Transcontinental deal for webcomics.com members!

[ran]

I find it oddly ironic that someone who is adamant that handshakes must be given out or, dear god no, people will be offended is totally okay with being known as a dick to other creators.

When I was in college for animation, the first thing that we were told was to watch what we say about and to other people in the business, even at college level. You never know--that guy you called a hack might be best buddies with the guy who does your next job interview, or the person you secretly tell about what you really think about someone else in the business might decide that you're two faced and cease networking with you, or not recommend you if you seem really arrogant.

A lot of people don't feel the need to censor themselves on the internet, and that's fine...if you're a 12-year-old 4channer who uses the internet to troll and have fun. But if you're trying to cultivate a business or a network online, it's in your best interest to act professional. And if that means rereading your posts and thinking to yourself "someone might construe that I am attacking them, perhaps this can be slightly reworded," then take the extra five minutes to rework it.

I am not the only person who feels this way, and if things that other people have said to me about you are any indication, I am also not the only person who has actually said anything to you about it. Let me be clear: I am trying to help you, but my patience is wearing thin. You are not being controversial for the sake of discussion--you're being unnecessarily rude--the way you handled that fiasco at Webcomic Builder really hit that point home for me, so if you can't reign yourself in a little for the sake of your business and professional reputation, then I have no interest in sticking around to watch this train wreck. I'm not the only one considering leaving, either.

Stew on that for a bit before you respond--I am outright telling you that your attitude is driving down interest in your site, and people I have spoken to are quickly adopting a 'yeah, I'm going to keep away from him. He's abrasive and off-putting' attitude toward you and this community, and possibly your comic when it relaunches. You are hurting your chances of making this website what you set out to make by talking to and about people the way that you do. So, if you care, at all, about your community, you'll consider what people, not just me, are telling you.

[Gibson]

I'm going to jump in and suggest that anything else said between you two on this should probably be said in private. It looks like you both have a lot to say, possibly even things worth saying, but I don't think it's laundry that needs to be aired. Not trying to police, just a word of advice. Ignore it as you like.

I don't have any problem at all paying for things that are worth it...and even sometimes things that aren't worth it. It's a relief to know that I had the wrong impression, that seemed horrifying. The way you worded it, that you'd paid to have that information, made it seem like you'd paid specifically for that site. I'm not really sure why you wouldn't share information that you have to become a member of that site to use, though. With webcomics.com, I suppose I really have no idea what about it is worth the investment of money and time. What I've seen of it, which is admittedly little, hasn't amounted to much more than navel-gazing and opinions about the media, not as much the resource. I won't deny being skeptical that it wouldn't be simply more of the same kind of half-effort advice that I've seen and heard in other places and a handful of links. Most people I've spoken to that were members of webcomics.com were infuriated that it went behind a pay wall, and I believe you're the only person I know outside of this community who is still active there. I'm not saying it isn't worth it, just that my perception makes me leery of it.

[TTallan]

Er... well, to swing this back round to the original topic...

I did shop around, and Transcontinental won my business. Partly this was due to the fact that they are in Canada-- cross border shipping is worse going the other way, let me tell you-- but they might have plants in the States that would address that border issue for those of you in the US. (Not completely sure about that.) This was also partly due to their customer service. I contacted André Martin and told him what I wanted, and explained that although I had an idea of what paper I wanted the book to be printed on I didn't really know the lingo well enough to say, "Yes, 70lb uncoated Husky brand sounds right." So he shipped out to me some sample graphic novels so I could look and feel... and also see the quality of their printing. They were very patient with me and explained what everything meant. It was no problem at all to get a quote (for free!). And also, their rates beat out Quebecor (my previous printer). I admit, the glowing testimonials from so many other webcomickers helped.

Which is not to say you shouldn't shop around your local printers. Do that, absolutely. But it helps to know that Transcon is a good choice.

Oh, and I just missed the webcomics.com deal. Argh. I'll happily take advantage of it when the time comes to print volume 2, though. Books arrived at my house last week (see 'em here!). To give you an idea of cost (I didn't post this on webcomics.com so I'm not worried about giving away any members-only info, not that I would be particularly worried about that anyway), I printed 2000 copies of a 144pg b/w interior book, and my unit costs were $1.92. Canadian dollars (but we're more or less at par now, so it's all the same). My costs were slightly higher because I opted for some extra bells and whistles, the gold foil and embossing.

Webcomics.com.... I was annoyed at first about the paywall, but eventually decided it wouldn't hurt to give it a try for a year, and then not renew if I didn't think it was worth it. So far... well, Brad certainly puts a lot of effort into it. I like the community. I like the community here, too.  :) Topics seem to be very webcomics-focused there, as opposed to the other forums I visit where discussions range into all kinds of interesting things. It's different, not better or worse. If I weren't already a member, I would say the Transcon deal would definitely pull me in.

[Rob]

Tara they're beautiful. The matte finish I think really works well with your art and coloration. Are the inside pages also matte or did you go with gloss?

