Hey All,
I thought it would be fun (and helpful) to shoot a survey out there to all the other independent creators.
If you have independently published a comic book, take a moment to answer the questions below!
1. What are the titles of the comics you've published?
2. How long have you been self publishing?
3. What is your biggest challenge as an independent creator?
4. What are some mistakes you've learned from?
5. What social media platforms do you use to promote your work?
6. Do you attend conferences? Which ones?
7. What is your average sized print run?
8. Do you print your comics in the US or China, or somewhere else?
9. Is your target audience primarily Christian, or general audiences?
10. What is something you've learned through hard earned experience that will help other Independent creators out there?
Comments
Haven't done it yet, but I have been working on it.
1. What are the titles of the comics you've published?
My comic is called Team SLUG. I am one of the writers and Kevin Terry on this site is one of the artists.
2. How long have you been self publishing?
Our first print comic came out in 2010. We now have four issues, a trade paperback of all four issues plus other material, and a webcomic.
3. What is your biggest challenge as an independent creator?
Because we all have regular day jobs, it is tricky to find time to work on all the pieces we need. If we could devote all our time to making comics, our output would be much greater.
4. What are some mistakes you've learned from?
Making comics takes much more time, work, patience, and money that you think it does. Plan your budget well so you can be certain you get what you want. Don’t overlook costs like shipping, website hosting, lettering, or merchandise. Give yourselves way more time that you think you will need. We missed having our trade paperback available for a convention appearance because of a delay in our shipping company.
5. What social media platforms do you use to promote your work?
We have a dedicated Facebook and Twitter handle for issue releases and convention appearances. Kevin promotes art through Instagram.
6. Do you attend conferences? Which ones?
All our convention appearances have been in Texas. We have been to conventions in San Antonio, Austin, Belton, Waco, and Dallas. We have an upcoming appearance in Fort Worth.
7. What is your average sized print run?
Our first issue was 275 and we reprinted another 250 once we sold out of the first run. We printed 225 of Issue #2, 175 of Issue #3 and 175 of Issue #4. For our trade paperback, we took out a loan so we could do a much larger (and much cheaper per issue) print run of 1250 copies. We invested so much in that TPB print run because we are no longer printing individual issues and will only be selling trades from now on.
8. Do you print your comics in the US or China, or somewhere else?
We printed individual issue in the US and the TPB in China.
9. Is your target audience primarily Christian, or general audiences?
Our print comic is not overtly Christian but it is all-ages and kid friendly. Our webcomic has much stronger Christian overtones since the main character’s faith is a large part of his makeup.
10. What is something you've learned through hard earned experience that will help other Independent creators out there?
Never assume that your first work is your best work. Always have someone read your script, critique your artwork, and review your ideas. Find people who aren’t just your friends and family, but who are knowledgeable about comics. Be prepared to listen to their ideas and use them to make your comics better.
Check out our webcomic at http://www.slugsforall.com/team-slug-origins-zeke/
Our comic is available for sale on Amazon at http://amzn.to/2eDYXU9