Thanks for sharing your discount bin finds! I always get a kick out of seeing what curiosities and ultra-specific things people pick up on a whim.
Your thoughts on how you're working through the conundrum of con signings is fascinating and I'm curious to see where you land with it.
What I found most interesting about this post was the observation that average writing page rates haven't budged in 20 years. That is insane. And sad. I think everyone understands and accepts that writing rates have always been low, and very few people are able to make a full-time living as comic book writers (and those that do are writing several books a month). But it sounds like these days that's gone from "very few" to "basically nobody out there" can make a living as a full-time comic book writer. It sounds like for almost everyone it's something they dip into every now and then while making their real income in other ways.
I'd be interested in more behind-the-scenes business observations like the above - what else has changed, in your view, over the last twenty years? What's better, and what's worse? You've listed some examples above, and I'd love to read about more nitty gritty, hyper-specific stuff.
And you're right on the money about readership shifting from an audience of consumers to what is basically a parasocial community. It seems there are both pros and cons. As a pro, it's amazing that fans are more adamant about following creators whereever they go. As a con, what happens if you are a writer who just wants to write, and you don't want to also be a salesperson?
Another great installment. Really interesting that so many people were curious about the change for you in regard to con and signing experiences. I often wonder about the attention of fans. We can talk more about it at SDCC I hope, but for me your talent level hasn't changed at all, you are just as talented now as prior to Abs GA, but now the line is long. There are so many creators I know that I feel fans are missing out on. Incredible work that not enough people are reading or acknowledging. Now is the time fellow fans! Discover those creators so you can connect with them *before* the long lines, that while well-earned, mean you can spend less time talking to a talented creator.
Curious about your thoughts on this. I always love to hear you perspective having started in the editorial space. Anyway, see you in San Deigo soon!
Fascinating to hear about how intense your signing experience has changed. I'm only at the beginning of my professional career and have just started getting invited to cons. So far, I've been treating it exclusively as a networking opportunity. My costs are covered, but I'm not getting paid or charging for anything. So the section on offsetting low page rates with these appearances is really interesting. Would love to hear more of how your approach to these events is changing as con season continues, and what solution you end up settling on!
I'm really glad you're doing these recaps. It was a pleasure to get to meet you at HeroesCon. As a person on the other side of the table there's also a nervousness of not wanting to take up much of your time because of the other people waiting in the line, but also wanting to take enough time to tell you, and other creators, just how much we enjoy your work (even though it's a comment that gets said to you time and time again, we all feel that it's really going to land with you when we're the one that says it to you, haha!) So many of us are excited for you. I'm glad that more people are looking into your previous works like Good Asian and Infidel and I can't wait to continue to see how things evolve with each update you give. -Matt from M-Pressed Comics
Thanks for sharing your discount bin finds! I always get a kick out of seeing what curiosities and ultra-specific things people pick up on a whim.
Your thoughts on how you're working through the conundrum of con signings is fascinating and I'm curious to see where you land with it.
What I found most interesting about this post was the observation that average writing page rates haven't budged in 20 years. That is insane. And sad. I think everyone understands and accepts that writing rates have always been low, and very few people are able to make a full-time living as comic book writers (and those that do are writing several books a month). But it sounds like these days that's gone from "very few" to "basically nobody out there" can make a living as a full-time comic book writer. It sounds like for almost everyone it's something they dip into every now and then while making their real income in other ways.
I'd be interested in more behind-the-scenes business observations like the above - what else has changed, in your view, over the last twenty years? What's better, and what's worse? You've listed some examples above, and I'd love to read about more nitty gritty, hyper-specific stuff.
And you're right on the money about readership shifting from an audience of consumers to what is basically a parasocial community. It seems there are both pros and cons. As a pro, it's amazing that fans are more adamant about following creators whereever they go. As a con, what happens if you are a writer who just wants to write, and you don't want to also be a salesperson?
Looking forward to the next one!
Another great installment. Really interesting that so many people were curious about the change for you in regard to con and signing experiences. I often wonder about the attention of fans. We can talk more about it at SDCC I hope, but for me your talent level hasn't changed at all, you are just as talented now as prior to Abs GA, but now the line is long. There are so many creators I know that I feel fans are missing out on. Incredible work that not enough people are reading or acknowledging. Now is the time fellow fans! Discover those creators so you can connect with them *before* the long lines, that while well-earned, mean you can spend less time talking to a talented creator.
Curious about your thoughts on this. I always love to hear you perspective having started in the editorial space. Anyway, see you in San Deigo soon!
Fascinating to hear about how intense your signing experience has changed. I'm only at the beginning of my professional career and have just started getting invited to cons. So far, I've been treating it exclusively as a networking opportunity. My costs are covered, but I'm not getting paid or charging for anything. So the section on offsetting low page rates with these appearances is really interesting. Would love to hear more of how your approach to these events is changing as con season continues, and what solution you end up settling on!
I'm really glad you're doing these recaps. It was a pleasure to get to meet you at HeroesCon. As a person on the other side of the table there's also a nervousness of not wanting to take up much of your time because of the other people waiting in the line, but also wanting to take enough time to tell you, and other creators, just how much we enjoy your work (even though it's a comment that gets said to you time and time again, we all feel that it's really going to land with you when we're the one that says it to you, haha!) So many of us are excited for you. I'm glad that more people are looking into your previous works like Good Asian and Infidel and I can't wait to continue to see how things evolve with each update you give. -Matt from M-Pressed Comics