And so cheap. I'm surprised you aren't charging more for those beautiful books. I bet they fly off your table at your next con.  ;)

[ran]

I'm going to jump in and suggest that anything else said between you two on this should probably be said in private. It looks like you both have a lot to say, possibly even things worth saying, but I don't think it's laundry that needs to be aired. Not trying to police, just a word of advice. Ignore it as you like.

Of course, you're absolutely right. My apologies for going as off topic as I did.

I don't have any problem at all paying for things that are worth it...and even sometimes things that aren't worth it. It's a relief to know that I had the wrong impression, that seemed horrifying. The way you worded it, that you'd paid to have that information, made it seem like you'd paid specifically for that site. I'm not really sure why you wouldn't share information that you have to become a member of that site to use, though. With webcomics.com, I suppose I really have no idea what about it is worth the investment of money and time. What I've seen of it, which is admittedly little, hasn't amounted to much more than navel-gazing and opinions about the media, not as much the resource. I won't deny being skeptical that it wouldn't be simply more of the same kind of half-effort advice that I've seen and heard in other places and a handful of links. Most people I've spoken to that were members of webcomics.com were infuriated that it went behind a pay wall, and I believe you're the only person I know outside of this community who is still active there. I'm not saying it isn't worth it, just that my perception makes me leery of it.

I meant it in the sense that if I had to pay to have access to this discount and all of the extra info in that thread, then other people can pay for it if they want to see it. It's like renting a video and then lending it to someone else when they can go rent it for cheap on their own time.

In terms of resources, what are you looking for? So far, this is what they're offering:

- A series of art workshops. The community has received it rather well and there are a lot of really great artists willing to do redline's on top of sumbissions and offer tips and corrections and suggestions.
- Detailed tutorials on how to make some sweet and cheap merchandising (ex: there was an tutorial/plugin on papercraft dolls recently that piqued my interest)
- Some tutorials on CG shading techniques, word balloon aesthetics and placement, hand lettering, designing effective ads, creating old-timey print comic effects, improving your web design and more.
- articles on editing tips, punctuation issues, common grammar mistakes and links to outside resources that may provide thought and inspiration for others.
- The dish on various conventions, table prices, experiences, etc.
- A series of articles from Robert Khoo, the marketing genius behind Penny Arcade
- Articles on setting prices, recommendations for and against new and old services as advertising tools, setting up ad chains, and more.
- They have a classifieds section
- They have a private forum.
- They've offered quite a few discounts with companies so far, and they seem to have more planned
- The community is huge, extremely active and only people who were willing to pay are there, which means that most of them are taking this pretty seriously. Almost everyone is friendly and helpful.
- There is a new article every week day except Fridays, which are the 'archive dive' where they bring up articles from the archive that might be particularly relevant at that time, or old enough that new members might not have read them.

And even with this long list, I'm not really doing it justice. It seemed right up your alley.

While you still hear some people bitch about the paywall, there are over 300 paid members, and even people who were skeptical at first seem to have come around, myself included. Hell, I'm pretty sure (EDIT: Definitely sure. I somehow forgot that Tara is also a member) that I'm not even the only member on this forum that is also a member there. There's nothing wrong with being a part of multiple communities, but I'd be hard pressed not to recommend it to people. It's been pretty damn useful for me, at least.

EDIT: Tara, those look so awesome! Are you going to Anime North in May? I want to buy one and get it signed if you are!

[Gibson]

I'm still leery, but my mind is open. My concern is less about what they offer, but how helpful what they offer is. A few dollars off on printing is cool, and probably worth the money, I suppose. I was ranting in another thread about this, but I've had better and more useful advice in recent months from folks in the print comics biz than from folks in the webcomics biz. Maybe I just have a bad taste in my mouth about this sort of thing at the moment. Probably that.

[TTallan]

@Rob and Ran (geez, put those two names together and it sounds like I've committed a crime...): thanks!

The inside pages are matte, but with a nice weight. I'm not a big fan of glossy, either inside or out. I guess I could charge more, but it's nice not to need to. I've maintained a comfortable profit margin.

@Gibson: I'll admit, not all of what they have to say is especially helpful to me. Khoo's articles so far haven't really been of much use, because he speaks to such a broad marketing picture. Kurtz hasn't contributed very much, other than offer a few rallying cries which have certainly been inspirational to many of the members. (Guigar is the workhorse behind the site, and I am still in awe of how much he can accomplish, given his job, his daily comic, his other comic, his blog, and I don't even know what else.) But there have been a few nuggets in the past few months that have been very worthwhile (particularly useful has been the easy-to-reference list of comic cons with stats and various opinions from the members who've attended them in the past). Can you find all this information elsewhere? Probably, but it's nice to have it all easily accessible and in one place. For me, it's really the community that has value. Same reason I hang out here.  ;)

[Gar]

Those books are really nice Tara. Good job on the cover layout, the gold lettering on the starfield and the circular detail really sell it as kind of a classic space-opera (which I'm assuming is what you were going for). Matte finish was a good choice too.