There’s going to be people upset with me for using Eric “Youngrippa59” July’s video series on making money on your comics. I know this because his critics, who already don’t like his worldviews and takes on modern media or that his first two graphic novels have have millions of dollars by going outside the system and off the reservation, recently weaponized a supposed Christian ministry against him and the Isom characters, then responded to the report that characters were named on grandparents found their graves and one guy took a selfie in a Casey Jones mask like he was one of the Paul brothers. Somehow these are supposed to be the good guys who want black people to succeed…so long as the “good white people” approve apparently.
Well, I really don’t care. He has been successful, has been a success in the past with his podcast and band, and has studied the comic industry back when the Rippaverse was just a “this is something I want to do” thought in his head. Also he’s the only one I’ve seen actually willing to drop the numbers of what it costs to make a comic and distribute it in the internet age so at the very least it’s worth examining as someone who wants to make their own comics. I don’t see myself making a huge company because I don’t have a pile of money from previous money making ventures (even the ad revenue on this site only goes to the host) but is there something from his journey that I can learn since he’s actually talking about the business side and not just the creative side? That’s why I’m responding to this and if that makes you uncomfortable for whatever reason there’s plenty of other articles here for you to read and I’m open to anyone else giving the same information. I’ll make an article series about that as well. For now, we are here.
For part two of Eric’s “Making Money In Comics Series” (you can see the overview in this quickpost) the subject is pricing. Remember, he’s starting a full on production company and at this point I want to get something out and see how it does. In this video, he goes over what factors go into what to charge for your comic. That means what you need to know if you want this to be profitable without gouging your audience. In the past I looked at some idea of what it might have cost him to produce and publish a comic but now I’m thinking we’ll get more into what July was thinking when setting his prices. Should be informative one way or another.
Well, I’m not going to be replicating his result because my goals are slightly less bigger until I get an idea of whether or not I’ve been wasting my time all these years or if I have a chance and where I need improvement beyond just my art skills. Basically I’m going slower than he is because my confidence isn’t as high, though I know I can at least come up with good story ideas and my coloring flats are okay even if shading is only something I’m just learning..
One thing I’ve heard from other self-publishing writers is that finding an artist is not always easy. If the artist is busy with other projects, and some cheaper products were even using artists still in school but good enough to hire, it could delay the release of the work, and if they’re forced to drop out you have to scramble to find a new artist with a similar art style so it isn’t too jarring. Going from Jim Lee to Chris Giarrusso is going to confuse somebody.
Speaking of creators named Lee, July brings up not cutting corners or using the money that’s supposed to go into the book towards vacations in stuff. People were joking that July could afford a nice car or other such things but for him all the profit was going back into Rippaverse Comics, boosting the company. I’d settle for making enough profit to pay bills and help out with house finances but you do have to keep money ready for the next project. Pat Lee failed to do this with Dreamwave Publishing, despite having license deals with Hasbro and Capcom among other companies and the occasional exclusive project. Lee was using the money to buy fancy cars for him and his family and at some point he couldn’t pay the creators or any other expenses and the company folded before it really got to take off. He killed his own company and one of my favorite Transformers comic runs.
I would suggest (for what little worth my financial advice has) setting a minimum and maximum company budget that features everything it costs to create, publish, and ship the comic or comics your releasing, double if not triple it for emergencies or potential expansion, and what all the expenses will be that will be needed for company space. If you get enough money after that then maybe you can put some in your pocket but all business expenses like paying your staff and creators, paying the publisher and the distributor, and whatever it costs to run the business itself (also consider what you want to spend on advertising and where to advertise) MUST be your first priority or you better be ready to hire a lawyer. Cause you butt gonna get suuuuueeeeed!
My worry is still whether or not anyone would want to read my stories and what they’d be worth to potential readers. The current DC and Marvel offerings are less and less seen as worth the +$5 they’re requesting while the Final Faction comic based on the Dollar Tree toyline (everything at the store costs $1.50 plus local sales tax) is worth what it sounds. So this is going to be important for a final examination of the viability of this plan. I’m still considering the model used by Burning Star Comics, offering comics for sale digitally but also key comics having a print run. As much as I love physical comics that may be the best way to get out there. (Speaking of Burning Star, check the next quickpost because they’re “hiring” new talent, another potential option to get noticed.) However, there’s more to consider on the business end, the part I’m even weaker on than the art so I’m curious what the next part has in store.
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