Breaking through a professional publisher is not an easy matter. Today, there are many reliable comic artists who have quality works but have difficulty publishing them. Are you one of them? If so, be grateful that you currently live in the era of information globalization. The Internet provides the widest possible space for artists to publish and promote their work independently. Armed with commitment and perseverance, publishing your comics to be known by many people is no longer impossible!
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Part 1 of 2: Building Your Community of Comic Lovers
Step 1. Create a DeviantArt account
DeviantArt is one of the social networks used by artists to introduce and promote their works. Many new artists were born from here. Register yourself using an active email address, and start uploading your best works. If you want to make the reader more curious, you can upload the contents of the comic separately. This will keep readers curious and keep visiting your account to find out how the story goes. You can also upload separate information about the characters in your comic, or directly upload a whole comic.
- Interact with other DeviantArt users. Show that you're on DeviantArt by browsing their work and leaving a commentary trail. This will provoke them to do the same. In other words, make as many connections as possible.
- Choose a username that is unique and easy to remember. Think, when your work is published, who do you want to be remembered as? Choose a name that is relevant to the works you offer.
Step 2. Make a tutorial
Graphic art connoisseurs will usually look for tutorials. Upload a tutorial on something relevant to your skills, such as an animal drawing tutorial, a tutorial on the concept of shading in comic coloring, or a tutorial on operating software to create comics. Many people are able to create a single image, but not many know how to assemble it into a comic strip. Make a tutorial to explain the stages you go through, starting from collecting ideas until the comic is finished.
- By sharing tutorials, people will recognize you as knowledgeable and not stingy with knowledge. Apart from building your reputation, this will also keep people interested in finding out more about your work.
- Your tutorials can be uploaded on DeviantArt or other social networks like Tumblr.
Step 3. Create a personal website
This will make it easier for people to find your works and biographies. When you're ready to publish, you can easily link comics from your personal website anywhere. You may attach some comic pages to your personal website for free reading. If you want the full version, readers can contact you to buy it. If you've made more than one comic, upload one for free reading, and sell the rest. This is one example of a marketing effort that is worth implementing.
- You can buy domain space or take advantage of the free websites available on the internet. Usually, domain space is sold for a monthly or yearly price. Meanwhile, free websites often display ads that are sometimes annoying. Find out as much as possible and consider all possibilities before deciding.
- In addition to your personal website, you can also create a Tumblr account. On Tumblr, users can repost your work on their page. This is a free form of promotion because at the same time, your work will be seen by more people. You can also link your works to other social networking accounts, such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Tumblr is a great choice to interact and build connections easily and quickly.
Step 4. Upload your comics for free reading
Before you start selling them, let your readers enjoy your works for free. This will build the reader's interest, as well as the easiest way to introduce your skills. Thus, it is hoped that readers will be interested in buying it one day. As previously mentioned, you can upload separate sections of your comic and update them weekly. This way, you can also see how readers react to the work you've uploaded in advance and make improvements if needed.
- You can upload your comic on DeviantArt, Drunk Duck, or Smack Jeeves. These three websites are indeed provided to accommodate online comics.
- Upload your comics on other social networks, such as Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, and so on. The goal is to get more people to see your work.
- You can also upload your own fan art inspired by a movie or television series.
Step 5. Start charging
Once your name and works are known to a large number of people, let your readers know that you are thinking of charging a fee for each work that is downloaded or read. The fees charged need not be too large and must go through rational considerations.
- By charging a certain fee, you have the opportunity to make a small profit from your works. You can also take into account how much interest readers have in your works, even after they are no longer free.
- Charge different fees for different levels of difficulty. The price for a color comic with many characters is certainly different from the price for a black and white sketch.
Step 6. Prioritize quality over quantity
Even though you really want your work to be known, avoid uploading too often which results in a decrease in quality. Focus on quality, making the most of your time refining and perfecting your work before uploading it. Upload works that are worthy of public enjoyment.
Part 2 of 2: Selling Your Comic
Step 1. Print your comic
As a new comic artist, print your own work. Even though it's more hassle, it's much faster and cheaper because you only need to prepare money to buy ink and paper. This method is ideal for those of you who want to promote by distributing free prints.
- Try making a mini comic first. The size of this comic is not too big, only about 10.8 cm x 14 cm, and only consists of 9 pages. Mini comics are suitable for newcomers who are still inexperienced in publishing.
- Make a bigger comic. When you get used to it, make a comic with a standard number of pages, which is 25-80 pages, and measuring 12.7 cm x 20. 3 cm or 20. 3 cm x 28 cm. This is suitable for those of you who make long stories.
- After printing it, keep one unbound copy. This will be used when you later need to make additional copies.
Step 2. Publish your comic in the form of an e-book
When you're done, there are many ways you can go about publishing your work. Programs like Kindle Comic Converter can turn online versions of your comics into e-books for publication on the internet.
- Ngomik is an Indonesian online comic publishing website that you can try.
- DbKomik is another website worth visiting. Through this site, you can read local comics and upload your own comics.
- Kobo Writing Life is a non-local electronic book publishing site. You can register your account for free, and they will publish your work on the internet. This is the right choice for those of you who want to publish comics in English.
Step 3. Publish your comic through an independent publisher that publishes a physical book
Publishers like this make it easy for you to upload content, choose a cover design, and they will print it when an order is placed.
- Nulisbuku.com is one of the independent publishers that you should try. Visit their website to find out about the work systems they offer.
- Blank Publisher is a standalone publisher that offers a variety of comic publishing packages. Customize package options to suit your needs.
Step 4. Sell your comics at exhibition events
Rent a booth at a book fair and try selling your comics there. Apart from selling comics, you can also interact directly with many people, make connections, and promote your works. Calculate the selling price so that you are not less competitive with competitors.
- Don't limit the types of products you sell. Apart from selling comics, you can also sell posters, postcards, and even clothes that you design yourself. This shows that your creativity is not limited to comics and will usually attract visitors to get to know you better.
- If the booth rental price is too high, just share your comics or comic strips for free with visitors. Make sure you include a link to your personal website or social network address that contains your work, so they can access it easily.
Step 5. Advertise your work through other comic artists
After self-publishing your comic, enlist the help of other comic artists to advertise it. Instead, convey that you are also willing to advertise their comics on the back page of your comics. Besides being able to promote your work, this will also help you to establish connections with other comic artists.
- Advertise comics that you really like. If you want people to like it, you must first like what you're promoting.
- Place ads on comics with similar themes. For example, if you're making an action-themed comic, don't advertise your comic in a romance-themed comic.
Step 6. Paste or distribute flyers at local bookstores
Introduce yourself, share your aims and objectives with the bookstore manager, and ask if you can share some free copies of the comics at their bookstore. If they seem interested, ask if you can sell it at their bookstore.
- Post or distribute flyers at bookstores that advertise your comics. Make sure the brochure contains your name, contact number, and your personal website address.
- Leave the business card at the cashier of the relevant bookstore.
Step 7. Join local comic and anime communities
Few universities have this kind of community. Usually they hold regular meetings, and people with similar interests are welcome to attend. Discuss things related to comics and other works of art with people who share your interests.
