Six-Month Check-up

So, how is Webcomics.com doing after six months of operating on a subscription model?

Well...

If, when I started this exercise in January, you would have forced me to guess how many members we'd have by the end of the year, I would have given you a number that we surpassed long ago. It's a big enough number for me to tell you that this site will continue for the foreseeable future as a subscription site. It's a number big enough for organizations like Reed Exhibitions and Transcontinental to give Webcomics.com members significant discounts. And it's a number that has risen every month since we launched.

Moreover, the subscribers are all serious, professionally minded cartoonists. After all, who's going to drop a $30 subscription if they're not pretty serious about doing this professionally, right?

As a result, the Private Forum is jam-packed with serious cartoonists sharing their experiences and offering valuable advice, peer review, and support. It's one of the best things about the site.

Robert Khoo has contributed a monthly column to the site that has shared tremendous insight on several business aspects of webcomics. And in May Mr. Khoo had a Q&A session with Webcomics.com members that provided a unique look into the way he approaches webcomics business.  The opportunity to talk business with a man with his knowledge and experience is priceless.

Scott Kurtz, likewise, has spearheaded efforts to drive members forward in their creative endeavors, with several posts and workshop efforts in which he has critiqued the work being offered by members for review. His raw, no bullshit approach to coaching has been a crucial part of the success of the site.

Webcomics.com itself has consistently updated with new posts on the main site four-days-a-week with an Archive Dive on Fridays. The topics have covered business, technology, art, writing, long-form, short-form, and just about every aspect of webcartooning there is.

Oh, yeah... then there were the benefits.

• Transcontinental became the official offset printer of Webcomics.com, offering a 10% discount to all members. This alone has a potential savings of hundreds of dollars.
• Formz offered a 15% discount on convention displays.
• BannersNStands offered $79 off retractible banner stands.
• Reed Exhibitions offered 15% off special Webcomics Pavilion tables for their inaugural C2E2 show in Chicago.
• And more members-only benefits are on the way.

It's important to note that each one of these benefits had the potential to save members at least twice their subscription cost. In other words, members who availed themselves of any of these benefits saved enough money to cover their subscription cost and put some extra money in their pockets to boot.

In short, Webcomics.com has become a successful, thriving, supportive community of serious webcartoonists with tons of helpful advice and information as well as discounts and benefits.

It's not the right choice for everybody, but for some webcartoonists, it's very right.