you have no idea how you’re going to keep. You’re a panhandler on the subway rattling an empty coffee cup. You’ll say anything to get someone to pay attention.
So, what should you do?
OK… Webcomics.com isn’t a charity either… [READ MORE]
There are a few points of booth etiquette that you should be aware of as you’re exhibiting at a convention.
No poaching: You may never — ever — address an attendee while he or she is speaking to another exhibitor. Interrupting a discussion between an attendee and an exhibitor is unforgivable. And if you DO decide to open your mouth, for the love of god, make sure you know the shot! (NSFW language in the movie clip.)
We’ve had an excellent discussion in the Private Forum about traffic-building on the post-ad-blocker web.
In the course of the conversation, I started brainstorming on a special publishing strategy for longform comics that can’t/don’t use humor as a hook for their updates.
I think it’s worth experimentation.
And it’s all about cultivating the orbital reader.
So here’s the problem in a nutshell. In order to grow a readership, a traditional webcomic has to follow a frequent/consistent/significant publishing format. Updates should be as frequent as possible, while maintainingconsistency (of schedule and of quality), and each update has to be a significant reading experience — even to the reader who is just landing on the site for the first time today. If you want a more detailed discussion of this concept, please read this post from the archive.
For humor comics — both longform and shortform — that’s a pretty simple prescription. The comic has to be funny every time — without relying on previous updates for backstory/context. Easy to say. Hard to do. But also, pretty crucial.
For a comic that isn’t written to be humorous (or uses comedy as a spice instead of the main course), this is daunting.
And, if this is you, it may feel as if the entirety of Wweb publishing is stacked against you. It may feel as if social media doesn’t work. Readers aren’t engaged. There’s a low ratio of signal-to-noise.
But it’s all about the comic. If the comic is good, all of that other stuff can be addressed.
Interestingly enough, a few days after our discussion about a “Netflix for comics,” ComiXology announced that it has created exactly that. ComiXology has just released ComiXology Unlimited, a monthly subscription service ($5.99 a month) that enables subscribers to access a large catalog of comics. Marvel and DC content will not be part of the offering. However, selected titles from publishers such as Dark Horse, Fantagraphics and Image will anchor the service. According to Entertainment Weekly:
…Comixology Unlimited will eventually cycle titles in and off its catalog in the future, though it already starts off with thousands of issues from dozens of different series. This could allow users drawn to a flashy name — such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the comic book continuation of the beloved TV show — to eventually find their way to lesser-known comics likeUmbrella Academy, My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way’s surreal twist on the superhero tale.
Will webcartoonists who currently publish through ComiXology Submit be able to participate? And what will the royalty structure be? I put out some inquiries and got some interesting answers…
Submit members are able to participate in ComiXology Unlimited on an invite-only basis. For now. From ComiXology:
Right now, Submit participation is invite-only, but stay tuned! 🙂
I have a contact who is publishing through ComiXology Unlimited, and that person tells me that the royalty schedule is comparable to the Kindle Unlimited royalty system.
Under Kindle Unlimited, you become eligible for a royalty payment once the reader finishes reading your book. Once this happens, you get paid according to the same royalty structure you selected when you signed up for Kindle Direct Publishing… [READ MORE]
Q. I tend to draw things rather simple, colorful and a bit more “cartoony-expressive” than realistic, but they still have adult themes at times. My comics are mostly PG-13 type stuff. I was wondering how I would go about putting a rating system on the cover of my graphic novels? I feel that it is good to be upfront about this sort of stuff like movies, video games and music lyrics do. I did some research aon the ratings used by DC and Marvel. Marvel used a G-PG-R system until the Motion Picture Association of America complained, as it holds a trademark on such classifications. Marvel thus switched their system.
So… my question is… Does DC and Marvel hold copyright (or trademark) to these rating systems? Did Marvel choose their rating system so that they wouldn’t get in trouble from duplicating DC’s? Do I have to come up with some unique system of my own for my comics? Don’t video games use the exact same ratings as DC? Wouldn’t every single comic creator have to develop their own system? Wouldn’t that be hard to do and completely insane for EVERY author to make their own rating system? Would I get in trouble for duplicating theirs?
Or would a simple listing of the controversial things be sufficient. A small blurb somewhere that says…. “This book contains brief nudity, profanity, and adult themes.”
Marvel and DC Comics have asserted joint-trademark ownership over use of the word “super hero” for several years. They forced the creators of “Super Hero Happy Hour” to change the name of their comic to “Hero Happy Hour” in 2004. And they imposed similar restrictions on the creators of other “super hero” products.
Graham Jules was about to publish his self-help manual “Business Zero to Superhero” in 2014 when he got a letter from Marvel and DC Comics claiming the word infringed their jointly-owned trademark.
But modest Mr. Jules fought back and even rejected an offer of ‘a couple of thousand’ to change his book title.
The legitimacy of the claim by Marvel and DC has often been challenged by commentators and many believe it would fail now.
By dropping the case, Marvel and DC avoid any judgment that others could then use against Marvel and DC. But it does also suggest that all someone has to do is let the case go to an official body and they’ll win.
Or even, just take the money when it’s offered. It’s possibly worth doing just for that.
It started at the Puerto Rico Comic Con last weekend, when Invincibles artist Ryan Ottley spied some veeeerrryy familiar art at the table of an artist working under the name of “GingerZap.”
