Welcome New Subscribers!

We've had a healthy influx of new subscribers in the past few weeks, and it occurred to me that it would be good to post a few "this is how the site works" stuff that I can bump up from time to time. Please feel free to add to it for the newcomers. But -- to keep this as a useful archive for the future -- I'd appreciate it if you'd shoot any questions to me using the Contact link above.

Site Posts

Official site posts will appear in this spot. You will see a brief synopsis before you sign in. After you sign in, you should be whisked to the member area in which you can read the full posts. (If for some reason, this doesn't happen, please click "Home" above the Webcomics.com logo.)

There will usually be at least one new site post a day (including a Friday Archive Dive). Some weeks, there will be more than one per day.

Site posts are archived three ways:

• Hit the Search button above the logo and type in a keyword pertaining to the topic you're interested in.
• Click on Article Categories above the Webcomics.com logo for a list of subcategories. These are topics we cover very often around here. Clicking on a subcategory takes you to a listing of all of the site posts under that category.
• Click on Index above the Webcomics.com logo for a full listing of topics, subcategories, tags, and anything else I could think of to throw in.

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Scott Kurtz: Improving Your Art

In Robert's first article on the webcomics business model, he bent a couple noses out of shape. Many of you felt stuck inside or below "the base" of his model.

"The opportunity for the base is something I have the least expertise in, but my advice nonetheless would be to not focus on the business and focus on getting readers. I'm by no means a creative type, so I sadly can't help you much on how to grow your fan base (my skills come in handy when you already have them), I just know that's what you should be doing. This stage in your lifecycle is where your skills and talents are most critical. Again, listen to guys like Brad and Scott." — Robert Khoo

The problem

Before I started this article, I started looking at your comics. Not reading them in depth -- just skimming them. Checking them out. Seeing if any of them interested me, and trying to get an idea of where the majority of you stand when it comes to first impressions.

For those of you in or below the base, getting new readers is fundimental, and you can't get new readers if your work doesn't seem appealing.

Some of the things I was looking for while checking out your comics were:

1. Style: Your finishing touches and details that ad up to what will hopefully be your unique voice. It's also a map of your influences.
2. Fundamental drawing abilities: Perspective, modeling, anatomy, etc.
3. Shortcuts: When faced with a limitation of your artistic knowledge, are you taking shortcuts?

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Reddit vs the Top-XX Sites

I've posted before how much I dislike those sites that ask you to link to them under the auspices of counting votes that move your banner ad towards the top of some sort of list. I call them "Top-XX List" sites. So when the following question was asked in the Private Forum, I decided that it really deserved a complete answer beyond, "because it works, that's why!"

I understand the arguments against Top-XX sites. I just don't understand how those arguments don't also apply to Reddit/Stumble/Buzz/etc.

The answer requires a discussion of social-networking sites and how the concept applies to sites like Reddit, StumbleUpon, Buzz, etc.

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What's in your (con) wallet?

A while back, Penny Arcade's Robert Khoo suggested a terrific rule-of-thumb for estimating the amount of change you'll need at a comic convention. In a nutshell, it suggested bringing 4-5% of your projected sales in ones and fives.

Of course, if the bank you use doesn't have a branch in the town the convention is in, this can be tricky. And even if it does, it's just one more thing to try to figure out in a strange city.

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Friday Archive Dive: Writer's Block is a Myth

This post from Aug. 25, 2009, titled "Writer's Block is a Myth," sparked a heated debate -- and a spirited exchange between Scott Kurtz and me that we recorded as a podcast. Against, my better judgement, here it is again...

How often are we presented with the image of tortured creative souls, staring plaintively at a the tools of their craft, unable to make the slightest move because of "writer's block."

Writer's block is a myth.

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