Some questions for comic readers and writers

Kafine · Post by **Kafine** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:15 am

I'd be very grateful if you guys could help me out with a dissertation that I'm writing about self-publishing, specifically the part where I talk about webcomics and how it seems to be the Thing To Do to eventually print them.

So basically;

IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them? Do you PREFER them?

If you offer printed books of your comics; WHY do you?
Was it requested, did you see a potential for profit, did you just think it might be nice to see it printed, et cetera?

If you don't (yet) offer printed versions, would you one day like to?

Aaand finally; WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books?

Or any other thoughts you have to offer on the matter!

I'm Kath, and I do a silly comic about Tubeworms (currently on hiatus).

Pip · Post by **Pip** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:42 am

IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them? No*

Do you PREFER them? Yes.

*Well, I have bought some, but only of webcomics I had never read previously. If I do that and end up liking the book I'll probably buy collections later, but not keep up with updates on the website. If a webcomic I followed suddenly offered a collection of strips I had already read, I'd ignore it.

If you don't (yet) offer printed versions, would you one day like to? Yes. Its another way to make a profit, plus the image quality is much better.

Aaand finally; WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books? Yes.

Birdie · Post by **Birdie** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:20 am

IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them? Do you PREFER them? I've bought I think 2 books based on webcomics. I don't ussualyl purchase comics, but if I find a product that I like I have no problem with buying it.

If you offer printed books of your comics; WHY do you?
Was it requested, did you see a potential for profit, did you just think it might be nice to see it printed, et cetera? I recently started a hand-drawn minicomic series for my webstrip. I did it because I like to draw, but I don't have the tools or the skill to put my handdrawn art onto a website. So it lets me be creative online and offline. Right now I think of the comic as free advertising, and a chance for me to trick people into buying me beer.

If you don't (yet) offer printed versions, would you one day like to? I do small run self publishing right now. I'd love to have a real print comic.

Aaand finally; WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books? People buy books for a few reasons I think. First of all people still like a tangible product. I can't curl on my couch with my PC and just thumb through beaver and steve. I can't sit on the toilet with a laptop (well I could but that'd be really eerie). but I can do these things with a tangible product. Also some comics work better in print than they do on the web.

Post by **Mercury Hat** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:24 am

1- I can't say I'm a big enough fan of any webcomic to want to own it, but if I was at a con or something and the artist was offering up bonus comics or something, I'd buy it. There's just so much varying quality with self-printed books that I'd rather look at them and make sure I'm getting a good product.

2- People prefer to read things on paper in their hand and I'm no different. Monitors are still an eyestrain to read anything on for any length of time, plus books are more portable and don't need an internet connection to work.

3- No, but that's because I'm not near print-quality levels with my work.

4- It's like I said, people still prefer reading things off paper. Given the option between reading a 250 page comic online or reading it in book form, I'd take the book. Easier to turn the page, I don't have to scroll, I can sit somewhere comfortable to read it, I've got the comic and don't have to worry if the website goes down, things like that.

Kafine · Post by **Kafine** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:51 am

Thanks for the responses!

supernerdcore wrote:I can't curl on my couch with my PC and just thumb through beaver and steve. I can't sit on the toilet with a laptop (well I could but that'd be really eerie). but I can do these things with a tangible product. Also some comics work better in print than they do on the web.

Lol!

Also, that last point is interesting; do you mean layout-wise?

pip wrote:If a webcomic I followed suddenly offered a collection of strips I had already read, I'd ignore it.

Yes, you would probably have to add a certain amount of material that was exclusive to the book in order to sell to anyone but hardcore fans.

Mercury Hat wrote:There's just so much varying quality with self-printed books that I'd rather look at them and make sure I'm getting a good product.

That's a point I hadn't considered; is it printed properly with a good layout and so forth, or knocked up on someone's photocopier with pictures wandering off the edges of the pages

One can never tell...

TheSuburbanLetdown · Post by **TheSuburbanLetdown** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:58 am

I buy print versions of stuff I like.

I'd one day offer printed versions of my stuff I can can.

The digital age is upon us, but people still like to have a tangible non-digital product, mainly for the reasons others have mentioned. It'll be a sad day if everything is electronic. Power failures and the like would be devastating.

Pimpette · Post by **Pimpette** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:12 am

IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them?
Sometimes. If I really like the comic, I will definitely consider it. But as Merc says, I'd prefer to take a look at the actual book before buying it.. I would hate to buy it online and then be delivered a total piece of crap.

