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Messages - Gisele

#1
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on July 04, 2016, 01:20:31 AM
Quote from: Gisele on June 28, 2016, 10:10:36 PM
My issue was more about losing existing sales to Amazon. Current buyers might prefer to go to Amazon 'cause they can get free shipping and bundle it up with something else. If I get too many of those, I almost have to sell double what I do now to make up for it. If I don't sell double, I'm losing. Sure, I might get more sales, but that doesn't mean more money. In any case, like I said, I'm considering it. I'm just very slow at doing this 'cause, well, I do everything myself for the most part, and have a lot of the go. It's no surprise people like to use publishers to put out their work as they don't have to worry about this stuff, but when you get 10% of profits as a creator when using a publisher, you have to sell a whole lot of books, and I know that there are many creators out there who sell more books than I do but are poorer 'cause of the way the system works. But again, I may jump in once I feel it's safe hehe ;)

As a print publisher, I've heard that Image Comics has some kind of different system than I think almost any publisher uses. All of their books are creator-owned, which is why they seem to be releasing brand new titles almost every single month. While I'm not privvy to the exact details of how it works, I've been told that there's some sort of buy-in cost to the creators for start-up costs on launching a new title.

In effect, you the owner of the property are paying Image Comics as a "publishing service" for handling things like accounting, printing, advertising & promotion, editorial services, distribution. Once the book is launched, if it makes a certain minimum sales, then you the owner get a much larger percentage of the profit than would be the case with other publishers, but retain 100% ownership and control.

Just having the Image logo on a title and being under their aegis for solicitation purposes seems give a comic more notice and opportunity for serious consideration by potential readers in the current marketplace (ironic, I know, considering what they started out publishing, and in a few cases, still do). Not trying to sell anyone on the idea, because I don't know anyone who works there, but the concept sounds intriguing to me, if that situation as it exists is what I've been told it is.

I may eventually try Image for a project. Here are some interesting reads in that regard btw:
http://www.jimzub.com/the-reality-of-mainstream-creator-owned-comics/
http://www.jimzub.com/creator-owned-economics-the-changing-market/
#2
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on July 02, 2016, 05:32:40 AM
Quote from: Gisele on July 02, 2016, 04:00:49 AM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on July 02, 2016, 03:24:55 AM
Quote from: Gisele on July 02, 2016, 02:40:14 AM
Maybe they never felt they found the right team for it? Comics that feature music are not an easy sell in the States as they are in Europe and Japan, where they are liked and popular there. As a musician myself, my favorite comics that feature music are Beck (Mongolian Chop Squad) and Nana. Both are Japanese properties. Harold Sakuishi, who did Beck, REALLY did his research. I believe he was in bands too. The instruments look great, the stories are believable, AND it's FUNNY. Let's hope we get that with Josie.

Maybe it's because in a comic book, you can't hear the music. That's an inherently limiting factor of the medium, unless digital comics start including soundtracks (too expensive, I know). I've SEEN Jem and the Holograms in a comic book, but I haven't the foggiest idea what the band sounds like. Never saw the animated cartoon. With stuff like KISS, The Archies, and Josie and the Pussycats, I know what they sound like because I've heard the music, but just trying to imagine music that you've never heard before doesn't work. Thinking about it the other day, I wondered why ACP never published a comic book series about The Archies. Maybe that's why, although it doesn't explain why they didn't do it during the time period when the albums were being released. Maybe because they were already on television. The Josie animated cartoon didn't rely on music as much as adventures, and the original comic book tended to concentrate less on their life as a band than on just their day-to-day situations.

