Join Webcomics.com
Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 4:57PM Starting today, Webcomics.com will begin charging a $30-per-year subscription fee. That fee is going to be used to help support what this site has become -- and allow it to achieve its full potential.
Webcomics.com has established itself as a tremendous resource of practical information for webcartoonists. By joining today you will have access to:
- Frequent updates of news, advice, tutorials and strategies by webcomics veteran Brad Guigar.
- Monthly contributions by webcomics pioneer Scott Kurtz and Penny Arcade's Business Guy, Robert Khoo.
- Personalized features like a new e-mail-based organizer to help you plan for upcoming conventions.
- Feedback and guidance for your comic and the small business you'll create running it.
- A fully rounded, indexed repository of two year's worth of information that you can use to help improve your work.
- A moderated, passionate, supportive community of webcomics creators.
- Inside information on conventions, vendors and other entities that webcartoonists access to advance their businesses.
- Deals on merchandise.
For a low subscription of $30 per year, you will have access to all of this plus the entire Webcomics.com archives, one of the most helpful and supportive forums for creative people on the Web, and several members-only offers.
Webcomics.com Terms of Service.
FAQ
Most webcomics are based on the free-content model. The "How To Make Webcomics" book is built around it. Why is Webcomics.com becoming a pay site?
Simply put, Webcomics.com isn't entertainment; it's a valuable resource for webcartoonists. It would be difficult to continue offering this site for free in its current state -- and impossible, given the improvements we have planned.
Why not just run ads?
This will be very much a niche site. There will not be as much value for an advertiser as there will be for subscribers.
Why $30 per year?
It's an inexpensive buy-in that almost any webcartoonist can afford. It has an added benefit of keeping out people who may not be as serious about webcomics. It naturally weeds out comments from people who may be passing through, and results in distilling comments to those from people who are committed to improving their comics.
Reader Comments (272)
@ Lis Boriss
I think you're making an unfair assumption here. There are very few ways to "prove" the value of the content here and the idea that the site "would improve your ability to make money off your webcomic" is somewhat misleading.
One of the main messages that the guys put forth in HTMW is that you need compelling content and an audience before a lot of thier advice will be useful and they have no way of telling you how to get that.
There is no real way to show that someone who delivers compelling content that leads to a wide audience would be more or less succesful by following tips and advice they found here. It would certainly seem that way, but implying it as an absolute reason for joining is a bit disingenuous on your part.
All you can really say is that the advice offered by the site "might" improve your webcomics business. And therein lies the rub for a lot of folks I think. If you could guarantee the overwhelming success of my business venture it would be worth far more than $30 a year. And folks would be lining up to pay.
@Brad: Ok, I thought that was the case. While your insight on topics is great, I think I miss the WW podcast just because you had four different POVs coming together in the middle to toss an idea around. It was an incredibly entertaining and informative way of tackling subjects.
I would imagine it is going to be very important for you to bring other "experts" on not only to give you breathing room but just so the site has that depth of knowledge and experience it needs to make it worth the subscription.
I don't know if I'm necessarily going to sign up, but I do think $30/month is worth the content Webcomics.com provides. I bought the book and it was well worth it.
I think the sticker price perception is what seems to be getting some folks… I bet if it were worded as $2.50/month, there'd probably be less bitching. I mean, that's significantly less than the average DC/Marvel comic these days.
…And who knows, I might change my mind and sign-up somewhere down the line.
Good luck with the subscription model!
Folks, take a look at the discussion that has ensued here. The question keeps getting asked why I didn't announce this earlier, and the answer is rather direct. The discussion would have been the same, and the outcome would have been no different.
This site has to generate income for me to continue. And ad revenue just wasn't going to cut it. This site plays very much to a niche market. It simply wouldn't support an ad-based revenue stream.
So, that leaves one of two choices: Go to a subscription model or end it entirely.
And I was comfortable with either option.
Either way, Webcomics.com was going to change. And I'm sorry if that's off-putting to you.
