"If It All Falls Down"

From the Private Forum:

Don't know if anyone's posted this yet, but Jeph has written a decent article on starting a webcomic called SO YOU WANT TO START A WEBCOMIC.

Along with the usual tips we've come to be acquainted with, he says something very interesting:

"Success in webcomics is a combination of timing, skill, appeal, and luck. Luck is probably the most important of the four. I’m certainly well-aware of how stupendously, profoundly lucky I have been."

 This got me thinking: has all the success we've seen in webcomics really been a fluke? We know that 99% of the webcomics out there aren't "successful" by PvP standards (ie, supporting yourself by doing this). And we know that many of the "big" guys got started at just the right time (late 90's), with conditions that cannot be reproduced.

So... what if it all falls down?

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Webcomics.com discount: Retractable banners

Webcomics.com members are eligible for a special discount on 36"W x 79"H  retractable banners at BannersNStands.com.

They will give you the banner for free, charging you only for the printing of the banner and the shipping.

The retail price of the banner stand, including printing, is $208. With the special, members-only discount, the total is $129 (plus shipping).

That's a savings of $79... which is a 100% return on your subscription fee PLUS almost $50 more.

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Washington Post's "America's Next Great Cartoonist" Contest announces new terms and conditions

The "America's Next Great Cartoonist" contest sponsored by the Washington Post originally featured some terms and conditions that many -- including Webcomics.com and the Ethics Committee of the National Cartoonists Society -- found troubling. They have updated their legal agreement to address many, if not all, of those concerns.

You should take some time to read over the entire rules if you're considering entering this contest. We'll look at a few key changes.

Prize money

First off, the Post has attached a $1,000 grand prize to the contest. This is in addition to the former prize which consisted of having the winning strip run the the Post's Style section for four weeks.

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Friday Archive Dive: Charity Begins at Home(page)

Accepting donations on your site is a fairly well-accepted practice for most cartoonists. But if you're going to ask for money, many people argue, why not offer something in return? It stands to reason that this is not only polite, but it would increase the total number of donations. Offering a downloadable desktop wallpaper is an awesome way to encourage donations. The wallpaper itself is merely a JPEG that users will download and install on their computers. Plus, it's a nice bit of promotion for your site. Luckily, PayPal makes this extremely easy. (1) Set up a Donation button. (It's found under the Merchant Services tab.)

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Webcomics Weekly LIVE! at C2E2

Join Kris Straub, Scott Kurtz and Brad Guigar in a live presentation of their popular Webcomics Weekly podcast. This one went extra innings, so it's in two parts.

Webcomics Weekly LIVE! at C2E2 Part One from Brad Guigar on Vimeo.

Webcomics Weekly LIVE! at C2E2 Part Two from Brad Guigar on Vimeo.