In regards to Nana and Beck, they eventually did an animation and a soundtrack for both (highly recommended.) Also, for Beck, they'd include music CDs with certain volumes. These would feature various indie bands in Japan. And it was appropriate since Beck was all about the struggles of making a band, keeping it together, and trying to make a living of it. Making a successful band is quite an accomplishment. In general, not everyone likes each other, but if there's a common goal, and everyone agrees to tolerate each other, they can make it work. And it's not always the best musicians that succeed. It's basically the ones that find the formula that works, and by that I mean, good music, but also people that can work together as a team even if they don't really like each other. It's a business after all at the end of the day. Just finding members is hard (harder if you want to do an all girl band.) It's easy to think "oh, you're a drummer and we need a drummer, let's be in the same band" but that's not how it works. Everyone has their own vision of what band they want to make. So everyone is clashing and have to make compromises for a band to succeed. If they can touch on this with Josie, it COULD be interesting even if you don't head music. We'll see!

Well, if they wanted to get a little crazy with their venture capital funding, ACP could try to start something that might eventually grow into a media phenomenon. Do what the Hanna-Barbera studio originally did, and create a band by hiring talented unknowns to play the roles of Josie, Melody, and Valerie, and hire proven songwriters to write the music. Make some music videos and put them up on YouTube and anywhere else willing to host them. Have the band appear at SDCC and other major comic cons. Offer a downloadable MP3 album to tie into the existing comic book, really try to get some attention and publicity, and maybe they could get some interest going in either a new animated show or a live action one. Maybe include a CD (or just some redemption code) with a trade paperback collection of J&TP.

I see what you're saying about the band experience and putting those kind of details in gives it verisimilitude and makes the characters seem more real to people. At the same time, it can't be about *just* the band experience, because then it seems like you're catering the comic specifically to the audience that can relate because they ARE in a band, have BEEN in a band, or would LIKE to be in a band. That kind of reader probably has her own musical soundtrack in her head as far as what kind of band they are, and what kind of music they're playing. It's a lot harder for the average, non-musician to supply that background soundtrack in her or his head, so it's not connecting as much with those readers. Fans of bands like KISS or The Ramones are going to buy a comic (assuming they read comics) with them in it, and fans of classic Archie will buy it because of that. But unless you're a BIG Archie fan, if you DON'T like the music of KISS or The Ramones, you'd be kind of resistant to buying it. For the people who aren't familiar with the band experience, they need some other stuff in there, probably some unrealistic comedy or fantasy or adventure elements. But it really helps if there's SOME kind of actual music that people can mentally connect to the comic book.

I never really heard of Beck* or Nana (well, not the Japanese manga ones, anyway), but I have the soundtrack (4 CDs) to the Cowboy Bebop anime by The Seatbelts. It's awesome.


* = '90s alternative artist known for "I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me"

I agree that it can't be all about the band experience. It's like watching a show set at the hospital, or at a police station, etc. It's more about the lives of these people. The hospital, the police station, or a stage is just a setting and helps create stories. The Japanese are good at this stuff when it comes to comics. They have comics on everything. Want to become a world famous cook? There's a comic on that, and even if you don't care to become a world famous cook, they make it so interesting to read, that anyone will enjoy it. I think this is roughly what needs to happen here with Josie.

I highly recommend Beck (Mongolian Chop Squad) and Nana. Whether it's via the manga or anime. Be aware going in that Nana is a josei (aimed at the working woman vs the teenage girl.) I know many men still enjoy it, so you still might like it. Beck is a shonen (for boys) but it's pretty mature, and not all about power-ups à la Dragon Ball.
#3
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on July 02, 2016, 03:24:55 AM
Quote from: Gisele on July 02, 2016, 02:40:14 AM
Maybe they never felt they found the right team for it? Comics that feature music are not an easy sell in the States as they are in Europe and Japan, where they are liked and popular there. As a musician myself, my favorite comics that feature music are Beck (Mongolian Chop Squad) and Nana. Both are Japanese properties. Harold Sakuishi, who did Beck, REALLY did his research. I believe he was in bands too. The instruments look great, the stories are believable, AND it's FUNNY. Let's hope we get that with Josie.