Do you PREFER them?
Yes and no. Nothing beats having my very own copy of something in print (I'm a packrat, I love to own things), but webcomics are easy in that I always know where to find them, can't rip/wrinkle/ruin them, and can easily sit and click through pages (I am also a lazy slob).

If you don't (yet) offer printed versions, would you one day like to?
I'm working on the first volume of P&A - but redrawing it and rewriting bits of it. I figure offering the same story, only different, gives readers an incentive to buy. Especially since my early P&A strips are total garbage and I wouldn't sell them to anyone.

Aaand finally; WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books?
Like everyone says, nothing beats having the print version in hand.
Something to read in places you don't have computer access, for one thing. On a train? Stuck in a blackout? Gone camping? No computer, so grab the print version.

Lance · Post by **Lance** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:15 am

RE:"It'll be a sad day if everything is electronic. Power failures and the like would be devastating."

Yeah, I like to say that if the lights went out forever I could still pick up a pencil and draw or play my acoustic guitar. Assuming I could find pencils, paper and guitar strings.

Redtech · Post by **Redtech** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:18 am

kafine wrote:I'd be very grateful if you guys could help me out with a dissertation that I'm writing about self-publishing, specifically the part where I talk about webcomics and how it seems to be the Thing To Do to eventually print them.

Not always, I think some that posess more unique design elements such as infinate canvas can't translate well, but the overall trend exists, I guess...

So basically;
IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them? Do you PREFER them?

Not yet, but planning to (count that as a 'yes'). I don't prefer them OVER a online only comic, but it's a nice bonus.

If you offer printed books of your comics; WHY do you?
Was it requested, did you see a potential for profit, did you just think it might be nice to see it printed, et cetera?

Nope, unlikely ever to, and quite happy with that.

If you don't (yet) offer printed versions, would you one day like to?

Nope, unlikely ever to, and quite happy with that. Might copy my brother and go into commissions however.

Aaand finally; WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books?

It's a permanent hard copy and adds a sense of permenant legitamacy which the typical webcomic can not gain. Also acts as a "for the fans" incentive to comics with high readership.

Or any other thoughts you have to offer on the matter!

I believe that while Webcomics give an expanded audiance to some great talent (far greater than anything I do, at least) I do feel that some people have the potential to go mainstream, but for a number of reasons don't. Also, it gives the advantage that these artists can get more readers than a print copy, so ideally you can get a win-win situation where one cuts out the middleman. It's actually pretty amazing when you sit back and read the quality of work that isn't corporate managed or run through editorial procedure etc etc.

I'm Kath, and I do a silly comic about Tubeworms (currently on hiatus).

GET OUT OF HIATUS, HEATHERN!

Picatrix · Post by **Picatrix** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:18 am

IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them? Do you PREFER them?

Yep, I own the print version of every webcomic I read regularly... well, every one that offers a print version, anyway. I do prefer them because they're much easier to reference... like when I'm reading a new page on the web and they make mention of something from the past that I don't remember, I can just flip open the book and reread the section in question. No annoying clickthroughs trying to find one particular page amongst... well, with some comics, hundreds of pages. Also, it's easier to kick back and relax with a print version than to strain my eyes on a computer screen. And finally, I just like to support the artists

If you offer printed books of your comics; WHY do you?
Was it requested, did you see a potential for profit, did you just think it might be nice to see it printed, et cetera?

I've got a print version of my own coming out in the spring. It was requested but I would have done it anyway. I think my story will read better as a print comic than a webcomic, to be honest. I want to have my comic in print because there's a pretty big market of people who don't read webcomics but who do read print comics and I'd like to reach that market, if possible. And anyway, it gives me an incentive to go back to my old pages and fix errors I've made, correct pacing, add better backgrounds... stuff like that. It's a pretty good learning experience.

Aaand finally; WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books?

It's much more comfy to laze on the couch with a book than with a laptop, a book is much easier to read on the bus and print versions are higher resolution so you can usually make out smaller details on the pages easier.

Birdie · Post by **Birdie** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:16 am

kafine wrote:Thanks for the responses!

supernerdcore wrote:I can't curl on my couch with my PC and just thumb through beaver and steve. I can't sit on the toilet with a laptop (well I could but that'd be really eerie). but I can do these things with a tangible product. Also some comics work better in print than they do on the web.
Lol!

