Playin' to yer Readers?

Nightgaunt · Post by **Nightgaunt** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:31 pm

Yeah, generally webcomics are meant for an audience of one: the author. If you start catering to other people it becomes progressively less fun and just not worthwhile, except maybe perhaps for those few who make a living off of it. An easy, or due to natural human curiosity difficult way to do this is just assume no one reads your comic but yourself and don't check how many hits you get.

The Neko · Post by **The Neko** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:41 pm

When people say, "it's only supposed to be funny to me and my friends", I only wonder why they bother putting in on the web. Just because your main audience is yourself, doesn't mean it's an excuse to make a shitty product or use humor that's excessively esoteric. It's just justification for laziness, really.

If nobody gets it, it's probably your fault.

RPin · Post by **RPin** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:15 pm

The real question is not either you should be producing something just for yourself, or to show to the world (that is a stupid question to me, by the way), but how far would you be willing to go from something that you enjoy doing to something that you do (or don't do) in hopes of achieving readers.

Dutch! · Post by **Dutch!** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:31 pm

I prefer playing to my characters. Bugger the readers. If they like, they like, if they don't, they don't. The main priority for me is that I maintain the integrity of the characters. I've received requests to have more punch-ups between certain characters, but that's not going to happen because the characters involved don't react that way. They're cleverer than just whacking each other. The characters come first, then daylight.

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:59 pm

Readers? What are these "readers" of which you speak?

Seriously, though...as a matter of fact, I'd love to be able to go full-tilt sometimes...go all out with the swearing, violence, nudity, hardcore sex, and whatnot. However, (1) my art sucks, and (2) I try to be mindful of my audience (even though I only have an inkling as to what my demographic is)...so there's a little bit of self-censorship.

As for story/content, I fully intend to go in my own direction...but I'm not opposed to input from my audience. Heck, at this point I'll settle for ANY kind of feedback.

TheSuburbanLetdown · Post by **TheSuburbanLetdown** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 2:30 pm

The Neko wrote:When people say, "it's only supposed to be funny to me and my friends", I only wonder why they bother putting in on the web. Just because your main audience is yourself, doesn't mean it's an excuse to make a shitty product or use humor that's excessively esoteric. It's just justification for laziness, really.

If nobody gets it, it's probably your fault.

This should be posted in the pitching section.

Wishmaster · Post by **Wishmaster** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 2:41 pm

Once I get some readers then I'll start pandering to them. At this point my strip is just a way of forcing myself to regularly produce. Ultimately, I'm sure it will wind up being a hodge podge of things that amuse me or I am otherwise interested in. My reasoning is, if I don't like what's in the strip why would anyone else?

Nicotine · Post by **Nicotine** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 2:50 pm

I basically do what I want to do because that's easier for me. Playing toward fans could have some positive sides but their my comics so I write and draw what I like. I do take some suggestions now and then, though.

Blackaby · Post by **Blackaby** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 4:23 pm

Unlike everyone else, I do the comic for the readers. Uh. And to do stuffs with Viger & to make friends. I sure as heck wouldn't consider doing something like this alone.

Warren · Post by **Warren** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 4:29 pm

blackaby wrote:Unlike everyone else, I do the comic for the readers. Uh. And to do stuffs with Viger & to make friends. I sure as heck wouldn't consider doing something like this alone.

I do it for the babes. But I've no collaborators.

Blackaby · Post by **Blackaby** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 4:33 pm

Warren wrote:
blackaby wrote:Unlike everyone else, I do the comic for the readers. Uh. And to do stuffs with Viger & to make friends. I sure as heck wouldn't consider doing something like this alone.
I do it for the babes. But I've no collaborators.

Luckily, my main collaborator is a babe.

Seriously, I don't get a kick out of sitting about at home wracking my brains for a punchline when everyone else is out partying or trying to teach myself lettering when it's obvious that my brain doesn't work that way. That is NOT fun. What's fun is chatting to folks and getting their responses to stuffs you've done and getting to collaborate with people you really admire.

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 5:10 pm

RPin wrote:The real question is not either you should be producing something just for yourself, or to show to the world (that is a stupid question to me, by the way), but how far would you be willing to go from something that you enjoy doing to something that you do (or don't do) in hopes of achieving readers.

I would probably make some compromises if I had to. Artistic vision is one thing, but that vision shouldn't be so strict and blind to different, more appealing solutions. That has it's boundaries, of course. Now, I haven't gotten to chance that I'd have to make such compromises so far.

RPin · Post by **RPin** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 5:25 pm

On one side you've got artistic douchebaggery, on another shameless whoring.

The key is to find the place in that spectrum that fits you the most, I guess.

Yeahduff · Post by **Yeahduff** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:49 pm

RPin wins.

There's nothing inherently wrong with putting something on the web just for your friends to enjoy. The problem comes when you still write from that perspective but expect outsiders to like it.

RemusShepherd · Post by **RemusShepherd** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 6:41 am

If I knew who my readers were, I might give them more fan service.

(sniff) They don't write, they never call...

Webkilla · Post by **Webkilla** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 3:41 pm

readers?

Whats that?

War · Post by **War** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 4:05 pm

I just like screwing with people.

*updates for a week or two and then stops again*

Prettysenshi · Post by **Prettysenshi** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 6:22 pm

I don't have much experience in this, but I think it's best if you don't draw your comics based on the fans' and what they want. It's great to do a little fanservice here and there, but I think once you make the comic for them more than yourself, it's only down here from there.

Also, in terms of comic fanservices, yaoi, games, and manga usually do the trick.

Keffria · Post by **Keffria** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 6:36 pm

blackaby wrote:Unlike everyone else, I do the comic for the readers.

I hear you!

There's a difference between "doing it for the readers" and "selling out" -- one implies a desire to create an entertaining product that will appeal to one's audience, while the other one implies shameless pandering to the lowest common denominator.

BERSERKERCREW · Post by **BERSERKERCREW** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 8:26 pm

cracks whip at toxic, indeed!!

i think i might play too much for readers that wouldn't deviate from
plot but means i add extra chapters for certain characters that grow in popularity . . . girls like a certain character in my comic so i extend his
sequences . . . why because i'm shilling for the crowds, woo hoo!!