Maybe it's because in a comic book, you can't hear the music. That's an inherently limiting factor of the medium, unless digital comics start including soundtracks (too expensive, I know). I've SEEN Jem and the Holograms in a comic book, but I haven't the foggiest idea what the band sounds like. Never saw the animated cartoon. With stuff like KISS, The Archies, and Josie and the Pussycats, I know what they sound like because I've heard the music, but just trying to imagine music that you've never heard before doesn't work. Thinking about it the other day, I wondered why ACP never published a comic book series about The Archies. Maybe that's why, although it doesn't explain why they didn't do it during the time period when the albums were being released. Maybe because they were already on television. The Josie animated cartoon didn't rely on music as much as adventures, and the original comic book tended to concentrate less on their life as a band than on just their day-to-day situations.

In regards to Nana and Beck, they eventually did an animation and a soundtrack for both (highly recommended.) Also, for Beck, they'd include music CDs with certain volumes. These would feature various indie bands in Japan. And it was appropriate since Beck was all about the struggles of making a band, keeping it together, and trying to make a living of it. Making a successful band is quite an accomplishment. In general, not everyone likes each other, but if there's a common goal, and everyone agrees to tolerate each other, they can make it work. And it's not always the best musicians that succeed. It's basically the ones that find the formula that works, and by that I mean, good music, but also people that can work together as a team even if they don't really like each other. It's a business after all at the end of the day. Just finding members is hard (harder if you want to do an all girl band.) It's easy to think "oh, you're a drummer and we need a drummer, let's be in the same band" but that's not how it works. Everyone has their own vision of what band they want to make. So everyone is clashing and have to make compromises for a band to succeed. If they can touch on this with Josie, it COULD be interesting even if you don't head music. We'll see!
#4
Maybe they never felt they found the right team for it? Comics that feature music are not an easy sell in the States as they are in Europe and Japan, where they are liked and popular there. As a musician myself, my favorite comics that feature music are Beck (Mongolian Chop Squad) and Nana. Both are Japanese properties. Harold Sakuishi, who did Beck, REALLY did his research. I believe he was in bands too. The instruments look great, the stories are believable, AND it's FUNNY. Let's hope we get that with Josie.
#5
All About Archie / Re: Life With Kevin
June 28, 2016, 10:54:51 PM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 28, 2016, 10:37:20 PM
No, this was a conscious aesthetic choice.

Yup! Dan inspired himself from the Parker books by Darwyn Cooke. I like the results myself. :)
#6
My issue was more about losing existing sales to Amazon. Current buyers might prefer to go to Amazon 'cause they can get free shipping and bundle it up with something else. If I get too many of those, I almost have to sell double what I do now to make up for it. If I don't sell double, I'm losing. Sure, I might get more sales, but that doesn't mean more money. In any case, like I said, I'm considering it. I'm just very slow at doing this 'cause, well, I do everything myself for the most part, and have a lot of the go. It's no surprise people like to use publishers to put out their work as they don't have to worry about this stuff, but when you get 10% of profits as a creator when using a publisher, you have to sell a whole lot of books, and I know that there are many creators out there who sell more books than I do but are poorer 'cause of the way the system works. But again, I may jump in once I feel it's safe hehe ;)
#7
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 28, 2016, 03:34:03 PM
Of COURSE Amazon isn't doing this out of altruism. They have to make a profit. But the publisher's overhead is low compared to having to contract with a printer for a print run, which would be the case going through direct distribution with Diamond Comics. And of course, you have options as a seller. You can sell digital only, digital + POD (printed and shipped by Amazon), or digital plus print sales (Z-shops) from your existing print stock (shipped by the publisher, not Amazon).

