The Game Has Changed

The comic book industry is no longer relegated to the methods used by giants backed by mega corporations or their slightly smaller counterparts of the mainstream. We are in an era in which truly independent comic book creation is not only possible, but it’s booming. With a host of crowdfunding hosting platforms and many creators even opting to build out their own websites, the independent comic scene is a brave new frontier of nigh-endless potential. You’ve got a concept, taught yourself to script a comic book or graphic novel, and picked out your desired line work artist (maybe you even have a few sample pages prepared), and you’ve hit that “GO LIVE” button on your crowdfunding platform of choice! But what now? How do you get the word out about your project?

You need an audience to sell to, simple as. You could have a genuine banger of an idea with the story and art to match, but if no one knows about your project, it will ultimately fail. So, what do you do? Being hosted on the streaming channel or shouted out by a larger and more established creator whom you caught the eye of certainly can help, but you know what they say about eggs and baskets, and the more autonomy you have over your success, the better—that is true independence. While success is never guaranteed, there are some things that are within your control that should be considered Must-Dos to set yourself up with a higher likelihood of success.

Browsability

Crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and FundMyComic have a number of tools available to you to spruce up your campaign page, but as tempting as it may be to pull a Michael Keaton Batman and go nuts, you want to keep in mind that your selection of products should be easy to peruse for your average Joe who is a potential customer and future fan. In the same vein, when putting together the various item offerings on your campaign, be mindful that sometimes less is more. If you’re offering variant covers from different artists, limited editions with a special foil or metallic treatment, or any number of non-book merchandise items, you want clear descriptions and to make them easily browsed by your audience. If your potential customers are getting either confused or frustrated while perusing your wares, the likelihood of them adding anything to their cart drastically goes down.

Getting Eyes

The best comic book idea and well-put-together crowdfunding campaign page mean little if no one knows about your project. It doesn’t take a marketing degree to get eyes on your project; however, understanding markets and, more specifically, demographics is a tool that will set you up for greater chances of success, and we should all want to be GREAT!

Who is your project aimed at? Just saying, “It’s a comic book, so my target demographic is comic book readers,” isn’t good enough—not nearly. Comic book fans come in all forms and tastes. Some readers prefer the more grounded, street-level characters who aren’t afraid to crack some skulls. Some fans focus on the haunting and prefer dark, gruesome horror stories and imagery. And others still gravitate towards the more classic superhero tales. Naturally, there are far more genres and subgenres that exist within comics, but no matter which your project falls under, that’s the demographic you want to target. Social media has (in some ways) made this easier than ever to accomplish, as there is no shortage of X Communities, Facebook Groups, and Reddit threads dedicated to any one of these, and you should utilize as many of them as you’re comfortable with, as many people prefer one social media platform over another. This will ensure greater saturation of your project in terms of visibility. Be sure to find ones that won’t ban or boot you just for differing views as well.

Eye-Catching

Comics are a visual medium, and while no indie crowdfunding creator has access to the marketing resources that some of the larger mainstream publishers have, that doesn’t mean you can create some eye-catching visuals for social media or YouTube Community Wall posts. Get with your artist if you’re a writer (or make them yourself if you’re an artist) and create some 1×1 dimensional graphics to advertise your project in fun and hype-generating ways. You could do single-character illustrations, mini-bios for characters in your project, or even simplified mini-strips that your potential audience can have fun with. Be thinking about the tone of your project and the sorts of things that your target demographic gravitates towards.