Also, that last point is interesting; do you mean layout-wise?

I mean I can't sit and wait 2-3 days or even a week to see what goes on next in a comic. I'd rather take it all in during one sitting. I mean I can take a gag and wait for the next update, but if you're telling me a story, stopping me during it and having me wait for what happens next is as enjoyable as having a hot glue gun hit your nipple...

Rkolter · Post by **Rkolter** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:19 am

IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them?

I've bought a couple. But I can't say that I'd regularly buy them.

Do you PREFER them?

Absolutely. I can read a printed comic anywhere, and I can read an online comic only at my computer.

If you don't (yet) offer printed versions, would you one day like to?

If I wanted to offer printed versions, I would. And I'd want to do that, if I had enough requests for it. But, my work isn't at that level, so the question is pretty much moot.

WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books?

Because you can read a printed comic anywhere. You can swap it with your friends while eating a pizza. You can flip to any page instantly. You can save them and re-read them without first trying to find a link. You can collect them. The smell of the ink. There are a ton of reasons why books are better than digital media. A book has substance, and there's something good about reading a good book.

Cuendolin · Post by **Cuendolin** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:33 am

IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them? Do you PREFER them?

I prefer printed versions, as I have been said they're easier to read and carry but I'm too lazy to buy online and I usually buy in stores or Cons, without the wait.
Still I also like electronic format, because I have to move a lot to find jobs. It is difficult to carry the weight. (That's why I store nearly all my comics at my parent's house

)

If you don't (yet) offer printed versions, would you one day like to?

Maybe in the future. It would be nice but for now It's a distant possibility, based on having something worth printing.

Aaand finally; WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books?

Now it's still hard to read on screen. Books are cheaper and resist water, falls and are not worth stealing (in general).

Kafine · Post by **Kafine** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:45 pm

theSuburbanLetdown wrote:Power failures and the like would be devastating.

True! Another reason for keeping some things grounded in the real world that I hadn't thought of!

Redtech wrote: I believe that while Webcomics give an expanded audiance to some great talent (far greater than anything I do, at least) I do feel that some people have the potential to go mainstream, but for a number of reasons don't. Also, it gives the advantage that these artists can get more readers than a print copy, so ideally you can get a win-win situation where one cuts out the middleman. It's actually pretty amazing when you sit back and read the quality of work that isn't corporate managed or run through editorial procedure etc etc.

I'm Kath, and I do a silly comic about Tubeworms (currently on hiatus).
GET OUT OF HIATUS, HEATHERN!

GACK!

When my dissertation is done! Honest!

Thanks for the additional thoughts there.

supernerdcore wrote:I mean I can't sit and wait 2-3 days or even a week to see what goes on next in a comic. I'd rather take it all in during one sitting. I mean I can take a gag and wait for the next update, but if you're telling me a story, stopping me during it and having me wait for what happens next is as enjoyable as having a hot glue gun hit your nipple...

That's... a very painful thought... But yes it is irritating isn't it. Good point there.

rkolter wrote:The smell of the ink.

Awesome, that's such a nice thought! I have met some books that smelled pretty bad though...

Thanks all!

Garneta · Post by **Garneta** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:06 pm

IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them? Do you PREFER them?

No, but if I had more money I might eventually get around to buying some.

If you don't (yet) offer printed versions, would you one day like to?

Maybe...I can't do it with this comic because of the way I've saved them all, but perhaps I'll do it with the next one. Depends on how much my artwork improves, really.

Aaand finally; WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books?

Because they're nice to have. It can be a worthwhile, relaxing experience to curl up on the couch, or in the tub, with a nice book. Sure you could take a laptop to the couch...but it's still just not the same experience staring at the screen than it would be to look at the printed words on a page.

GeorgeComics · Post by **GeorgeComics** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:45 pm

IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them? Do you PREFER them? - If it's a comic I love very much, I buy them. I really do prefer hard-copy books of those comics that I love, as well.

If you offer printed books of your comics; WHY do you?
Was it requested, did you see a potential for profit, did you just think it might be nice to see it printed, et cetera? I do offer them, as a potential source of profit, and because it's nice to see it in print.

