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Webcomics As Business Model

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the making-money-with-the-funnies dept.

oddjobs writes "It's not the most groundbreaking article, but the Chicago Tribune does a pretty good job of looking at the state of webcomics-as-business-model. They mention the usual suspects (Marvel, McCloud) but most hopeful is Unbound Comics, which is selling comics collected in Adobe's e-book format. Fans of the 80s book Dalgoda take note."

5 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. They're missing it by KjetilK · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The general idea is to charge readers a few cents for every page they view, or as McCloud put it, to charge "for initial travel through the gate," with the ultimate goal being a subscription.

    Comics is exactly the kind of thing I would use micropayments for. I would never consider a subscription. If they try to fool me into making a subscription, they will loose me. It's as simple as that.

    "Web users are not wanting to pay for what they're already getting for free," warned Strazewski.

    I wouldn't be so sure about that either. I would gladly pay for good, accessible products, that doesn't infringe on my privacy, take away my fair use rights, doesn't try to abuse my trust in any way, and make available a convientent method for making payments.

    Right now, that doesn't exist, and it seems the industry isn't going to make it happen. All the industry care about it making offers that sucks, infringe on my privacy, take away my fair use rights, and abuse my trust in every way. In addition, they all stand behind their little sand castles shouting at each other trying to make different ways of making payments that are not going to work. Instead, they should come together and agree on common, open standards.

    --
    Employee of Inrupt, Project Release Manager and Community Manager for Solid
  2. Penny Arcade's take by L-Train8 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Penny Arcade had a comic on Scott McCloud's take on micropayment systems. Basically they said micropayments are a nice idea, but they don't work now, and that's when artists need them. Bandwidth isn't free, and most sites don't sell enough merchandise to make a profit. So now, it is confined mainly to people who have a passion about it or people for whom it is just a hobby.

    --

    Don't forget that Friday is Hawaiian shirt day.
  3. Re:Merchandising... by Dr.+Awktagon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Before people start asking, we will NOT be asking for donations or having a paypal donation button

    I don't get these comments, it costs them money but they don't ask for any, or they ask people to buy tchotchkes which are secondary to the actual comic product.

    Why not add a PayPal button? Is it some kind of pride or something, that people might think they are begging? They don't seem to have a problem with banner ads.

    The internet makes it possible for you to say "you can pay if you want, and if you don't that's okay too". Public radio has been working like this for while, why not use the model on the internet?

    I don't read any online comics but there are some free things like TidBITS and heroic stories for which I have gotten into the habit of pay $10-20/yr for as if it was a paper subscription (hell I've read Tidbits since freakin' high school and I feel like I owe them a lot). I'd be willing to pay for stuff like /. too, I pay for stuff that adds value to my life, and I don't care if other people don't pay.

  4. Re:Look at it this way... by JamesOfTheDesert · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The basic assumption everyone is making is that cooks should get paid. Maybe that's totally wrong ... Cooking is much more pure without money anyway.

    What makes you think art is, or should be, special? It's just another human activity that can be done for pleasure, or for money, or on a dare, or for any number of reasons.

    Being hungry or cold or generally impovished does not make you a better artist, just a hungry, cold, impovished one. If someone wants to produce art, and finds a way to get paid for it, great. Art is not here to make everyone happy.

    --

    Java is the blue pill
    Choose the red pill
  5. Re:Webcomics business?? by drakee · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Honestly, I think that is one of the things that makes web cartoons better than print-only comics: They aren't controlled by money.

    Syndicated cartoonists must adhere to some pretty strict guidelines. Their comics are printed in mainstream newspapers, where using the word "gosh" will get you angry letters from blue-haired grannies all around the country.

    Web comics are created under no such restrictions. Anything is fair game- mainstream demographics be damned! As a result, the average webcomic is much more interesting and daring (if much less polished looking) than say, Marmaduke or the Family Circus.

    Anyone can create a web comic- there is even a webhost, keenspace, which will host anyone's comic for free.

    Art can only thrive and evolve when there are artists out there who do it purely for the sake of art. If you do it for the money, you aren't so much an artist, you are an entertainer (which isn't to say that you can't make an entertaining comic).

    Drake Emko
    hackles.org (nerdy animal fun!)