Big Pimpin': Discussion.

[McDuffies]

Somehow this sounds an awful lot like selling one's intergrity...

Nah, there's a big difference. As long as your marketing isn't affecting the content of your webcomic, you're off fine. It's only when you start thinking: "ok, now I have to put some gamers, because gaming is popular, and oh yeah, it has to be lesbian gamers", your integrity is just fine.
Of course, by now people know that I cosider pinups and some other material that isn't strictly part of the comic story, to be affecting the content of the comic. Bill Watterson thinks that merchandising affects content of the comic even if it's not the part of the comic - affects it from outside - and I agree on that.
It's a thin line, but many people walk it succesfully.

[RPin]

Take the SUPER ULTIMATE 5 BILLION FEATURED WEBCOMICS UBER FANART pic that Tauhid Bondia did. It featured a dozen webcomic characters, and about half of the people he featured barked for him afterwards. He effectively killed a flock of birds with the same stone

*thinks about it*

Nah. I prefer doing that sort of thing with spacers. Much more fun.

No shit. That Tauhid fanart just screamed POSER all over it.

[Beyonder_alpha]

You forgot one,
sacrificials in the name of the ancient god of success.

I think you are getting pimps mixed up with cult leaders...

Could be, but never hurts to try now does it.

[Bekka]

A thing is though, one has to decide early if they want comicking to be a hobby, or to be their cash cow. It takes a much more determined approach in the second case. Personally, because I already have a fulltime job, I see this as a hobby, and I want to wrap the comic up if the day ever comes when I have no longer ideas for it, I stay on the hobby side of the fence, especially because making an effort to sell t-shirts and shit sounds like a lot of work for little gain. If I was young and out of work, though, I'd be all over that - maybe. But seriously, if I was young and unemployed like you, V.D., and a very talented artist like you - I'd try to use the comic as part of a portfolio to get commission work, graphic designer work, and stuff like that.

[BOMC]

You forgot one,
sacrificials in the name of the ancient god of success.

I think you are getting pimps mixed up with cult leaders...

Could be, but never hurts to try now does it.

Well, that depends on which side of the sacrifice you're on

[Van Douchebag]

... what the hell?
You people a lot of what I say waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too seriously. This is just a thread about how to advertise your comic.

It has nothing to do with integrity, "selling out", or turning your hobby into something that "isn't fun". Sheesh...

[Godoftarot]

... what the hell?
You people a lot of what I say waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too seriously. This is just a thread about how to advertise your comic.

It has nothing to do with integrity, "selling out", or turning your hobby into something that "isn't fun". Sheesh...

Um...do you really think most of us were being serious? I mean, come on...the nickname Spacers isn't because we're all on Keenspace. They just want you to believe that.

[Van Douchebag]

Yes, I do think most of you were being serious because of the matters that were brought up in the posts.

[Godoftarot]

But if you weren't being serious, why should you think anyone else was?

[Soap Soaperson]

...Says the person who probably made the most serious post in the thread.

[edit] AND NOW ON-TOPIC...

Go to onlinecomics.net. If you have a sizable enough archive, you need to sign up for this right away. You'll net hundreds of hits your first day or so. But don't do what I did - make sure you have a decently-sized archive first. >_>

[Godoftarot]

...Says the person who probably made the most serious post in the thread.

Note to self: my kind of humor is apparently not picked up on. Next time include smiley

[The Neko]

...Says the person who probably made the most serious post in the thread.

[edit] AND NOW ON-TOPIC...

Go to onlinecomics.net. If you have a sizable enough archive, you need to sign up for this right away. You'll net hundreds of hits your first day or so. But don't do what I did - make sure you have a decently-sized archive first. >_>

Ah, I was an early-adder, so I didn't get the benefit of instant gratification. =P

What I've learned is that my talent really doesn't lie with promotion. Frankly, I suck at it.

[Soap Soaperson]

...Says the person who probably made the most serious post in the thread.

Note to self: my kind of humor is apparently not picked up on. Next time include smiley

For the love of God, the smiley is essential!

[Luprand]

Go to onlinecomics.net. If you have a sizable enough archive, you need to sign up for this right away. You'll net hundreds of hits your first day or so. But don't do what I did - make sure you have a decently-sized archive first. >_>

I musta done something else wrong, then ... I signed up for OC.net this past month with nearly 150 comics in the archive, and my visits went down by nearly 20%.

--Sij

[Soap Soaperson]

*shrug*

I got (about a year ago, now) nearly 300 extra hits. It's increased vastly in size, so who knows.

[The Neko]

It probably does depend on when you initially signed up.

[Van Douchebag]

But if you weren't being serious, why should you think anyone else was?

I was being serious about showing people how to advertise their fucking comics, and yet they pull one of those moronic indie tricks that wanting your work to be known and succeed is selling out and wrong.

People need to stop being serious by analyzing everything critically to the finest degree, and being seeing things at face value.


Christ, it makes me sick when people being ranting about how White Hydra is a pandering whore by resembling Penny-Arcade, or having somewhat cliched characters in it, or the fact I actually like to hear input by people about what they think about prospect plot lines and character developments. Suddenly I'm a bad guy and "sooooooooooooooooo not indie" because of that. People are so fucking concerned about being indie and not a sellout that they become sellouts to indie culture themselves.

And where's the greatest prolification of these anti-sellout sellouts?
Right here on Keenspace - a shitload of you are too fucking concerned about yourselves and hindering your own progress that you can't even take a little advice on how to get yourself anywhere but off this site.

Next time I have useful advice I might as well be a selfish prick and keep it to myself.

[Sam_Charette]

(I <3 PANEL 4, AND I WANT TO MAKE IT MY NEW ICON)

Feel free

[The Neko]

Actually, I liked the advice. Made sense. But most likely, it requires some self-esteem in your work before you can promote.

I've been warned many times from people in entertainment companies to never become a part of those "arteest" communities. A lot of directors end up becoming fucked up because of that.

[Terotrous]

Go to onlinecomics.net. If you have a sizable enough archive, you need to sign up for this right away. You'll net hundreds of hits your first day or so. But don't do what I did - make sure you have a decently-sized archive first. >_>

I musta done something else wrong, then ... I signed up for OC.net this past month with nearly 150 comics in the archive, and my visits went down by nearly 20%.

--Sij

I signed up too and I gained almost nothing. I suspect it's determined by whether your thumbnail image looks awesome or not.


Also, Van's advice is very good. If you were after popularity, it's exactly what you'd want to do. Many of us aren't, though, or we fail the unseen point 0, which is that your comic has to be both brilliantly illustrated and cleverly written before the rest of it can work.

If my art ever gets good enough that people would take me seriously, I'd most definately try to start a new comic and follow that procedure.