Webcomics - Comics for the Internet
Don't worry, we'll assume you already know what a webcomic is -- an online version of a comic strip (or a comic book) that you can read online instead of in a bookstore or a newspaper.
We're not going to assume you know how to make money off of them, however.
Why should we?
For ages people have been unable to wrap their heads around the idea of actually making money off art -- something that is considered an idea or a service -- in a world where commodities rule. Oil controls the stock market, food prices squeeze wallets, and while art is "nice", it's not a commodity.
Except, when you're just starting out, it is.
Realizing how your art (precious and unique as it may be) is actually a commodity will allow you to focus on the first impressions your website leaves on visitors. Learning this is a critical component to making your comic popular, and ultimately profitable!
How Many Webcomics Do You Read each Week?
"Making money involves supply and demand. On the web, supply is infinite. demand... not so much."
From Commodity Pricing to Premium Control
Why you'll make next to nothing when you start your webcomic.
Yes, art can command high prices. It has to -- why else would someone think that charging over $4000 for abstract splotches on a giant canvas is a good idea, no matter how lovely a shade of teal it is?The thing is, everyone knows only well-known artists can do that. People will only pay so much unless they either really want it, or they know you're just that damn good that they know other people are willing to pay that much.
So, for at least the first year or so, your comic will be a commodity.
"Commodity" is not a dirty word. It just refers to an item that is only worth as much as other items like it. Most tangible items are commodities; most people are only willing to pay so much a price for a tin of coffee, a fillet of fish, or a drink of alcohol.
Smart readers will realize this isn't true. You're not going to play the same price for Starbucks as you will any other coffee, or the same price for random fish as you might pay for sushi... and we don't even need to talk about the insanity of the wine market!
Why would anyone pay so much for this stuff?
Because we learn to discriminate based on taste.
It has only a little to do with quality, and much more to do with popularity, especially with what people think is popular.
Commodities vs. Premiums
People who like Starbucks are willing to pony up the extra cash for coffee that's only marginally better than a much cheaper item. Yet we all know coffee can't possibly be so expensive that they need to charge three bucks a cup.Yet that's what everybody pays.
People are lazy and only have so much patience (and money!) to spend looking for a high quality item. As a result, we mentally inspect everything we see for shortcuts to determine which items are good. If we are convinced enough, we will pay an additional cost to be assured that we have a high-quality item and to reimburse them for making our lives easier.
Starbucks may not have the best coffee, but they have "good enough" coffee that it is worth the three bucks a cup to have something we already know is a good item. The same principles apply to almost every other category with a "premium" item. Apple computers cost more, but they work so much better than the average Windows machine that it's worth the additional cost. Sushi is made by trained chefs and prepared to only serve the finest cuts. Wine has been treated and aged by professionals...
You get the idea.
So what's your comic going to be?
Premium Items and First Impressions
If you were to pluck the average man out of Bangladesh, put him into the typical American Big box supermarket, and offer him the opportunity to purchase instant coffee vs. freshly ground Starbucks coffee, he wouldn't know the difference between Starbucks Coffee and any other coffee. He would only see the price. And if there were no cues to tell him which one should be better -- like packaging, or popularity, or brand recognition -- he would likely end up picking the cheaper one, if any.(Oh, and you'd have immigration on your butt faster than you could blink. You DID just bring a total stranger in from Bangladesh, after all.)
Likewise, a lot of folk who see your art online will not be purchasing from you unless you give them special clues that they SHOULD be. If you expect to make money off your comic, you have to make it look special enough to deserve it.
Art, like food, starts out as a commodity, and as it becomes better quality and you become better known, people will pay a premium, and the price of the items available are now prices you can control.
