Selling comics

[Majestic Joey]

So for the last year and a half, I wrote, drew and painted a comic book. I am now working on a sequel. You can see some excerpts on my site:

http://nicoharrimanart.com

Anyways I worked for months at customer services jobs, saved up money and printed multiple copies to sell at wondercon. The convention was very unsuccessful and I should have waited for the alternative press expo in san francisco because it seemed at wondercon comics are not really the focus. People only were there for the movie premieres, and useless crap. People spent $20 on these dumb mindcraft cardboard box heads. That cardboard probably cost about 20 cents. The blue ranger from power rangers was there signing autographs and getting a lot more business than my booth (the small press tables were in the way back away from everything and I did not get much foot traffic. Can't believe how much I paid for such a shitty spot.). Most people don't even glance through your work. I sold only about 5 copies of my graphic novel and 12 copies of my short comic. It was really depressing.

Long story short I am trying to figure out what is the best way to go and I thought I would ask this forum because I know a lot of people here are artsy and have done things like this. Plus despite, all the sarcastic and snide comments, I oddly trust peoples judgement on this forum.

Anyways should I try to submit my comics to publishers, or keep going to conventions and try to get discovered that way?

I was also of thinking of starting a web comic but the only problem with that is I'm worried about the artwork losing its value and it while it could get more exposure the comics won't sell as much either. Also, call me old fashioned but I think comics just feel better on paper instead of reading them on a screen.

People also keep telling me that I need to make a facebook because it can help me get a fan base but I don't want to spend my time working on than and I hate facebook more than anything.

So yeah, if anybody has any prior knowledge or has been in a similar situation please feel free to give me some advice. Thanks in advance.

[G.Silver]

My advice certainly isn't going to be as good as some of the other folks here (come on, Esrever!), but first off: Don't let the cardboard Minecraft junk get to you--that's a recipe for self destruction.

I was also of thinking of starting a web comic but the only problem with that is I'm worried about the artwork losing its value and it while it could get more exposure the comics won't sell as much either. Also, call me old fashioned but I think comics just feel better on paper instead of reading them on a screen.

This is what you should do. It's a completely different thing, of course, because a graphic novel is a thing that you make, and a webcomic, or webcomics, is a thing that you keep making and never stop. That doesn't mean it can't end, it just means that the real star is you, and you want to make sure people keep following you and what you're doing. This is absolutely counter-intuitive, but with a graphic novel nobody's heard of, your comic already has about zero value--by giving it away online and increasing awareness, you are actually increasing its value, and YOUR value as well. It might not sell any better, but people will at least know what it is and who you are, you are gaining something for it. You can still sell it at cons, after all, nobody knows what it is, but you can also use the con as an opportunity to grow your audience, so it doesn't have to be just about sales.

And yep, OLD FASHIONED. There are people today who have read more pages of comics online than they ever (or will ever) hold in their hands; there are people who read webcomics exclusively; there are people who read hundreds and thousands of "scanlations" of manga pages online without even knowing that those comics aren't "supposed to be" online. Even though it feels better to you and plenty of other people to read comics on paper, that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with starting out online, and I think it's the best, most-direct way to get to an audience. Your personal preference doesn't have anything to do with how other people want to read comics or spend their money.

When I started Dawn of Time, all I wanted was to make a book, but I ended up finding a real value in the web presence itself, even if I never did get around to printing a book. I still made a lot of comics, they were read by a lot of people, I improved my work habits, and I got my name out there. I really liked it and would absolutely do it again. It's not exactly a great success story so maybe that doesn't carry much weight, but I'd still make a strong recommendation that anyone who wants to make their own comics should do it online.

[Pepperidge]

Getting some of your stuff (or at least samples) on Smack Jeeves is a great way to generate exposure, or at least carve yourself a niche with certain audiences. I feel very strongly that serialization is the best way to release any kind of work, and doing that online is the best way to get the exposure you need. This whole mentality of expecting people to blind-buy a fully compiled, published work has always been a really backwards idea, and that's especially obvious in this day and age.

[Majestic Joey]

How did you make your comic website? Did you design it from scratch or did use a blog template with wordpress or some other site. I have basic dreamweaver skills but I don't know how to code a for a webcomic where I would have to update the front page a lot. At the convention there was this booth for http://tapastic.com where people can easily post their webcomics on their site. I was thinking of using that but I'm worried it would get overshadowed by other comics that they are hosting. Have you ever tried submitting any of your comics to publishers? I'm thinking of trying that once I learn how to write (writing comics is natural for me but once I try putting my thoughts down in essay form it all just falls apart).

[G.Silver]

No publisher seeking experience on my part, I'm hoping someone else can fill that in for you. :)

My site was coded more or less from scratch by a friend who does web development, and I definitely recommend taking advantage of a friend, if the option exists. (A good time for any GHZ web developers to make an inexpensive offer!) This might be a little more technical than what Smack Jeeves and Tapastic do, but if I were going for something along those lines I'd look into Comic Fury, which does hosting and allows comics to look more or less as if they are unaffiliated with anything--every comic on their main page has its own navigation and layout design, they can have their own domain names, and it doesn't look like they just went with a free webcomic hosting solution, even though that's what it is.

Also, there's nothing stopping you from using multiple free sites just to help build up more of an audience. The reason to go with sites like Smack Jeeves or Tapastic is because even "in the shadow" of bigger comics, you're still going to attract some audience just by being there. But self promotion is the best way to attract attention, so getting on webcomic lists and posting in relevant forums and, of course, getting friendly with more successful webcomic authors than you. A hosting site might bring in some people but you'll get a lot more if you do the legwork yourself.

[Majestic Joey]

[quote="Pepperidge" This whole mentality of expecting people to blind-buy a fully compiled, published work has always been a really backwards idea, and that's especially obvious in this day and age.[/quote]

Yep, I definitely realized that. Usually when I go to cons, I go and look through most of the books without any prior knowledge and buy them based on my first impression. I guess I may be a minority in how I approach buying stuff.

Anyways, thanks for the advice. I think I may start working on designing my own webcomic site in the future. I'll definitely see how things go.

[Crisis]

I guess I may be a minority in how I approach buying stuff.

Bear in mind that we're going through a recession, etc. Don't give up on the "paying for things" business model entirely.

[Esrever]

Speaking from experience, actual books are the hardest thing to sell at comic conventions. (Unless you are selling to existing fans of your work.)

It's hard for people to get a feel for something as big and complex as a book during the brief window of time that you have them in front of your booth. Conversely, stuff like prints and posters and t-shirts can be completely understood almost instantly, just by glancing at them.

I think it's something you really have to come at from all angles. Do everything you can -- both online and at shows -- to help attract attention to yourself and raise awareness of your work. Give people opportunities to get a taste of your comic for free, by doing online comics and by handing out sample handouts at shows. And don't be afraid to produce some more immediately accessible kinds of work (in my case, I translate the most relatable-without-context jokes from my work into t-shirts and posters) that you can essentially use as a lure or easy entry point for people who haven't heard of you.