There's no cost to put books on Amazon. You just lose roughly 70% of the sale! Use a publisher, and you're left with 10% of the sale!
I prefer to sell directly using big cartel/gumroad and keep most of the profits (so I can eat!)
I don't use print-on-demand 'cause I have enough books to sell right here in my basement.
We sell quite well in our store, and the Kickstarters do well.
Here's an example of a typical day when we're busy with our Kickstarter...
https://www.facebook.com/pixietrixcomix/photos/pb.1523482044584339.-2207520000.1467160989./1531220797143797/?type=3&theater

Then, well, with the Kickstarters, we offer a lot and get a lot made (dolls, books, plushies, you name it!):
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pixietrixcomix/menage-a-3-volume-6
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pixietrixcomix/menage-a-3-volume-7-and-more
Our store:
http://pixietrixcomixstore.bigcartel.com/

I think we'd do OK in the direct market, and I've had many chances to put our books in there, but it's been a conscious decision not to do so up to now. Like I said, I think we'll go in the direct market via omnibus editions but I may change my mind. I follow my gut as to what I think makes the most sense financially.

I've also watched others try to expand into other things like animation, and seen the trouble it brought. I'm not saying I won't, but it needs to feel right. In a sense, we're a little like Terry Moore with Strangers in Paradise. It did well for him, and he makes money from it still, but he never went much further with it. Doesn't mean he didn't want to (or won't in the future,) but if all offers that show up don't feel right, well, you know... you pass on them. Jeff Smith is pretty much the same way with Bone. These guys are direct market guys, but if they were younger, they might be doing exactly what I'm doing now. It's hard to say.
#8
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 27, 2016, 04:29:52 PM
Oh, no... I wasn't talking about comic shops, I was talking about... I don't know what you'd call it. The underground press? Alternative lifestyle magazines? Like you see in major urban areas, supported by a lot of advertising, priced cheaply, or sometimes given away for free (for the newspapers, anyway... the alternative lifestyle magazines usually have smaller circulations, but cater to a very specific demographic). I mean, all you need to do is look under Classified, and Singles, and you can see that these papers are liberal, tolerant, and broad-minded.

I can't believe you don't have these in the major Canadian cities (especially Montreal and Toronto, places like that). You know, film reviews, political articles, arts stuff, music, college and youth culture. Like the kind of papers that carried Matt Groening's LIFE IN HELL comic strip. Boston has The Boston Phoenix, but that's a lot tamer than it started out. I don't know that it carries comix or not. Not all of them do.

If you're waiting for a phone call, it probably won't happen because they don't know MA3 exists. I guess it would be up to you to scout out potential clients and send them samples, based on looking at the content of the newspaper or magazine, and whether it was a venue where your strip would fit. Even if they don't have a comix section per se, doesn't mean they might not be interested. I'd start by looking at what's being published in Montreal, and work outward from there. I mean, you could send out a dozen samples, or two dozen. Might never hear anything, or just a polite "can't use it at this time" letter. On the other hand, the phone MIGHT ring then, because at least you let them know you exist.

At its peak, Ma3 had roughly half a million unique readers a month with over 6 million pageviews a month. Like any comic that has lasted this long, there's a drop over time. The comic still does well, and the true fans support it by buying books and removing ad blocker when they visit the site. I'm pretty sure enough people know about it that some of these folks in papers would be aware of it. I remember this one indie paper in Montreal, when I lived there... no idea if it's still around. Even then, with Penny & Aggie, we did go into these and we never saw a penny from that. I mean, it might increase readership a little but money wise, I wouldn't expect much. Right now, I'm focusing on doing more conventions than I used to (which was nil) to try and grab more people there, and I've started to accept doing more mainstream gigs to attract people to my indie work. Again, this is to supplement what's already there like you say. I could try and put the effort of finding all these indie papers and sending out emails & all but that's more work for me, and really, I'm maxed in terms of what I can physically do in a day already.

Edit: I should clarify that in webcomics, only about 1% of the readership ends up buying books and supporting via buying stuff, etc. Soooo, even though readership is high, you only grab 1% to actually buy stuff. The rest of the money is made via eyeballs and ad revenue (with those who don't have ad blockers.)
#9
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 27, 2016, 04:00:31 PM
Wouldn't it just be an additional revenue stream? Something like self-syndication? I'd assume the the readership of these alternative papers or magazines has pretty much zero overlap with the people currently reading the webcomic or buying digital or print compilations. Not to say that some of those alternative paper or magazine readers couldn't then JOIN the existing group of webcomic/compilation readers. I just thought it would be another way of getting exposure to an audience that would like it, but wouldn't have necessarily gone looking for it in the first place, because they may never have heard of it yet.

