Should you translate your comic and try to sell overseas? Much like this post on promotion, it’s a bigger question of decision-making.
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In response to my recent show on comic conventions, a Webcomics.com member wrote to ask about the intangibles involved with exhibiting — stuff like exposure and promotion and improving one’s sales skills. Weren’t they reason enough to continue to exhibit at comic conventions? My response is Episode 7 of Webcomics Confidential.
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What if I offered a small promo box that participants could add to their comic sidebars. The box would randomly generate a small banner and link to comics from other participants. Are you in or out?
I think the answer should be out.
And I’ll tell you why…
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This is the second in a short series of critiques that will focus on book-cover design. There’s still time to sign up if you’re interested.
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It’s time for Webcomics Confidential Episode 6! I take on a couple pf good questions. First — Are smaller comic conventions really better for webcartoonists? And then — Patreon backers who come and go… are they a problem? I’ll answer both of those questions and manage to insult vegans all at the same time.
Please keep sending in your questions and comments! They’re tremendous — and a great source of ideas for upcoming episodes.
Catch up on all of the Webcomics Confidential episodes.
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This is the first in a short series of critiques that will focus on book-cover design. There’s still time to sign up if you’re interested. First up…
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You don’t need a subscription to read today’s post!
This is a re-post from the Webcomics.com archive. 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, consider a subscription! You’ll 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.
Forget the Stretch Goal. The Add-on is where it’s at — especially if it’s a digital add-on!
Editor’s Note: The Add-on was a huge part of the success of my own recent Kickstarter. However, there’s a new twist — Backerkit. We’ll be talking more about that in an upcoming post.
Whenever a Kickstarter campaign attains its goal, it’s expected that the creator will announce a Stretch Goal. I know that was the expectation when I hit my funding goal with two weeks of campaigning to go. But I really didn’t have a good Stretch Goal lined up. My readers have never strongly supported merchandise outside of the graphic-novel line, so maquettes, action figures and toys were out.Heck, I’ve never even seen a strong enough demand for hardcover editions to justify that expense. Besides, adding all of that stuff to the mix means accounting for extra shipping expenses, and I wasn’t certain that I was going to be able to hit a Stretch Goal if it accounted for all of the extra money that would be needed.
And — really — now that I’ve reached my goal, isn’t it wiser to simply run up the numbers for the current Kickstarter? I mean, I have a three-volume omnibus book that I want to pitch to my readers, but I think it’s better to let that stand on its own merits — with its own Kickstarter.
However, I did want to maximize the money I’d be able to generate in the next two weeks of Kickstarter funding.
And that’s when I discovered the beauty of the Add-on.
The Kickstarter Add-on was pioneered by tabletop-gaming project creators, who have used them to allow backers to add expansion packs, extra cards and game pieces. Since then, add-ons have become popular for projects in every category.
I offered a single Add-on — a PDF that collected the NSFW comics I was doing for Patreon since last April. I alerted my Kickstarter backers that it would be available as a $20 add-on. That announcement went out on April 7.
Three days later, I’ve seen $720 in increased pledges.
Easy peasy…
To maximize the impact of this add-on, it should be a digital reward. If that’s not feasible, it should at least be something lightweight that will not significantly increase the shipping cost of the item. Remember, Media Mail rates are applicable only to bounded, printed material. If you throw something different into that package, it no longer qualifies for Media Mail rates.
Keep in mind… a Kickstarter is basically a preorder on a line of merchandise. If the Kickstarter is successful, you’ve covered the start-up costs on that merchandise. If that happens early, it’s risky to try to launch a second piece of merchandise at the same time — especially if you haven’t properly gauged the extra cost and/or the demand.
I think it’s much wiser to simply maximize this preorder cycle, and let that second line of merchandise stand — or fall — on its own merits.
We’ve all heard of “shameless self-promotion,” but there’s such a thing as shameFUL self-promotion — and that’s low-yield, pointless, ineffective promotion. If you’ve ever posted “check out my web-comic” then you’re guilty, too. Learn how to avoid the pitfalls of poor promotion — and, more importantly, learn how to do the kind of effective promotion that your comic deserves.
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We’re going to run TWO Hot Seats concurrently — Book covers and lettering. If you have an upcoming book, this one is for you. Post your book cover design, and we’ll workshop it together.
Hit the Comments and give me…
We’re going to run TWO Hot Seats concurrently — Book covers and lettering. Lettering is crucial to improving the quality of your comic. Let’s talk about upping your lettering game. Hit the Comments and give me…
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