I loved both books, but I almost didn't buy Ore. I've bought these kind of publications (one-shots in floppy format) and then later on they are collected in a nice hardback together with some new stuff. To get to read the new stuff you have to buy something you already bought. Don't get me wrong: I would love to have the funds to do this for every creator I love, but sadly reality is different. I can only speak for myself, and in the end I did buy Ore, but more info on this could have maybe convinced more people to buy it? Something like: "This is a one-off that won't be collected soon (or at all) in a future collection." Maybe then more people would have bought it? In my opinion, you're better of publishing beautifull hardcovers and then maybe, at the end of the line, a trade paperback compendium, so people know about each new book that that's the only way to read it: now, buy this book now. This is it. Now or never or, maybe in a couple of years in the hypothetical compendium. Just my two cents.
It's a minefield of options! Clearly I got it wrong, but the landscape has also changed. And also, very few people even knew it was coming - not that that would have made any difference, if stores order based on the sales number of the last book from a previous series. But also, we can't live on air while we make a lush hardback, hoping it will sell. If it doesn't, that's getting close to a year without an income at all. Unsustainable.
1. This was very insightful. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
2. I f*cking loved Starhenge and Ore. I've purchased and read (and reread) them all on release day. I get you financially need more readers, but there are still some of us out there passionately following your story.
Count me as one of the readers who had no idea it was coming out. It wasn't until after it released that I became aware of it (thanks to your socials!) and fortunately my local store still had ONE copy on the shelf. It was a great story, and it deserves a wider audience!
Here is my two cents opinion, as an artist working for different clients around the world as a concept artist and comic book artist. I have also been working on my own comic book stories lately, and from what I've seen, for indie creators these days, what matters is not the story or character, but who they are as a brand. I saw great big artists like Sean Gordon Murphy, for instance, with his big name in the marketing, and we should have expected a 1 million dollar campaign when he released his last comic book Kickstarter, but it didn't happen. And it exist a few comic book indie artists out there that make half of million dollars just in the first campaign, and they didn't even draw any famous character before, mainly because I think the fans followed everything that the person shared online, through the production of the comic book, and they feel part of it, they feel connected to the creator, and they will by anything from them, even if they release just a T-shirt.
They feel connected with the PERSONA ideas and not so much with the project. And this is a tough way to market for us that prefer to just write and draw, and not so much sharing everything on YouTube day by day. I agree that publishing flops rather than trades or one-shots is better. The problem is surviving until you have 50 flops issues published to start to make money, in the traditional way with publishers like Image Comics or Dark Horse, for instance. Is too much upfront investment before starting to see real money. Thank you so much for sharing all that info, we learn a lot from other people's experiences, a lot more coming from an excellent artist like you.
This kind of candor is super valuable and very much appreciated!
I loved both books, but I almost didn't buy Ore. I've bought these kind of publications (one-shots in floppy format) and then later on they are collected in a nice hardback together with some new stuff. To get to read the new stuff you have to buy something you already bought. Don't get me wrong: I would love to have the funds to do this for every creator I love, but sadly reality is different. I can only speak for myself, and in the end I did buy Ore, but more info on this could have maybe convinced more people to buy it? Something like: "This is a one-off that won't be collected soon (or at all) in a future collection." Maybe then more people would have bought it? In my opinion, you're better of publishing beautifull hardcovers and then maybe, at the end of the line, a trade paperback compendium, so people know about each new book that that's the only way to read it: now, buy this book now. This is it. Now or never or, maybe in a couple of years in the hypothetical compendium. Just my two cents.
It's a minefield of options! Clearly I got it wrong, but the landscape has also changed. And also, very few people even knew it was coming - not that that would have made any difference, if stores order based on the sales number of the last book from a previous series. But also, we can't live on air while we make a lush hardback, hoping it will sell. If it doesn't, that's getting close to a year without an income at all. Unsustainable.
Hard times in a hard sector. I'll keep buying everything you publish and I'll spread the word!
1. This was very insightful. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
2. I f*cking loved Starhenge and Ore. I've purchased and read (and reread) them all on release day. I get you financially need more readers, but there are still some of us out there passionately following your story.
I'd be down for more of just your prose, too.
Thanks - really helpful. I will read it now, never knew about it.
Thank you. :-)
Count me as one of the readers who had no idea it was coming out. It wasn't until after it released that I became aware of it (thanks to your socials!) and fortunately my local store still had ONE copy on the shelf. It was a great story, and it deserves a wider audience!
Extremely helpful!! Thank you!
Perhaps as a prose novel or set of stories with one illustration per chapter?
I really hope you’re able to keep StarHenge going. I love this world you’ve created.
Thanks Josh! I'm not confident there'll be more at this point, but we'll see. Cheers!
Here is my two cents opinion, as an artist working for different clients around the world as a concept artist and comic book artist. I have also been working on my own comic book stories lately, and from what I've seen, for indie creators these days, what matters is not the story or character, but who they are as a brand. I saw great big artists like Sean Gordon Murphy, for instance, with his big name in the marketing, and we should have expected a 1 million dollar campaign when he released his last comic book Kickstarter, but it didn't happen. And it exist a few comic book indie artists out there that make half of million dollars just in the first campaign, and they didn't even draw any famous character before, mainly because I think the fans followed everything that the person shared online, through the production of the comic book, and they feel part of it, they feel connected to the creator, and they will by anything from them, even if they release just a T-shirt.
They feel connected with the PERSONA ideas and not so much with the project. And this is a tough way to market for us that prefer to just write and draw, and not so much sharing everything on YouTube day by day. I agree that publishing flops rather than trades or one-shots is better. The problem is surviving until you have 50 flops issues published to start to make money, in the traditional way with publishers like Image Comics or Dark Horse, for instance. Is too much upfront investment before starting to see real money. Thank you so much for sharing all that info, we learn a lot from other people's experiences, a lot more coming from an excellent artist like you.