Sorry, I was talking about comics publishers. We were never approached to be in papers. It would really have to be something super alternative to accept the more risqué content. I don't think we'd say no if we were approached. As for books in the direct market, we'll eventually get in there. More than likely with omnibus editions using a publisher who understands the direct market more than we do.
#10
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 27, 2016, 01:53:21 AM
Maybe it's time for you to reconsider shopping it around to various alternative press newspapers or magazines. According to Wikipedia:
Ménage à 3 is consistently rated in the top 50 webcomics on the internet and is one of the top 25 most read.

Surely those kind of statistics might cause an alternative press editor to give it some serious consideration for inclusion in their comix section? Congratulations are in order in any case -- it seems you really tapped into the current cultural zeitgeist with MA3.

We've had interest from a few publishers to publish Ma3 but we do pretty well self-publishing it, and we get to keep all profits. Maybe we'll go the traditional route for omnibus editions. :)
#11
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 06:15:09 AM
Here's a question. Was the format for the strip decided upon with an eye towards its potential as a feature for inclusion in various alternative newspapers? And has that actually happened?

I've always loved the newspaper strip format. If you look at all my projects, that's how they all started: Cool Cat Studio, Penny & Aggie, Menage a 3, even Eerie Cuties. Penny & Aggie was the only one that I REALLY tried to get in the newspapers, and we almost did with the Washington Post. Once that didn't happen, T Campbell and I decided to switch the comic to a full page format to do more complex storylines. Plus, it's what the readers wanted. After a while of that, I felt the need to draw gags again, and Menage a 3 was born. I knew going in that it would never be in newspapers, and I didn't care. I wanted to do something fun, and something where I didn't have to take myself seriously. Doing more absurd humor was something I had never really done, and here was my chance. I honestly didn't think it would catch on either but it did, and boy did it ever. It surpassed anything I had ever done in terms of readership and support from readers. I guess many were looking for something like Ma3 when it came out back in 2008. So to answer your question, no, we never thought Ma3 would be in newspapers, and we never tried to either. I did make a conscious decision at the very beginning that the strip would split in half so it would be easier to collect in a more standard format. I honestly fell in love with the format as it's very flexible.
#12
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 01:43:02 AM
They do rearrange the panels into a 4-panel 2x2 grid for each page (so I assume that the 4 same-sized panel format is an unbreakable rule for each strip).

The only rule we have is that the comic needs to split in half. We can do as many panels as we want in each half. PDFs are also available here https://gumroad.com/pixietrixcomix/ but you won't get the panel to panel guided view like comixology. I'm behind in sending stuff to comixology for them to add but all books will eventually be there.
#13
All About Archie / Re: Josie & the Pussycats reboot
June 20, 2016, 01:24:55 PM
There are 9 covers shown in this very thread.
#14
All About Archie / Re: Josie & the Pussycats reboot
June 19, 2016, 09:07:56 PM
Quote from: BettyReggie on June 19, 2016, 09:01:50 PM
I just hope we more than 6 covers to choose from. I hope by Wednesday we see more covers.

They've shown 9 up to now as far as I know. Maybe they'll do retailer exclusives.
#15
All About Archie / Re: Josie & the Pussycats reboot
June 19, 2016, 01:10:12 PM
Quote from: SAGG on June 19, 2016, 07:00:02 AM
I still can't quite believe I'm reading that Ruiz, Gisele, and several of the other current Classic Archie artists are no longer at Archie Comics. It still hasn't really hit me yet... :(

Technically, I'm still working freelance for Archie, and roughly with the same amount of work too. I never got more than a story or two a year from them (in some cases, I did have to pass on work too.) There was never that much work to go around in my regards even when there was more stories being told in the classic style.