What came up in the discussion about pitching to Tharg (http://2000adonline.com/forum/index.php/topic,26003.0.html) is the idea you should be speaking to other companies (http://2000adonline.com/forum/index.php/topic,26022.0.html) but you could also think about self-publishing. It has certainly worked well for people like Garen Ewing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garen_Ewing), Andy Winter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Winter) and David Hitchcock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hitchcock).
So once you have your comic written (http://2000adonline.com/forum/index.php/topic,25779.0.html), drawn (http://2000adonline.com/forum/index.php/topic,25764.0.html), coloured (http://2000adonline.com/forum/index.php/topic,25751.0.html) and lettered (http://2000adonline.com/forum/index.php/topic,25773.0.html) what do you do next?
One of the best general resources is:
The Poor Man's Guide to Self Publishing by Val Staples
http://www.mvcreations.com/articles/publish.html
Zarjazzer's link from another thread is handy here too:
http://calebmonroe.com/?page_id=42/#selfpub
I don't know how folks go about getting their comics printed but would assume they phone round local printers looking for quotes (as it is easier to pick up your box of goodies if they aren't far away) but I have no idea what are deemed good page rates, and that'd be very useful to those thinking of self-publishing.
There are also print-demand service which might be an option:
- Ka-blam (http://ka-blam.com/) - POD specifically aimed at making comic books
- comiXpress (http://www.comixpress.com/) - ditto
- Lulu (http://www.lulu.com/publish/books/) - good for larger volumes and has been used by Paul Von Scott for his Solar Wind collections
- Lightning Source (http://www.lightningsource.com/) - another POD book publisher and the guy I know publishing quite a few books recommends (http://www.publish-yourself.info/node/14) this one as the company take a smaller cut, they stock in Amazon (with an ISBN) and you get on the Espresso Machines (print-on-demand printers that go in book shops, meaning any book available to the printer can be done while you wait)
Of course, now you need to look at getting it reviewed (http://2000adonline.com/forum/index.php/topic,26052.0.html) and on the shelves (http://2000adonline.com/forum/index.php/topic,26051.0.html).
However, I don't have any experience in getting things printed myself so I thought I'd get the thread started and then turn it over to people more knowledgeable than me, so fire away.
There is also the electronic publishing route which can either get a free sampler out there or you could have a cheaper version if people are unsure if they want to shell out on an unknown quantity or if you have sold out all your print run you can keep the comics in circulation this way (and open them up to a much wider audience).
I had a look around and there is:
- Clickwheel (http://www.clickwheel.net/dashboard#create)
- DriveThru (http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/)
2000AD is already on them both.
Myebook (http://www.myebook.com/) is also something some of the small pressers and independent publishers have been using a lot recently, like Markosia (http://www.myebook.com/markosia), Insomnia (http://www.myebook.com/Insomnia), Berserker (http://www.myebook.com/berserkercomics/) (Alan Grant's horror comics), Orang Utan (http://www.myebook.com/OrangUtanComics), Dare (http://www.myebook.com/darecomics), c2d4 (http://www.myebook.com/c2d4) and Smallzone (http://www.myebook.com/SMALLZONE/).
If it's just for the purposes of leave-behinds, you can run your comic off in reasonable quality (not pro standard, but inoffensive) on a home printer as an A5-size booklet by printing on A4 paper and then folding the pages in two - even a 32-page comic would work out at 16 prints on 8 sheets of paper, so depending on your home printer this may or may not make colour a viable option.
You can even go smaller than that and produce A6 comics (just remember to size lettering accordingly) and squeeze 8 pages onto one sheet of A4, while the forum's own Al Ewing is well-known for testing the boundaries of the form and the patience of anyone with progressive glaucoma by doing A7 minicomics.
Remember that your cover is your selling-point and print that in colour if possible, on decent stock (cheap photo glossy or matte paper can be bought in most Tescos or Asda stores - matte is preferable for wear and tear), use paper that won't be see-through once you print on the other side, and always set your print quality to something higher than 'text' or 'text with image' if you're reproducing anything other than plain black and white linework - though if you don't mind using slightly more ink, you might want to choose higher-quality print settings for all the pages.