As is the custom, he took his concerns to Twitter… [READ MORE]
Two of the of the strengths of Manga Studio is the ability to create page/strip templates and save image “material” to use again later.
But what if you use the software on two different computers — for example, one in your studio and another at home?
Relax. There’s an easy way to sync everything up.
• Go to your Documents folder.
• You’ll see a folder named “Smith Mirco“
• Make a copy of this on Dropbox, Google Drive, or some other back-up system.
• When you get to your other computer, drag this folder to the Documents folder of that second computer.
You will have all of the templates, materials, etc. from the first computer available to you on the second computer.
Now, whenever you add something to your library of materials, remember to drag that Smith Micro folder to the back-up and manually sync the other computer at your first possible convenience.
You don’t need a subscription to read today’s post!
If you’ve ever been curious about the kind of information, tutorials and advice that you’ll get as part of your subscription to Webcomics.com, this is a good example.
If you’d like to join the site, you can get a 12-month subscription for $30 — or you can get a one-month Trial for $5 … with no obligation after your 30 days expire. For less than three bucks a month, you can get a steady flow of information, tutorials and advice targeted towards your webcomic business — plus a private forum to discuss issues with other professionally minded cartoonists.
Don’t let anybody misinform you: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) matters, and it matters a lot.
And most of those people are on those sites for one reason and one reason alone: They’re looking for content. It boggles my mind that the same people who are yearning to extend the reach of their comic beyond the “webcomics community” can’t see the value of SEO. It is — absolutely — your ability to reach new readers. And that’s what we’re all trying to do, right?
So, SEO… if you underestimate it, you’re making a grave mistake.
To that end, I wanted to share ten tips I’ve collected to help you move towards optimizing your site’s SEO potential. They’re easy, intuitive, effective ways to improve your ability to grow your site.
TITLE TAG
The page title is a search engine’s primary target. It gets checked first and has a tremendous amount of relevence towards a search result. Word yours carefully. It should be descriptive, and it should use words that focus on your site’s content. However, cramming it with keywords will make your site look like spam, so don’t get carried away.
WORD PRESS
Word Press sites are well-tuned to search-engine optimization. Just using WordPress gives you a leg-up on SEO optimization. If you use one of the SEO plug-ins, experiment first to make sure that it’s not slowing down your site and/or eating up bandwidth. I’m told Yoast SEO is a good choice, but I have not experimented with it personally.
ALT IMAGE TAGS
Don’t discount the importance of adding tags to your image files. It’s an important step in making your site more accessible to a wider range of users, and it increases the chances of someone finding your content. If you use Comic Easel, there’s a tag function along the right-hand side of the Add Comic function.
KEYWORDS IN THE URL
Again, Word Press makes it easy. Go to Settings –> Permalinks and choose the option of Month and Name. When you name a post or a comic, use descriptive words in the title. That’s why it’s there.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Search engines find things more quickly when links to the content are posted on Twitter or Google Plus. Again, Word Press has a plug-in.
THINK MOBILE
This is a hard one for most of us, but I want to put it out there. A lot of those searches are being done on a smartphone. If your site isn’t prepared for that, you’re going to have a high bounce rate from those users.
GET VALIDATED
W3C has a free validation service. It will flag errors on your Web site. Fixing these errors makes your site more accesible and increases search-engine rankings.
GET LINKED
This is one of those back-to-basics tips that I always overlook. It’s always good to get linked-to from a higher-ranking site. If that site has a forum or a commenting function, it’s a great idea to become an active participant and find appropriate ways to link to your comic. That’s not a license to spam. Meaningful, appropriate links get clicks, and that’s what it’s all about.
CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT
This is advice I’ve posted here before, but it bears repeating. Your ability to blog regularly (and well) is a huge asset to improving your traffic. It’s crucial for Community Building, and it gives those search engine spiders something to chew on. Make time for it.
GET INTO THE HABIT
This isn’t a fix-it-and-forget it thing. You have to make this a regular part of how you put content on your site. It has to be something that’s in the back of your mind, guiding your decisions. Make it habitual.
Q. I have a question about this: Do you EVER provide the paid material to the general population? I.e. if Patreon subscribers get your NSFW work, will the visitors to your [public website] … see the archives one day? And if so, how?
According to 
Posting NSFW content on Patreon has lead to a stunning revelation on my part. It happened when I noticed the reaction when a new Patreon backer doesn’t find the NSFW content to his or her liking. Instead of downshifting the pledge from $10 to a lower level that avoids the spicy content (like a monthly pledge of $1 or $5), they delete the pledge entirely.
Interestingly enough, a few days after our discussion about a “Netflix for comics,” ComiXology announced that it has created exactly that. ComiXology has just released 
Q. I tend to draw things rather simple, colorful and a bit more “cartoony-expressive” than realistic, but they still have adult themes at times. My comics are mostly PG-13 type stuff. I was wondering how I would go about putting a rating system on the cover of my graphic novels? I feel that it is good to be upfront about this sort of stuff like movies, video games and music lyrics do. I did some research aon the ratings used by DC and Marvel. Marvel used a G-PG-R system until the Motion Picture Association of America complained, as it holds a trademark on such classifications. Marvel thus switched their system.
Loading ...