Longtime Evil Inc readers were treated to a little of Mister Rhum’s backstory in the second of two full-page Evil Inc After Dark episodes I posted last week. Unfortunately, this is all that I can share with you here. But it’s available, along with over a year’s worth of NSFW comics, to my Patreon backers. If you’re interested in what goes on in the Evil Inc universe after dark, I can’t think of a better idea!
Kickstarter update
More good news on the Kickstarter front! All of the digital rewards have been sent out — including the digital collection of NSFW comics. Better still, I’m all set to accept shipment of the books from the printer later this week.
The Best of Webcomics.com
Webcomics.com is a subscription-only site that I run to help webcartoonists with all aspects of their business. Below is some highlights from what I posted last month. (To see the full list, click here.) If you’re interested in webcomics, you owe it to yourself to check it out. A trial membership is only $5 — with no strings attached.
People Will Pay for Content
Posting NSFW content on Patreon has lead to a stunning revelation on my part. It happened when I noticed the reaction when a new Patreon backer doesn’t find the NSFW content to his or her liking. Instead of downshifting the pledge from $10 to a lower level that avoids the spicy content (like a monthly pledge of $1 or $5), they delete the pledge entirely.
Stop and think about that.
Keep in mind that many — well over 90% — of my backers registered with Patreon so they could back my campaign. They had no previous pledges with any other Patreon campaigns. Most (if not all) of them saw the promotion for NSFW content on my site (or on my social media) and decided it was worth $10 to try it out. They were already readers of the PG-13 version of my comic on my (free) website.
I’ve done a good job of keeping the vast majority of my patrons, but the ones that didn’t stay… they cancelled their pledge entirely instead of reducing it.
What does that tell you? Does it prove the age-old axiom from the Broadway musical Avenue Q?
Perhaps.
But, to me, it’s an indicator of something far more interesting. [READ MORE]
House Ads Over the Comic
I’ve been experimenting with a new approach in Reader Outreach that I’m having very good results with. I’ve started designing several small promos (300×50 pixels) to rotate in a position directly over my comic. The reader response has been strong. Here’s how I set it up… [READ WITHOUT A SUBSCRIPTION!]
Why ‘Netflix’ doesn’t work for webcomics
Last week’s post, “People Will Pay For Content” generated a lot of good comments. However, there’s one response that really troubles me — and I’ve seen it repeated whenever we start talking about for-pay content on the Web.
“Someone should make a Netflix for comics!”
Unfortunately, I don’t think that works very well for webcartoonists. [READ MORE]
Using Link Bundles To Increase Traffic
(Guest column) I thought I’d share an experiment I’ve been running over the past few weeks with Blow The Cartridge and see if there’s anything to be learned from it.
Over the last year I’ve made a habit out of posting a link to one of my comics to Reddit every day. This is usually on the /r/comics feed. Some days I get a nice little traffic bump, but most days the link just sinks to the bottom of the Reddit pile and isn’t really seen by anyone. I just figure that’s par for the course, and posting to Reddit takes only a minute out of the day so it’s no great shakes either way.
Recently though I thought I’d try something markedly different: Link Bundles. [READ MORE]
What Patton Oswalt Teaches Us About Fan Entitlement
Comedian Patton Oswalt is a hero in the geek community. From his stand-up repertoire to his role in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, his freak flag flies high. And when his wife, Michelle McNamara, died unexpectedly last month, it’s safe to say that most of us shared a small part of that grief. Although there’s a lot to learn from Oswalt — about perserverance to one’s craft, about picking up the pieces after a tragedy, about figuring out how to raise his seven-year-old daughter alone, about life in general — one of the unexpected lessons I’ve gotten from his story is about something we all deal with, from time to time: Fan Entitlement.
It all started with this tweet from an account started under the name of Mark Madden, who had just watching Patton’s new “Talking for Clapping” comedy special on Netflix… [READ MORE]
Adult Coloring Books?
Remember that scene in The Graduate, in which Mr. McGuire pulls Benjamin (played by a young Dustin Hoffman) aside to give him some life advice?
Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.
Benjamin: Exactly how do you mean?
Mr. McGuire: There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?
My father-in-law, having read about a global colored-pencil shortage, has taken on the same demeanor. But when he pulls me aside, it isn’t “plastics.” Instead, it’s…
“Coloring books.” [READ MORE]
Making a change to your Patreon campaign — DOs and DON’Ts
Recently, after reading my critique of a member’s Patreon campaign, a fellow subscriber wrote:
Here’s something that scares me about this sort of crowd-funding : When is it acceptable to make changes, and how do you do that?
How drastically can you change things like the goal before users feel like you’re moving the goal posts and taking advantage of them? I assume you’d do it at the end of a month so you’re not literally lying to them, but do you worry about it still feeling like a bait and switch? Does etiquette require that you announce changes some period ahead of time? …How quickly can you make those changes without angering customers?
