A New Era Dawns
Okay. If you haven't read it yet, scroll down to the previous post, "End of an Era" and read it.
Everybody caught up? Good. Moving on.
The thing about the sawmill job was that is always a nice safety net. It was always there, my odds of getting fired were fairly slim, it paid the bills, and when I needed time off to go to a Convention, my boss/Dad was cool with it. Sure it was a crappy drone job, but it was safe. Also, I was working in the family business, which bears a certain false nobility with it. While I worked it, I didn't need to worry about whether or not the comic made money (which is good, cause it doesn't).
Now, the job that's always been there isn't there anymore. Which means I've gotta get a new drone job to pay the bills. And, to tell the truth, I don't want a new drone job. The loss of my job at the sawmill I've come to a sudden, vaguely scary realization: I'm sick of working crap jobs when I should be using my creative abilities to make money. So, that's my new goal. Within the next two or three years, I'm going to try to find a way to make money and survive using my skills/talents/creativity. Here's some ideas I've got. If anyone has any tips, suggestions, or whatever, then please feel free to e-mail me or drop a comment on the blog.
1) Publish more comics per year. Pros: Less wait between issues for my handful of readers. More stuff to sell at Cons. If I can build up a big enough fan base, I'd be making more money. Cons: Not sure if I can meet an increased workload. Printing is expencive. Fear of stagnation. Only so much room in my house to store back issues.
2) Attend more Conventions per year. Pros: Most of my money comes from Conventions. Good place to continue building my fanbase. Good excuse to get out of the house. Cons: Cons cost money (table, food, hotel, promo materials). Some Cons yeild decent paydays, some don't.
3) Get My Comic into Indy Friendly Comic Shops. If anyone out there has a local comic shop that they think would be receptive to stocking SDF, Please E-mail me! Pros: Possible source of new readers. Cons: Good luck making any money. Finding places that'll stock SDF is easier said than done.
4) Commisioned Work/Freelance Art Jobs. Pros: Might make some extra money. Cons: Jobs will probably be few and far between. Having to draw stuff I don't wanna draw.
5) Merchandise. I'm thinking about starting up a side website where I can sell T-shirts of my own design (TORCverse and non-related), as well as other stuff, like original artwork and other nicknacks. Pros: Might make some extra money. Might expose people that wouldn't normally be exposed to my work. Cons: Websites cost money. T-shirts cost money. Not sure how to promote something like that.
6) Write a Novel. Pro: Potentially lucrative payday. Coming with ideas is a cakewalk. Cons: Writing a novel takes a lotta time. Good luck getting published.
Anyway, those are my early ideas. Well, I'm off to hunt for a job until I figure out how to make this crap work.
Everybody caught up? Good. Moving on.
The thing about the sawmill job was that is always a nice safety net. It was always there, my odds of getting fired were fairly slim, it paid the bills, and when I needed time off to go to a Convention, my boss/Dad was cool with it. Sure it was a crappy drone job, but it was safe. Also, I was working in the family business, which bears a certain false nobility with it. While I worked it, I didn't need to worry about whether or not the comic made money (which is good, cause it doesn't).
Now, the job that's always been there isn't there anymore. Which means I've gotta get a new drone job to pay the bills. And, to tell the truth, I don't want a new drone job. The loss of my job at the sawmill I've come to a sudden, vaguely scary realization: I'm sick of working crap jobs when I should be using my creative abilities to make money. So, that's my new goal. Within the next two or three years, I'm going to try to find a way to make money and survive using my skills/talents/creativity. Here's some ideas I've got. If anyone has any tips, suggestions, or whatever, then please feel free to e-mail me or drop a comment on the blog.
1) Publish more comics per year. Pros: Less wait between issues for my handful of readers. More stuff to sell at Cons. If I can build up a big enough fan base, I'd be making more money. Cons: Not sure if I can meet an increased workload. Printing is expencive. Fear of stagnation. Only so much room in my house to store back issues.
2) Attend more Conventions per year. Pros: Most of my money comes from Conventions. Good place to continue building my fanbase. Good excuse to get out of the house. Cons: Cons cost money (table, food, hotel, promo materials). Some Cons yeild decent paydays, some don't.
3) Get My Comic into Indy Friendly Comic Shops. If anyone out there has a local comic shop that they think would be receptive to stocking SDF, Please E-mail me! Pros: Possible source of new readers. Cons: Good luck making any money. Finding places that'll stock SDF is easier said than done.
4) Commisioned Work/Freelance Art Jobs. Pros: Might make some extra money. Cons: Jobs will probably be few and far between. Having to draw stuff I don't wanna draw.
5) Merchandise. I'm thinking about starting up a side website where I can sell T-shirts of my own design (TORCverse and non-related), as well as other stuff, like original artwork and other nicknacks. Pros: Might make some extra money. Might expose people that wouldn't normally be exposed to my work. Cons: Websites cost money. T-shirts cost money. Not sure how to promote something like that.
6) Write a Novel. Pro: Potentially lucrative payday. Coming with ideas is a cakewalk. Cons: Writing a novel takes a lotta time. Good luck getting published.
Anyway, those are my early ideas. Well, I'm off to hunt for a job until I figure out how to make this crap work.
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