TWCL

PBMJ · Joined: 22 Sep 2009 Posts: 33

I am obviously new to the whole realm of web comics. But, after years of drawing- I have decided to start posting. Now that I am part of a good forum, I want to pose the question of starter tips and tricks.

What worked for you when you were first getting started?
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vato · Joined: 19 Apr 2009 Posts: 61 Location: Valhalla

I'm pretty new myself, but a couple things I would recommend:

1) make a bunch of comics in advance so you can work out the character personalities, comic format, look and feel, and storyline (if applicable) a bit in advance with a decent sized chunk of work. Not sure how many is a good number, but I'd shoot for at least 30. Doing that will give you a bit of a buffer while you're launching them.

2) put some thought into the size/format for your comic. choose something that is clear and readable for the web and works for your particular story. if you are planning to print your comics in a book, maybe you'll want to design them as higher rez files and save out smaller versions for the web.

Good luck!
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mooncity · Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:51 pm Post subject:

I'd consider getting your own domain. Blogger is good and all because it's free, but eventually you'll wanna do more with the look and feel of your comic's website. blueinkcomics.com is availble, so you may as well grab it. 'Specially if you're serious about the project.

And grab acopy of "How To Make Webcomics" by Scott Kurtz & Co. I just glanced through it the other night, and found (without even reading it in depth yet) that it's got a lot of good advice for those just starting out.

So a domain is maybe $20 to register for a year or two on GoDaddy (google for 10% off GD coupons to make it even cheaper), and the book is like $10 or less (got one at amazon for like $8.00).

Sometimes you just gotta spend money on this stuff. But those are two good investments you probably could (and should) make.
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Mooncity
Reversing the polarity of the neutron flow since 1976!

The comic strip that never was.

PBMJ · Joined: 22 Sep 2009 Posts: 33

mooncity wrote:

I'd consider getting your own domain. Blogger is good and all because it's free, but eventually you'll wanna do more with the look and feel of your comic's website. blueinkcomics.com is availble, so you may as well grab it. 'Specially if you're serious about the project.

I totally agree with that. I plan on getting my own domain name. Blogger is a good engine to use- I just don't want their tag on my stuff.

This will be the next thing I do.

I'll have to check out that book you mentioned as well.
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PBMJ · Joined: 22 Sep 2009 Posts: 33

Okay, follow-up question to my original.

What are some good ways to promote views and fans to your comic? I have everything mapped out as far as where I am going to take it and everything in between- I just need to generate traffic.
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tweetics · Joined: 11 May 2009 Posts: 212 Location: Vancouver, WA

I am new (relatively speaking) as well, and I really would like to echo what has already been said...get a bit of a buffer to work out. I think this really enables you to get a sense of where you are going and not get stressed about it. Find your voice and go with it.
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munkymu · Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:20 pm Post subject:

PBMJ wrote:

Blogger is a good engine to use

No it's not. I go to your page and decide to read your comic from the beginning and I... don't do anything because there's only an "Older Posts" button. Looking around, I see no obvious way to get to your archives. Oh well, moving on to the next webcomic to check out.

There's a reason why the vast majority of comics do not use Blogger and that's because it's awful for comics.
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mooncity · Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:32 pm Post subject:

PBMJ wrote:

Okay, follow-up question to my original.

What are some good ways to promote views and fans to your comic? I have everything mapped out as far as where I am going to take it and everything in between- I just need to generate traffic.

Well, this is a bit cart before the horse.

First, views/traffic and fans are not the same thing.

Build the comic first, and worry about traffic later. Trust me, it really will work out better that way. Take the time to perfect what you're doing. Sure, it would be great to have 100 billion visitors a day, but unless you have something worth the read, you won't retain any of them. Getting numbers/hits/traffic is easy, but building a loyal readership base is what you really want, and that's what you need to concentrate on now, right from the start. To get it, you hafta perfect the work. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a loyal fanbase.

I'm afraid there's really no shortcut to success on this one.
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Mooncity
Reversing the polarity of the neutron flow since 1976!

The comic strip that never was.

PBMJ · Joined: 22 Sep 2009 Posts: 33

munkymu wrote:

PBMJ wrote:

Blogger is a good engine to use

No it's not. I go to your page and decide to read your comic from the beginning and I... don't do anything because there's only an "Older Posts" button. Looking around, I see no obvious way to get to your archives. Oh well, moving on to the next webcomic to check out.

There's a reason why the vast majority of comics do not use Blogger and that's because it's awful for comics.

I'm working on fixing that. That is one major flaw with using Blogger. It's hard to program those stinkin' buttons.

But that is the next thing to get done.
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R(ed) · Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 8:42 pm Post subject:

I'm a permanoob for better or worse, unlike Darque Mark and the others who have posted above me. Rolling Eyes

There are many sites that allow banners or buttons to be shown (like this one) and discussion forums are a good way to get some sort of association. HOWEVER beware of inbreeding, webcomics read by webcomickers only reeks of fail as far as I care, so make sure you can get fans to interact and to be able to contact you. High quality work always benefits and encourages people to at least comment about you.

Of course, being listed on a furry porn site seemed to do the trick for me, but it's not quite your thing...
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PBMJ · Joined: 22 Sep 2009 Posts: 33

mooncity wrote:

PBMJ wrote:

Okay, follow-up question to my original.

What are some good ways to promote views and fans to your comic? I have everything mapped out as far as where I am going to take it and everything in between- I just need to generate traffic.

Well, this is a bit cart before the horse.

First, views/traffic and fans are not the same thing.

Build the comic first, and worry about traffic later. Trust me, it really will work out better that way. Take the time to perfect what you're doing. Sure, it would be great to have 100 billion visitors a day, but unless you have something worth the read, you won't retain any of them. Getting numbers/hits/traffic is easy, but building a loyal readership base is what you really want, and that's what you need to concentrate on now, right from the start. To get it, you hafta perfect the work. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a loyal fanbase.

I'm afraid there's really no shortcut to success on this one.

Well- with all the bugs and requests for better services on my site, and the next to nothing amount of material I have- I have to agree 100% with that. I have a lot to learn.
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