This way, I could justify the time I put into it.
So that was my choice. I figured if it failed miserably (and I don't see signs of that at this point), I'd simply close the site down and channel my energies into something that would generate the necessary return for my investment of time.
But I really enjoy doing this site. And I think it has much more than $30/year worth of information in it. So I took a chance.
If you can't understand that, there's simply nothing more I can do to make you see it.
I wasn't complaining about the sudden change and honestly I think your rationalization for doing this is completely reasonable. I hope it works out for you.
"The question keeps getting asked why I didn't announce this earlier, and the answer is rather direct. The discussion would have been the same, and the outcome would have been no different."
...Why not simply out of respect for your readers? Regardless of the discussion, and the outcome, it would have gone down a lot smoother.
Daddy-O... it's the difference between pulling a Band-Aid off slowly or quickly. This decision was made with the respect for my readers at the front of my mind.
Wow, wow and WOW. I can't believe the guff you guys are getting for this. Ridiculous. This isn't meant to be a post convincing people that $30 a YEAR isn't a lot of money, or that if you're someone who is trying to start a business - and that's really what we're doing - and you can't budget-in or save $30, you should definitely consider staying because you need this more than you think.
Also, anyone who is balking at this because the information provided on this site isn't useful enough to pony up the money, should definitely go somewhere else because this wasn't the site for them to begin with.
What Brad has done on this site speaks for itself - and says it loud and clear. I also once heard Scott say that he has two jobs. One, PVP and all the things that come with it. The other, is giving back to the webcomics community with his advice, instruction and support. (I'm paraphrasing) Now, the Halfpixel guys are saying that in addition to the book and the podcast and the Ustreaming, and everything else they've done to give back, they're trying to create something else that doesn't exist in this industry within an industry. Let the pissin' and moanin' begin.
(deep breath)
Listen, you agree with this or you don't, this stuff is useful to you or it's not, you can afford it now, later or never. Join or don't join. I don't care. Just stop bitching about it.
PS - Now I know why Scott removed his forums.
Indeed--if you'd come out a few days prior and said 'look guys, for the amount of time that I spend on this website, I am either going to have to quit or ask you to pay for it. I've decided that as of this Friday, you will need to purchase a subscription to access the archives and new content--but don't worry, we'll totally make it worth your while if you pay up.' I think the reaction would have been a bit more understanding.
My initial reaction was 'wow, for a website that soap-boxes the philosophy of free, this sure does feel a tad unsavory.' That was because 1) it was abrupt and without warning and 2) none of the stuff that you just revealed to be behind your decision to do so was in the announcement.
We're all creators in some capacity, here. Most of us would understand, especially with the economy the way it is right now, that it needed to be worth your while or it had to go, except you never gave us the chance to understand that.
Now, will I buy a subscription? I'd probably (very enthusiastically) have one already if it weren't for my initial reaction to the way this was presented. I will likely get one in a few minutes, actually. Still, give us some credit, Brad.
Wow, really? I disagree, if I had read that there was a deadline coming down I would have really looked at the content deeper to see if the cost would be justified. Now I guess Ill never know. Congrats on doing a very corporate move, I guess you have transended the spirit of web content. Wow, that's the most disappointing thing.
What a terrible idea, and it DOES pretty much go against everything this blog and the podcasts and your book teach. I'm disappointed. There are totally better ways to monetize this information. Example, why not keep the site free but sell ebooks on subjects, and let the authors of the ebooks share in the profits.
And not to completely rain on the parade, but how can any consumer really trust that there WILL be these regular features when something like Webcomics Weekly has been far from weekly, and more like quarterly. Good luck anyways though, but the information is out there for free, or will be.
It's ironic that even in this abrupt change, we get one final lesson in marketing for free the conclusion of which remains to be seen. Reading the comments has been very enlightening.
DJ, this site and Webcomics Weekly are two completely different entities.
