We need to as Creators learn how to better support fellow creators. We have no real Network nor Big Tent to all be under. We hope to fill that Void at Written Sins but if someone else does we will through all our support to them and help however we can. Allow me a few minutes to share my idea for the Big Indie Tent.
The Idea of what a Tent is. Basically its a Company or Publishers Brand Renegotiation. If you are buying a DC comic for example you are buying a title under that company but as well people feel a connection to the Name DC it self and are often more likely to try something NEW based on it being DC. The Indie mark is missing this. In-fact the indie market is often looked at those who haven’t made it or Worse not good enough.
Thank GOD that is changing and rapidly but as it change we are suffering growing pains. The indie comic scene is in fact becoming a brand with out anyone being in control of it. Indie comics are cool now and thanks to Kickstarter Easy to make, maybe to easy at times. This means the market is saturated with all these comics and there isn’t enough money to buy them all. See the last sentence? Its Bullshit! When it comes to something Created it is never about what has been made or its competition it is about quality and fan base. Do people like it and tell other about it. So this idea that other comic creator are you competition is bullshit as well. In fact they are helping make your tent bigger. Because if you are an indie Creator you are both sharing the same tent. That means you are partners, not in profit but in brand. Yeah Thats RIGHT all indie Creators are under the indie Tent! So next time you feel like you need to compete with someone compete with yourself instead. Do something better, create something new and Build a bigger audience.
See Marvel has 20 plus titles, and none of those titles are competing with each others. Fans know what they want, and while a cross over helps sales it wont make a Fan stop buying something because it does not ever cross over. This means If you create something Good it will Draw the fans. And Remember EVEN BATMAN was almost cancelled. They had to improve Batman it wasn’t that Batman’s competition was to great it was that the product wasn’t want the fans wanted.
A Fan knows what they like and while yes sometimes you can convert someone who wont think they like it to a fan more than likely you need to understand your fan base. Do you have something that is a marketable idea? I know some creators think there idea is new and get upset when they see something similar but its a waste of time. Build a better mouse trap. Meaning make your stories GREAT. Here is some very honest truth, Most of Indie Comic out there arent good enough for commercial success. As indie Creators we skip steps. We set up way to early and we have a table to sell an idea. I have walked the tables all over the East Coast and over 1/22 of the people I meet arent ready. There products are rushed. They are to eager to break in they arent really looking at what they are selling.
Here is the Best Advice I can give you, Expect NEVER to make money off off you comics unless you TREAT them as something worth buying. I see people try to charge 15 bucks for a 18 page comic. Would you buy that? Forget how Brilliant it is would you spend a Dollar Per Page on someones comic? TO many of you are to interested in making money. Yeah I get money is better than god its needed but when it comes to Comics Fans a look for a break from reality, A vacation from the insanity of reality is what they seek. This means a Comic they will enjoy. They don’t care how you could not afford and artist. They don’t care you don not think you need an editor. They don’t Care how great the idea is 10 issues from now where it all makes sense. That comic Book is a ticket to a vacation and if its not a good vacation they wont be back and worse if the comic looks like the bates hotel they will run away.
SO STOP WORRYING ABOUT OTHER CREATORS> WORRY ABOUT YOUR CREATIONS. Focus on Making the best Product you can while support your fellow indie creators. When you see things you are a fan of share it. When you love an idea be jealous it isn’t yours and tell the creator how impressed you are. Build other people up and give honest feed back, not mean but honest feed back. While your doing this you are build the Indie brand. A brand where the Creators support each other and show passion. Because that what Indie has over Marvel and DC passion. WE get to work on our titles for longer time periods. We do not have the same over heard and we do not have to worry about the amount of issue we sell weekly to be profitable. We have to worry about Quality. If the indie Comic Tent is built on support and Quality than it will become bigger then the Marvel and DC tents very Quickly.
Support each other and Build the Brand and one Day that Brand will help you. Wee are in this together and we can soar together. Ripping others down will only hold you back. If someone story is like yours and your worried that means you know it could be better. GO make it better. If you see a shity comic or Kickstarter online do not bash just don’t support it.
As someone with two Comic Book boxes full of indie comics I will tell you some of them where money poorly spent. They might have gotten me to buy it once but now I would never be a fan. Thats how to handle the bad let the fans weed them out. Trust me FANS are the only ones who get to deiced. When you let others make judgements from a far bad things happen like Fire Fly getting cancelled. DOnt worry about others Quality worry about your own. Let the Fans be the Judges that’s their job.
Finally and very importantly if you feel part of something it will inspire you. If you support others they will support you. If you truly embrace the Indie Tent as your own and treat that way other will respect you. If we do this together we can mold the future. The fans want to support us all that want is to know that we support each other and believe in each other. We need to make suggestions of others creations, we need to have friends in the indie market we can talk to we need to be part of this movement, cause all those fans who arent buying comic because they are bored are out there waiting for the indie tent to show them its ok to come back because we have the vacations form reality you have been waiting for.