Be aware that turning paper over and running it through your printer a second time to get double sided printing (duplexing) can be very bad for your printer if it's not designed for it, because it can deposit ink/toner on the rollers and, in some cases, the print heads, too.
At the very least, I would wait a while to feed the sheets through a second time, to ensure that the ink is totally dry, or that the toner is completely fixed.
Cheers
Jim
D'oh! Good catch, Jim. Though some printers can do both sides for you - but they still might need the odd bit of maintenance.
Also remember that adding ink to a page is effectively adding water, so good stock is essential, as the economy stuff is basically the same quality as lavatory paper once you've put a high quality print on one side.
Business Plan 101 For Comic Book Publishers
www.comicbookbin.com/businessplan101.html
I don't know much about self-publishing comics... can it be done via POD companies such as lulu.com etc. to cut down on costs?
Anyway, I published my own novel, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, through Permuted Press in November 2008. One of the benefits to publishing through a trad press is the support they will give you. There's the obvious publicity a press will provide, of course, but I wanted to think, primarily, about the lesser discussed support of a press assigning an editor to your project.
An editor's role, in the publishing process, is essential, in my opinion. For those investigating self-publishing, I would advise you to secure a good editor, privately. It needn't cost much, either. Perhaps you could contract them to receive a cut of sales, as opposed to paying them outright? Maybe you have contacts on the forum, here, who could offer you basic proof reading/ copy editing at the very least. Either way, I think everyone needs someone to look over their work, professionally, and offer constructive criticism on what works well/ what doesn't work so well, plot holes, difficulties in characterisation etc.
Just my 2 pence worth... :)
Yup- any title out there needs to be read by several people to make sure it works.
We at FQP have a core of three for editing, and we have argued many times over the point of a plot or the relevance of text, BEFORE the writer gets both barrels- i mean some constructive feedback.
Usually I try to offer the writer a rewrite after the artwork has arrived, but sometimes time doesn't allow for this.
I also personally make sure that at least three poeple cast there beady eyes over lettered pages before they are locked for print.
Just checked your blog, Bolt. Some interesting titles you got going, there. I love the look of the 'work in progress.' Nice!
I must admit, I've never written a comic script, before. I would imagine it's a good bit different to writing novels or short stories...
Quote from: HOO-HAA on 03 November, 2009, 01:46:54 PM
I don't know much about self-publishing comics... can it be done via POD companies such as lulu.com etc. to cut down on costs?
It can be - I list a few in the first post. However, you also need to think about how you are going to get it to people. If you were going to get a table at a convention then you might want to get a local printer and you can sort out the posting yourself through internet orders (POD usually factor in the P&P).
Quote from: HOO-HAA on 04 November, 2009, 09:20:16 PMI must admit, I've never written a comic script, before. I would imagine it's a good bit different to writing novels or short stories...
Yes. It is a different medium and lies somewhere between prose and screenwriting. The formatting is easy to pick up, the trick is getting the pacing right and not asking for too much in any one panel. Of course, the important thing is to have a good idea. Anyway there should be more help in the general writing thread (http://2000adonline.com/forum/index.php/topic,25779.0.html) - Denny O'Neil's column is good as it assumes nothing and covers the bases.
By the way... are you the same Emperor who used to lurk around the Allthingszombie forums? :)
Quote from: HOO-HAA on 05 November, 2009, 04:59:48 PM
By the way... are you the same Emperor who used to lurk around the Allthingszombie forums? :)
Well I have lurked in all sorts of places and ATZ is one of them.
Stumbled across this Self-Publisher magazine:
www.selfpubmag.com/start.htm
Free electronic magazine, might be a good place for tips or shameless self-promotion.
Also if you publish a comic you can post the details here:
www.alltern8.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=188&title=and-my-new-comic-is
Quote from: Emperor on 21 October, 2009, 06:51:26 PM
Business Plan 101 For Comic Book Publishers
www.comicbookbin.com/businessplan101.html
Business Plan? The one thing I'm most hopeless at is presenting any kind of plan! God that's the one thing I thought you'd never need to publish your own comics. Good thread tip though
Emperor you've won your spurs as Global Moderator already.
