#the adjusted

[thegodeaterssaga]

Monetizing Webcomics: A Writer's Way Supplemental

I had a thought this morning and it led me back to my favorite site. Brubaker's Remind Blog there's such a plethora of information there. I've suggested the site several times on this blog to novice comics creators and even vets can learn a thing or two I'm sure. My reading there today got me thinking about my plans for our upcoming website. I've always intended, as I mentioned back during our Kickstarter attempt, to post the Godeater Graphic Novel online for people to view for free. This goes back to the whole concept that digital media should be consumed for free.

Back when I was working on The Adjusted Music Enhanced Webcomic this was a huge debate during pre and post production. The creative director and I butted-heads constantly over the best approach to putting the webcomic out there. We both agreed that matching music with panels was an interesting challenge we believed others could get in to.

However, like many creatives, or start ups in general, jumping into the thick of it, he didn't have a proper lay of the land. Like most, he wondered how or why would anyone pay for what we create, if we made it available for free online. As I've said, the business model that answers that question already exist on the internet. Why challenge what's already been successful?

Answer:

Jason Brubaker's Remind Graphic Novel and blog is a perfect example of how to successfully monetize a webcomic. 

1. Create the best Content you can.

2. Provide Free Access to that Content to capture faithful Readership

3. Promote your content

4. Publish Content to Purchase

and

5. Merchandise around the Content These are the main items. (In truth I think I've missed something.) There are other forms of supplemental income your webcomic can generate. We owe it to ourselves first and foremost to know the lay of the land. This is not something creatives do seeking primarily to make a profit. Go in with a realistic understanding that we have to put in time to create something we can make a living from.

[thegodeaterssaga]

That's My Story and I'm Sticking to it!

Last year around this time I helped launch The Adjusted. The Adjusted video webcomic is an innovative idea in its attempt to stream still panels with original music produced by Ken Bass at Trilogy-Media.

I'm a socially conscious individual and it slowly dawned on me that art and political/social activism are not mutually exclusive. I mean of course they aren't, but now I knew I wanted to effect social change through my pursuit of the creative arts. The idea for the Godeater came after much deliberation of how I could do what I love to do while working toward social change at the same time. My thoughts consistently returned to community and networking. Ultimately it resulted in the story of the Godeater which I wanted to address two dominate issues: corporate totalitarianism and the environment.

This may come as something of a surprise for most who may have only recently learned of the Godeater. The main story revolves around our main character Asaana who is a Battle Maiden. My intention is to weave the social issues with the story of a female gladiator, a pirate or a barbarian's journey. Our journey tentatively began with our Kickstarter Campaign which was only the beginning. We have been very blessed with the results, and while that was a very tough experience, things are getting even more challenging.

Here's a rough overview of where we are:

Content Creation: The core of any creative or business venture is the proper preparation and consistent creation of exclusive and non-exclusive content. We need it for everything from book production to promotional material.

Social Media: Its a challenge b/c you really have to make an effort to get in there and be active. The main thing to keep in mind with social media is that the goal is to create a community around what you do. In order to do that... basically... you have to be likeable. A creator I know who has done this especially well in my opinion is Leroy Thompson for his upcoming comic 6 Deep. Check out his FB group.

Printing: The main purpose of our Kickstarter campaign was to help not only mitigate the expense and time for the artists involved, but mainly to cover the printing of a hardcover graphic novel. However there are plenty of other challenges beyond financing.

Distribution: Don't get me started. I have an interesting marketing approach. I don't seek to reinvent the wheel and being honest I suspect what I'm about to do is riskier and harder than what's normally done. But if I wanted normal... The issue with distribution is getting retailers to carry your book. You can do it yourself or go though Diamond. Either way, you'll have to give steep discount to your cover price. 

All I can say is... thank God for technology and the internet, cause one day very soon distribution is going to change. It already has, but some folks refuse to go digital, and typically, due to how it will adversely effect retailers. (I mean, aside from the fact that most consumer haven't embraced the future yet.)

Anyway, I'll continue to update with our status from time to time to keep you guys abreast of progress in these areas.

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