Here are a few DOs and DON’Ts… [READ MORE]
Twelve ways you’re doing Patreon wrong
Some cartoonists have been asking me to give them my thoughts on their Patreon pages. And I’ve opened up a new Hot Seat critique series based on members’ Patreons. And — honestly, I’m a little obsessed — when I see a new Patreon page being promoted, I go over and see how they’ve got it structured. Sometimes, I find ideas worth stealing. But more often, I’m seeing a lot of the same mistakes being made over and over again. And, in my opinion, it’s having an adverse effect on your ability to generate support.
Now, this is usually where I cut the article and throw the rest of the post behind the paywall. But this one is so damned important, I’m not going to do that. If this is you, you need to stop, rethink and rebuild.
It’s not charity. It’s a business transaction
Asking for pocket change, thanking patrons in advance for their generosity, and any appeal that relies more on emotion than on the value of your work are poor strategies. In general, anything that makes your Patreon campaign sound like a hand-out, an act of mercy, or a charity is setting exactly the wrong tone for what you’re trying to do.
Honestly? I’d make it a point to avoid words like “generous.”
This is the A-1, second-to-none, deal-breaker mistake that people make on Patreon.
Why? Because it not only puts your potential patrons into the wrong mindset, but — more importantly — it putsyou in the wrong mindset. And if you’re in that mindset, you’re going to make a bunch of bad decisions.
Keep reading. You’ll see exactly what I mean.
When you’re trying to get someone to give you charity, you make promises — often promises that you have no idea how you’re going to keep. You’re a panhandler on the subway rattling an empty coffee cup. You’ll say anything to get someone to pay attention.
So, what should you do?
OK… Webcomics.com isn’t a charity either… [READ MORE]
Comic-Convention Booth Etiquette
There are a few points of booth etiquette that you should be aware of as you’re exhibiting at a convention.
No poaching: You may never — ever — address an attendee while he or she is speaking to another exhibitor. Interrupting a discussion between an attendee and an exhibitor is unforgivable. And if you DO decide to open your mouth, for the love of god, make sure you know the shot! (NSFW language in the movie clip.)
[READ IT ALL WITHOUT A SUBSCRIPTION]
A better idea… Longform Comics Publishing Strategy
We’ve had an excellent discussion in the Private Forum about traffic-building on the post-ad-blocker web.
In the course of the conversation, I started brainstorming on a special publishing strategy for longform comics that can’t/don’t use humor as a hook for their updates.
I think it’s worth experimentation.
And it’s all about cultivating the orbital reader.
The backstory
First, if you haven’t read the Private Forum thread, it’s worth it.
So here’s the problem in a nutshell. In order to grow a readership, a traditional webcomic has to follow a frequent/consistent/significant publishing format. Updates should be as frequent as possible, while maintainingconsistency (of schedule and of quality), and each update has to be a significant reading experience — even to the reader who is just landing on the site for the first time today. If you want a more detailed discussion of this concept, please read this post from the archive.
For humor comics — both longform and shortform — that’s a pretty simple prescription. The comic has to be funny every time — without relying on previous updates for backstory/context. Easy to say. Hard to do. But also, pretty crucial.
For a comic that isn’t written to be humorous (or uses comedy as a spice instead of the main course), this is daunting.
And, if this is you, it may feel as if the entirety of Wweb publishing is stacked against you. It may feel as if social media doesn’t work. Readers aren’t engaged. There’s a low ratio of signal-to-noise.
But it’s all about the comic. If the comic is good, all of that other stuff can be addressed.
First, make a good comic…
[READ MORE]
Wizard World Releases Artist Alley Warning
After a discussion of the legal implications of comic convention fan art last year, I posted a piece in February that asked whether we were reaching a tipping point in unlicenced merchandise at cons.
We may be edging closer still.
It started at the Puerto Rico Comic Con last weekend, when Invincibles artist Ryan Ottley spied some veeeerrryy familiar art at the table of an artist working under the name of “GingerZap.”
As is the custom, he took his concerns to Twitter… [READ MORE]
Syncing Clip Studio Paint (ie Manga Studio) between two computers
Two of the of the strengths of Manga Studio is the ability to create page/strip templates and save image “material” to use again later.
But what if you use the software on two different computers — for example, one in your studio and another at home?
Relax. There’s an easy way to sync everything up.
• Go to your Documents folder.
• You’ll see a folder named “Smith Mirco“
• Make a copy of this on Dropbox, Google Drive, or some other back-up system.
• When you get to your other computer, drag this folder to the Documents folder of that second computer.
You will have all of the templates, materials, etc. from the first computer available to you on the second computer.
Now, whenever you add something to your library of materials, remember to drag that Smith Micro folder to the back-up and manually sync the other computer at your first possible convenience.
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