This is very intresting.
Mind if I share?
Quote from: The Doctor Alt 8 on 16 March, 2010, 04:52:43 PM
This is very intresting.
Mind if I share?
Knock yourself out.
Magcloud lets you print a magazine (even with subscriptions, all handled by them):
http://magcloud.com
The page rate is a little high and it'd limit the length of the magazine or the cost would be too high but it is an option worth looking at.
There is some discussion over on Whitechapel (where I found the link) which might be helpful (especially when it comes to the cover, as a light cover might show the images on the page behind):
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=2624
Altern8 have also started an electronic publishing area for comics and art, might be an option as they have a lot of visitors:
www.alltern8.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=194&title=idream-digital-comic-distribution
There's also a bigger question here: why are you self-publishing? I first started as I had a comic shop and someone sent me in a small press comic that I thought was as good a story as most out there (it was Grant Springford's Pest Control if you're wondering). So I thought I could sell the best of those, alongside Fleetway reprints (so I got a license for the Leopard from Lime Street) in the same comic, alongside my regular 2000AD/X-Men/JLA etc etc sales to get creators better known.
I'm guessing that's a little different to why most start. What exactly you want to do is actually pretty crucial to where you either submit, self-publish (I know this is a self-publishing thread but I'm also including more indie press), give away for free (ie a webcomic) or sell.
I guess the choices are that you:
- want to get some samples of your scripts/art for portfolios
(in which case, Lulu or Ka-Blam can give you a few nice copies for little lay-out)
- want to be read by as many people as possible
(probably best then to try to get Starscape/FutureQuake/Insomnia etc etc to publish, although that can take time, plus there are various submission guidelines, plus different publishers have different rules, e.g. some Diamond distributed, some TPB only, different genres, completed submissions, chance of profits etc etc etc)
- want to be read by as many people as possible but without waiting or submitting
(free webcomics are probably best then, submitted to DrunkenDuck/ClickWheel etc etc)
- purely fan art/stories for fun
(fanfiction.net can host text stories of all kinds but manga is way the most popular, Starscape does Marvel/DC, plus soon Classic TV fanfic and there's obviously Dogbreath/Zarjaz and I'm sure many more, such as particular sites dedicated to characters, companies, genres etc)
- as part of a long-term profit plan
(there are instances but it's difficult to get readers. The free-er the more popular - certainly at the start but if you want to make a decent profit, then spend spend spend your way there to get noticed. You really have to get Diamond distribution to get into comic shops (not quite true but pretty much), you really need to fork out cash for a big promo drive and you need the luck of the gods just to get noticed -- but who knows, Sly Stallone or Kevin Smith might just be interested eventually and the hard work pays off)
Probably everyone wants more than one of those but it does really focus the mind as to which path to go down as they all have their ups and downs.
A tongue-in-cheek guide:
http://blog.fpnyc.com/comics/how-to-self-publish-comic-books.html
Some of that seems strangely familiar...
Some self-publishing thoughts from Garen Ewing's brother Murray:
www.murrayewing.co.uk/mewsings/2010/07/11/the-alice-at-rlyeh-report-part-1/
www.murrayewing.co.uk/mewsings/2010/07/25/the-alice-at-rlyeh-report-part-2/
Using eBay is an interesting one I'd been wondering about as there are clearly a lot of people registered who trust the site and you can not only pick up randoms but it might be people are looking on their specifically (anyone only using Google Checkout, for example, should consider it as the PayPal option).
Just thought I'd drop these in:
Kickstarter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickstarter) is one of the big sites for raising funds for a project but it does run through Amazon.com so you need a US bank account:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/search?term=comics
www.kickstarter.com/projects/search?term=comic+book
There is also IndieGoGo, which is more flexible that Kickstarter, as it is international, you can take PayPal payments and you keep the money even if you don't reach the target:
www.indiegogo.com
Handy for pre-sales or just raising money for a project which could help with printing costs and or paying the artist so they can stay focused on your project (I expect more creator-owned titles will do this in the future).
Anyone have experience with this, or recommendations for other ways to fund a project?