ComicLab Ep 359 — Should your readers be your writers?

ComicLab Ep 359 — Should your readers be your writers?

BlueSky is beginning to feel like Twitter did ten years ago! Engagement is up, conversations are genuine, and follower counts...
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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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Banking on success

One of the smartest things you can do as your webcomic starts to transition from hobby to business is to establish a new bank account for your burgeoning venture. Keeping comics finances separate from your household income has several benefits. Here’s what you need to know…

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by on September 13, 2022
Posted In: Business
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Increase social-media engagement with Share Thoughts

Successful social media relies on engagement. The more a post is engaged, the more widely it gets distributed. There are many forms of engagement.

  • Acknowledgement — for example, clicking the Twitter heart or the Facebook thumbs-up — is one of the simplest forms of engagement
  • Association engagement interacts with your content. It’s a reply, a comment, a mention, a follow.
  • Amplification engagement spreads your content. It’s a retweet, a share, a reblog.
  • Action engagement moves beyond your content. It’s a click through to your website.
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by on September 12, 2022
Posted In: Marketing / Social Media
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Patreon Panic, and how to avoid it

Recently, an emotionally manipulative tweet about Patreon layoffs sparked yet another round of Patreon Panic. We’ll talk about navigating Patreon Panic in general, and then discuss this latest iteration specifically — and calmly.

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by on September 10, 2022
Posted In: Crowdfunding
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ComicLab Ep 246 — Marketing with Feeling

People make decisions based on emotions first, and then they back it up with logic afterwards. So cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss effectively marketing your comic with feelings over facts. 

ON THIS WEEK’S SHOW…

  • Using emotions to promote your comic (based on this Reddit thread)
  • Growing Patreon 10% with Brad’s advice
  • Clip Studio Paint goes to the subscription model
  • Offering help to someone who may not want it
  • Contractual obligations for using another person’s character
by on September 8, 2022
Posted In: ComicLab
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Webcomics Confidential: ‘Don’t quit your day job’

“Don’t quit your day job” is often used as an insult to artists to imply that they haven’t become successful yet. But I think we need to re-think this advice, because — for today’s artist — a day job is not a sign of an amateur. Rather, it’s an indication that the artist is doing what they need to do in order to succeed. And that’s worth celebrating.

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by on September 7, 2022
Posted In: Webcomics Confidential
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September To-Do List

Welcome to September, and the kids are headed back to school. Let’s talk about what’s in store this month.

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by on September 5, 2022
Posted In: To-Do List
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ComicLab Ep 245 — Have we become the people we fought? 

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett start a discussion about  trying to avoid becoming the people they used to fight, only to slowly realize… it had already happened.

ON THIS WEEK’S SHOW…

  • Don’t become your heroes
  • What is the dominant publishing format?
  • How much life experience goes into writing?
  • How do you keep the sex fresh in NSFW comics?

Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

  • $2 — Early access to episodes
  • $5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.
  • $10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewards

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Listen to ComicLab on…

by on September 1, 2022
Posted In: ComicLab
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E-mail newsletters — Best practices

Email outreach is hot again — and many independent creators are leaping to it as a way to escape social media. But in so doing, many of us are running afoul of long-standing FTC regulations which could hamper our ability to reach those readers over the long term. So let’s talk best practices.

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by on August 31, 2022
Posted In: Marketing / Social Media
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The Kickstarter Bathtub Curve

It’s not uncommon to panic in the early days of a Kickstarter campaign. After that initial shower of pledges, the activity often drains out — leaving the creator wondering if they’re going to be left all wet. That’s when it’s time to get into the “tub.”

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by on August 29, 2022
Posted In: Crowdfunding
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