Aaand finally; WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books? It's contradictory to much of the rest of technology, but people just prefer hard-copy books, in general. They can be taken anywhere, read on a train or an airplane (or on the can), and to just have something still tangible when everything else is digital is kind of a nice anchor. E-book readers are still in their infancy, and until they improve the designs greatly, I don't see them outselling "real" books anytime soon.

Warofwinds · Post by **Warofwinds** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:17 pm

1) It depends. Some comics certainly lose a little something special when they are transfered to print. Oftentimes they are smaller on paper than on the screen, or, when self-published, material quality just isn't so good. Nevertheless, it's simply awesome to have my favorite comics in print. If I had the funds, yes, I would buy my favorites in print. Currently I'm waiting for a couple to put their stuff up to buy, as I finally DO have the funds to afford them.

2) I do not offer printed versions of my comic, nor would I ever. My comic is made exclusively for the digital medium. I do not color in CMYK, at print-quality resolution, or at standard printing size. I did this on purpose, and plan to sell my comic on CD's (like a DVD menu) with extras, commentary, picture gallery, etc when I get far enough along. I would only sell these at conventions, face-to-face. I do occasionally make posters just for print though.

3) People buy books, IMO, because they are material, tangible, can't be lost to due computer glitch/crash/power outage, can be shared in any place, carried around, put on a bookshelf (to read, or perhaps represent a person, as in coffee-table book), don't contain an annoying, glowing screen, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, be possessed. Humans are a possessive race.

I also am doing a paper, but mine is on something a little different than yours. Good luck!

Dr Neo Lao · Post by **Dr Neo Lao** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:43 pm

1A) It depends on the comic. Something that's all colour, full pages, has an intricate story etc but only updates once a week is very trying, especially when the update is a no-dialogue action page or even worse, a cover page (man I hate those on an on-line comic).

I have looked at buying print copies before, but because of where I live, postage is a killer. A small, cheap issue will blow out to four or six times it's actual cost once shipping is added, and currency converted.

There are a select few that I have bought.

1B) I do prefer them all other things being equal. Having the whole story right there is much more satisfying, and there are no ads.

2) My stuff itsn't print-worthy.

3) As stated by others, people love to hold onto things and say "that's mine". You can download a copy of an entire comic but because it sits on the hard drive, you don't really feel like it really belongs to you.

One of the first things they teach you when you go into sales is to take the product off the shelf and put it into the hands of the customer. They are much more likely to buy something if you can get them to hold onto it (generally speaking).

*offtopic* When I go shopping, I keep my hands by my side and let the salesperson hold the product while I look at it...

Redshine · Post by **Redshine** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 12:22 am

IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them? Do you PREFER them? It depends on the comic really but if it's a good one, yes, I'd buy it. I wouldn't exactly prefer it I think though. But then, buying it also depends, because the next store is a 5 hour drive north and shipping to where I bunk is a pain in the neck

If you offer printed books of your comics; WHY do you?
Was it requested, did you see a potential for profit, did you just think it might be nice to see it printed, et cetera? I don't offer printed versions.

If you don't (yet) offer printed versions, would you one day like to? Maybe, some day, but I couldn't for chapters 2 & 3. Due to copyright issues (which I've checked with the copyright owner) I have to keep this strictly non-profit, as in the widest sense, these two chapters could also be classified as fan-comic due to high similarities in the looks of some characters.

Aaand finally; WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books? Can put them on a shelf, read pages beside pages, flick back easier to compare, open up to page 125 without scrolling back and forth and ... no problem with powercuts if you have candles handy -- and powercuts are something we have a lot here!

TheWhiteWilSmith · Post by **TheWhiteWilSmith** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:27 am

IF a comic offers printed versions, do you buy them? Do you PREFER them?
It really depends on the comic. If it's something I really like and would be better presented in the physical medium, then I'd definitely go for it.

If you offer printed books of your comics; WHY do you?
Not yet, I don't think I'm of that caliber yet... perchance to dream.

If you don't (yet) offer printed versions, would you one day like to?
With the steadily increasing number of colors I'm using, it may get pricey. Maybe in 5 years or so.

Aaand finally; WHY do you think, in the digital age, people will still even buy books?
I prefer the physical handling of comic books. It's a very tactile medium for me which kind of sweeps me back to a time when I was riding my bike to the newstand at my local grocery store to pick up superhero comics. And honestly, would Astonishing X-Men or Y-The Last Man be as effective if they posted 1 page every day?

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