The site has updated Monday-through-Friday, with few exceptions, for the past two years.
Wait, there are over a hundred Webcomics Weekly podcasts? Did I miss a whole lot of them somewhere?
Also, I totally understand the subscription fee and I think it's justifiable. For the record, I'm a longtime fan of the WW guys and Webcomics.com, and I'll definitely be joining.
That said, I am curious about the answer to other posters' questions of what content will be available to "first-timers" who haven't seen the site before. In my humble opinion, you might want to add a little more info to show the new folks why it's worth it. This is not at all to suggest that it's anything but awesome, and certainly word-of-mouth will go a long way, I just wonder if it needs a few example articles or something.
Just a thought.
Oh DJ. Please go crawl back into your hole of obscurity and don't try to start anything here. It's a very VERY simple concept and I know you understand it. So please don't pretend you don't.
Charging for a COMIC would go against everything the site teaches. That's not what we're doing here. We're going to be offering professional advice on improving your comics. That's something we charged for in the book and it's something we're going to charge for here. It's also including advice and thoughts from, in my opinion, the most successful business guy in this new world of "micro media" (as he calls it)
We did give everyone a heads up. Today. This is your heads up. We had to tell you sometime. Today is the day. New year. New start. I can't think of a more appropriate time.
@Chris. You will get an introduction to each day's topic every day in the main Webcomics.com page. You'll be able to follow our topics, and decide whether they're something you'd like to learn more about.
@Chris Watson
Alas, Webcomics Weekly started at Talkshoe and they do not offer control of their RSS. So there are two different RSS listings for Webcomics Weekly. One on the talkshoe servers and one at libsyn (which we control).
Here is the original RSS link: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/rss49535.xml
Here is the current RSS Link: http://ww.libsyn.com/rss
but now that I'm looking it says we only made it to 66? Did we start fresh? Wait we only got to 66? Ha ha! I need to go back and edit my post. Sorry. 66 episodes.
It sure felt like over 100.
No offense, Scott, but it's only a head's up if you let people know before you do it. That's what a head's up is.
As far as I can tell, when I decided to check this place out for Friday's update, which I missed, the announcement came at the exact same time or after everything in the archives was put behind the subwall. I'm not saying the sub is even a bad idea--I think it's a pretty great idea and I'm happy to support Brad in his decision--I'm just saying that a little more time would have been nice.
@Randi
If we had given you the heads up before switching things over, you would have not only been as equally upset, but you would have also inferred an opportunity to change our minds. Which there wasn't.
@Brad
Oh, great! That'll do just fine. I was just worried about new people not being able to see the awesomeness that it is. I think that's a good method, though.
@Scott
Haha, yeah, I figured. I've listened to every one of the WW podcasts. I was just horrified that I might have missed a whole bunch somewhere else.
@Chris
I swear to god it felt like over 100 podcasts. 100 LONG LOOONNNGGGGGG podcasts.
Well I'm going to give this a shot. I look forward to see what you have planned for the site. Although might I suggest you offer a free trial month once you get things running in the general direction to want them to?
@Scott
Well, I assure you, the 66 that you did make were all a pleasure to listen to every time.
@Scott
Well you did do a lot of Ustreams, which are also fun.
Haha, what are the chances that you actually DID do 100 and just haven't gotten the other 34 posted? :)
@Scott
Why would I be upset about making sure that this is worth it to Brad? If it had to go, or it had to be pay, I'd rather not lose this valuable resource. And why would I try and change your mind? I put money towards tings I support--I've just paid for a subscription here, I buy original art, I buy wallpapers from some of my favourite webcomics and I've been the top donator at smackjeeves for years.
I support webcomic artists in whatever they need to do to keep going, and while this is not a webcomic, it's absolutely something I can get behind. I'm not going to spit in Brad's face for wanting to be paid for all the work her does here. And I'm sure that I am not the only person who feels this way, if all the people telling the people who are upset to shut up is any indication.