The Pulse of Webcomic Opinion
-
- joystiqall
- Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is celebrating 7-Eleven http://tr.im/rWJx
-
- todoonmyiphone
- Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is celebrating 7-Eleven: Read these webcomics later. They'll be here for the rest of ete.. http://bit.ly/Z53Ds
-
- findmobilegames
- Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is celebrating 7-Eleven: Read these webcomics later. They'll be here for the rest of ete.. http://bit.ly/Z53Ds
-
- Top_iPhoneApps
- Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is celebrating 7-Eleven: Read these webcomics later. They'll be here for the rest of ete.. http://bit.ly/Z53Ds
-
- arciphonegames
- Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is celebrating 7-Eleven: Read these webcomics later. They'll be here for the rest of ete.. http://bit.ly/Z53Ds
-
- strangegoat
- RT @cameronmstewart RT @Perazza A step-by-step overview of Kazu Kibuishi's pencils inks & color for his webcomic, Copper http://bit.ly/LK5E8
-
- jasonofbullship
- Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is celebrating 7-Eleven: Read these webcomics later. They'll be here for the rest of ete.. http://tinyurl.com/n8wtto
-
- joystiqrss
- Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is celebrating 7-Eleven: Read these webcomics later. They'll be here for the rest of ete.. http://tinyurl.com/n8wtto
-
- GameGearNews
- Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is celebrating 7-Eleven http://tinyurl.com/n8wtto
-
- kevingmiller
- @bumblechris - Hit me up on this webcomic biznezz, brosef.
Most Useful Ways to Make Your Comic Look Popular!
Let's be fair here -- your comic won't be getting big very quickly. The next best thing you can do to having a big comic is to at least treat it like it's a big comic, and like as not, that may mean you'll have to make it look bigger than it actually is.
Sell Unusual Merchandise!
Everyone has a CafePress Account. Do something uni more...1 point
Promote Your Comic's Milestones!
Whether it's more important to count by the years more...0 points
Give Your Readers Consistancy!
Whether it's a consistant (yet ever-refining) art more...0 points
Hold Contests!
One Caveat: only offer prizes you can afford to de more...0 points
Redesign Your Website!
The less your website design screams amateur, the more...0 points
Publish Globally, Promote Locally
Becoming a local celebrity is far easier than tryi more...0 points
Invest in Business Cards!
Even if you can't afford to show off at convention more...0 points
Hold on Tight to Your SuperFans!
"Superfans" are so hard to find, you can more...0 points
Become an Authority!
The more you sound like you know what you're doing more...0 points
Want Help Finding Good Business Cards?
-
MOO MINICARDS are the business cards of the future!
-
I've used MOO Minicards for the past year, and they stand out so much more than the ordinary business card! They're smaller than ordinary cards, but thinner, so they make great bookmarks clients can hold onto. They catch readers' eyes, so they'll wa...
Need a Better Tip?
Check out how you can use Project Wonderful to make money from your comic while you're waiting to become famous!
Premium Comics -- Is It Possible Online?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byBooks to Make Your Comic Premium!
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin
The old saying is wrong-winners do quit, and quitt more...0 points
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're e more...0 points
Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync? by Seth Godin
"Gotta get me some of that New Marketing. Bri more...0 points
Unleashing the Ideavirus by Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell
Treat a product or service like a human or compute more...0 points
Free Prize Inside!: The Next Big Marketing Idea by Seth Godin, Penguin USA Portfolio
Purple Cow was the #1 bestselling marketing book o more...0 points
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud
Praised throughout the cartoon industry by such lu more...0 points
Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud tore down the wall between high and more...0 points
Reinventing Comics: How Imagination and Technology Are Revolutionizing an Art Form by Scott McCloud
In 1993, Scott McCloud tore down the wall between more...0 points
Still having trouble figuring it all out?
It's fine. Like I said, it'll take time to make your webcomic successful.
In the meantime, it doesn't hurt to get your hands on as much research as possible... And if Last Resort isn't a good place to start, I don't know what is!
Good Advice?
Like this lens? Let me know!
(no login necessary -- but if you rate, leaving a more in-depth statement would be awesome!
comicsfan wrote...
Good work in the Lens
Comics Shopping. Found lots of XMen, SpiderMan, Marvel and lot more Comics at unbelievably low prices at
www.comicsbay.com
Check out..
Posted July 01, 2008
