Webcomics Confidential: ‘You have the audience you deserve’

Webcomics Confidential: ‘You have the audience you deserve’

Many of us seek a magic hashtag or "One Weird Trick" to game SEO and drive readers to our work....
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ComicLab Ep 362 — Your content is not your community

ComicLab Ep 362 — Your content is not your community

When comic creators try to market their comics, they often confuse what their comic is about with who it's for....
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Remove your first panel

Remove your first panel

If you've been a reader of Webcomics.com for a while, you know how much I loathe "magic number" advice. But...
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Key dates in the upcoming holiday shopping season

Key dates in the upcoming holiday shopping season

From Black Friday to New Year's sales, here's a guide to help you prepare your online store for the holiday...
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Webcomics Confidential: How long should it take to draw a comics page?

Webcomics Confidential: How long should it take to draw a comics page?

A person starting to do comics asked a question in a forum for creators: "How long does it take you...
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Comics Consultations

Comics Consultations

Powered by I will prepare top-down analysis of your comic-based business, including: Art and writing Social media Crowdfunding Marketing/promotion Then...
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ComicLab Ep 361 — Let’s talk about your bits and pieces

ComicLab Ep 361 — Let’s talk about your bits and pieces

When a listener asks about Kickstarter strategy, the ComicLab guys are divided! Dave favors the traditional webcomics approach. Build your...
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Reddit posting strategy

Reddit posting strategy

This is an excellent time to start an account on Reddit — or to dust off a profile you haven't...
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Clip Studio tutorial: Adding highlights to black hair

Clip Studio tutorial: Adding highlights to black hair

Drawing a person with black hair can be tricky. If you're not careful, you can end up with someone who...
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Webcomics Confidential: “Don’t quit your day job!”

Webcomics Confidential: “Don’t quit your day job!”

"Don't quit your day job" is often used to insult artists and imply that they haven't become successful yet. But...
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ComicLab Ep 166 — How to Get Lucky

Dave and Brad discuss the importance of “luck” in your creative career — and how you can increase the chances of that happening.

Questions asked and topics covered…

  • Dave Kellett gives advice on getting lucky
  • When it’s OK if your work changes over time
  • When it’s not OK when your work changes over time
  • Eisner submissions are due!
  • The dangers of mixing friends and business
  • Brad and Dave talk about podcasts
by on March 20, 2021
Posted In: ComicLab
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ComicLab Ep 164 — The Best Advice We Never Wanted

Dave and Brad  talk about the best advice they never wanted — those “truth hurts” moments that changed their careers.

Questions asked and topics covered…

  • Have you ever gotten advice  you didn’t want to hear?
  • How do you change specific aspects of your drawing style?
  • Amazon Advantage
  • Which syndicated cartoonist would have made a good webcartoonist
  • Should you change the spelling of your name to increase social-media hits?
  • Preparing a page/panel for different uses
by on March 17, 2021
Posted In: ComicLab
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Writing Creativity icon

Writing “beat to beat”

It can be difficult to write a longform story. How much do you need to write before you can start drawing? How do you keep a story moving without getting bogged down in details? Can you write week-to-week without falling behind? Let’s talk about one way that you can plan your story ahead of time and continue writing as you’re producing pages.

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by on March 17, 2021
Posted In: Writing
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Poor Man’s Copyright

Poor Man’s Copyright is a system of attempting to establish copyright through mailing a copy of the art to yourself (some people suggest using Certified Mail). The artist then files the envelope — unopened. If their copyright ownership is ever threatened, all they need do is open the envelope (in a court of law, one supposes) and present the document with a flourish. You even see some very prominent artists advising young people to use Poor Man’s Copyright. There’s only one problem: It’s complete bullshit.

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by on March 16, 2021
Posted In: Business
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ComicLab Ep 163 — Self-Publishing a Book

This week, Dave and Brad  take several questions about self-publishing. From the best way to build an audience to handling overseas shipping — it’s all about getting your work into print!

Questions asked and topics covered…

  • What’s the best way to build an audience for a book release? 
  • Is there a way to circumvent the rising prices of international shipping?
  • Color printing — is it worth the increased costs?
  • Selling in multiple consecutive formats
  • The best format to reach  pre-teens

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Listen to ComicLab on…

ComicLab is hosted on Simplecast, helping podcasters since 2013. with industry-leading publishing, distribution, and sharing tools.

by on March 16, 2021
Posted In: ComicLab
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ComicLab Ep 162 — Planning Out 2021

This week, Dave and Brad  talk about making plans in 2021. Will there be a return to conventions? Will Kickstarter remain reliable? How will global finances affect independent creators?

Questions asked and topics covered…

  • Assessing 2021 and planning for success
  • What didn’t we accomplish in 2020?
  • Is “webcomic” an outdated word?
  • How to change a Patreon without angering current backers
  • Selling digital originals?
  • Artist Editions

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
  • $10 — Record an audio question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
  • $50 — Sponsor the show! We’ll read a brief promo for your comic/product and read it twice during the show AND you get the exclusive ProTips podcast

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Listen to ComicLab on…

ComicLab is hosted on Simplecast, helping podcasters since 2013. with industry-leading publishing, distribution, and sharing tools.

by on March 10, 2021
Posted In: Crowdfunding
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ComicLab Ep 161 — Paying it Forward

This week, a listener asks about origins the “paying it forward” nature of Brad and Dave. So they spend the first part of the show talking about their mentorship philosophies.

Questions asked and topics covered…

  • Paying it forward
  • If you were to name a living cartoonist for the MacArthur Genius Grant, who would you name?
  • Quality vs. speed
  • What to work on improving first

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
  • $10 — Record an audio question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
  • $50 — Sponsor the show! We’ll read a brief promo for your comic/product and read it twice during the show AND you get the exclusive ProTips podcast

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Listen to ComicLab on…

ComicLab is hosted on Simplecast, helping podcasters since 2013. with industry-leading publishing, distribution, and sharing tools.

by on March 9, 2021
Posted In: ComicLab
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Pitfalls of paid advertising

Buying advertising for your comic is a tempting proposition for many independent cartoonists. After all — you need to get your work in front of more people, and sometimes it seems as if social media just isn’t delivering the way it was promised. But before you reach for your wallet, consider a few things.

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by on March 9, 2021
Posted In: Advertising
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