Understanding social media

Understanding social media

Social media is among an independent artist's most frustrating elements. We struggle for engagement, wage constant battles with "The Algorithm,"...
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Writing humor

Writing humor

Writing comedy is a challenge that is made even more daunting by the fact that humor itself is completely subjective...
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CMYK vs RGB

CMYK vs RGB

If you're saving your comics in RGB mode, you may be making a potentially expensive mistake. The content you are...
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ComicLab Ep 358 — “Help! I’m not funny anymore!”

ComicLab Ep 358 — “Help! I’m not funny anymore!”

Cartoonists Dave and Brad share some thoughts with a young humor writer trying to find their Funny. Also: Is BlueSky...
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ISBN — a beginner’s guide

ISBN — a beginner’s guide

An ISBN is a 10- or 13-digit number used to identify a book from a specific publisher. Once your book...
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How to write a Halloween joke

How to write a Halloween joke

On Substack, a cartoonist was struggling with writing a Halloween joke. He was experiencing a common problem. He was stuck...
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Webcomics Confidential: Size doesn’t matter

Webcomics Confidential: Size doesn’t matter

when it comes to your audience, size doesn't matter. A small and engaged readership beats a huge, lukewarm audience every...
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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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Telegraphing a joke

Writing a good joke is a balancing act. There are so many ways to upset the delicate harmonies that work together to make something funny. Luckily, there are a few missteps that have recognizable patterns. One of them is telegraphing the joke.

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by on September 13, 2023
Posted In: Writing
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How many panels per page?

A fellow comic creator once shared that they were told that a page should have between 4 and 7 panels per page. Not only is this bad advice, but it removes the focus from where it ought to be.

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by on September 12, 2023
Posted In: Art
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The Wisdom of Small Mistakes

There’s a  definite advantage to making mistakes early in your career. They have a much lower impact than the ones that come later.

ON THIS WEEK’S SHOW…

  • Making small mistakes early so you can avoid big trauma later
  • Re-releasing old merchandise
  • Visual novels
  • Luck in social media
by on September 7, 2023
Posted In: ComicLab
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Start planning holiday merchandise NOW

Merry Christmas — and Happy New Year! Set down the sunblock, and step away from the pool. It’s time to start planning for December and January.

I know it’s hard to get into the spirit, but this is the time to start working on merchandise for the holiday shopping season. In recent years, webcartoonists have offered an increasing compliment of holiday goodies that have ranged from specialty T-shirts and mugs to holiday-themed greeting cards. And let’s not forget to add calendars to that list. Those will start appearing in stores by November — at the latest!

So, let’s take a closer look at some of those specialty products, and how we can start working now to be ready to compete when the snow falls.

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by on September 6, 2023
Posted In: Merchandise
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September To-Do List

It’s September, and the kids are returning to school. This is great if you’re a webcartoonist because that means they’re returning to reading webcomics from school.

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by on September 1, 2023
Posted In: To-Do List
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Understanding passive revenue streams — Knock-on vs Knock-out

Last year I published a post explaining why Subless was a bad business decision for creators. One of the reasons I listed was that it conflicts with a creator’s efforts to build revenue on Patreon. One of the comments I received was that incorporating Subless into their business was good because it added a passive revenue stream. And that means it’s time to take a little time to discuss that topic in greater detail.

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by on August 30, 2023
Posted In: Business
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