Any experienced Publisher who knows a trick or two?

[Ririx]

i am sitting here watching my web-comic series grow slowly, not that i am expecting an overnight-success.
but the thing is, the best way of getting that type of exposure that rewards with feedback, views and subscribes is via getting featured, But you need to have views and subscribers to begin with in order to get featured, so am i missing something?
i am also publishing on webtoon, i have never been around social media that much nor do i have any sort of fan-base or involved in big social groups of any kind to share my comics with.
any tips ? like places that helps you start an audience or more websites to publish in?
also does posting art works on your profile and communicating with your subscribers help? because so far i have never seen a popular artist that blends in with his fans that much, but it just seems wrong for me to not reply to comments when they are asking a questions or so.
so tell me, how do you plan on expanding, and if you already have a fan base, how did you start it up?
Any help is appreciated!

[XzynderVexymous]

Advertise! While not going overboard, advertising is the best way to grow your series. You should put a link to any forum that invites you to do so (Like this one that is your own cx) That's it. I'll sub to you to help you out, fellow creator.

[Ririx]

advertise where, that is the question.
you mean just uploading a link around here telling people to check my most recent upload at said time i upload it? if so then on which category,
also aren't you already a sub? or did you forget? x3

[NanettesClouds]

Hey there, so I'm gonna share a post that I made in a different thread:

Okay, at the risk of sounding like an ass I'm going to chime in on this thread. But before I start I'm going to state some qualifiers. First, I'm not some elite tapastic member with a trillion subscribers. I have a bit over 100 subs which I've gained steadily over this year. Second, I did not have a following prior to joining tapastic. Third, my comics are not BL, Gag-a-Day, Slice of Life, or whatever it is that people like complaining about being overly popular. In fact, both of my comics…

As far as advice specifically for you - DEFINITELY communicate with your audience. Leave a nice "thanks for subscribing" picture on their walls, reply to their comments, etc. They'll really appreciate it.

There's also a really nice Discord group where you can talk to other artists/get advice and critiques/hangout etc.

[Ririx]

i really like your title picking on that thread, its the best description to what this current situation feels like, also the discord group sounds like a good thing, will give it a try!

[NanettesClouds]

NOt my thread, and my posts in the thread pretty much sums up how I think it''s not actually a problem. My post is the really long one explaining 1) why people are having trouble growng an audience 2) what they can do to fix it.

In short, it's not Tapas's fault if you're having trouble growing an audience, they've done basically everything they can to support newer creators.

[Ririx]

never said it was their fault, and if i seemed like i was pointing towards that point then i clarify that i am not x3

[bilvyy]

As for where to advertise, twitter and tumblr are the best places to start. you can either cross post your comic to tumblr, or just post update notifications with a link to tapas and a cropped thumbnail of your page. be sure to tag this with everything relevant so people can find you, and submit a link to your work to blogs like webcomiclibrary who will signal boost for you.

twitter is a great place to do these update posts too, but also a wonderful way to socialise with other creators. retweet and signal boost others and your friends will be able to do the same for you. join in the #webcomicchat every sunday, where all kinds of creators will join in a mutual conversation about a specific topic of making comics, advertising themselves and helping others in the process.

as for my own audience though, i didn't just start making comics and bam, audience. i've been doing fanart online since 2009, making friends, building up my artistic ability, and those people have joined me for the ride. i slowly started making my own original content, and while a lot of people who are there for fan art don't care, there's people who are invested in my work who cheered me on and followed me along. once i started making actual comics, they got invested in those characters and made fanart of their own. they tell their friends, those friends tell friends, people reblog and retweet and an audience grows. you could have 5 people to start with, and that can still turn into a big loyal following

basically it's good to have an online presence. post art on twitter or tumblr that isn't just your comic pages. talk to people, make friends and get enthused about your peers.

[Ririx]

i appreciate the time you took to write this down.
but you just explained how social media works, and i am pretty aware of that, but i do not have the time nor the bandwidth to browse people just for the sake of interacting with them to befriend those worthy thus being able to suggests or advertise my comics with them and/or their friends.
i barley have 1 person whom i regularly talk to and family or collage mates aren't into these things.
and for your suggestions, let me handle each individually :
1- Tumblr, i've tried tumblr, and no its not a good way at all, unless you spend hours following and reblogging others to grab more people's attention to your name for the slight chance that they might check yours, which i cant for previously specified reasons, nobody is going to visit, which leads me to believe the fresh section on tapas and webtoon discover are multiple times better.
2- Twitter, and while i used to have a twitter account, which i deleted in order to start a new one dedicated for my comics, i hadnt much friends/followers anyways, (around 3 friends and 8 followers)
and if i were to share or post comics there, i find which hashtag to use is complicated,
i've tried some related to my comics like slice of life, or webcomics, and yet exposure whatsoever.
i was thinking there might other places like webtoon and tapas or deviant, where it would benefit me to upload there,
apologies for all that, and every act of support is appreciated!

[bilvyy]

oh boy
ok so unfortunately audiences don't happen overnight, popularity doesn't happen overnight, never has and never will. no matter what process you use, you're always going to have to put in that time, so if your immediate response to some advice is "no that takes too long", you're gonna struggle. and double unfortunately, for your unwillingness to talk to other humans, social media and networking is how most people get their audiences. Networking is crucial in every creative industry

i still hold firm that the best way to use twitter to expand your comic and audience is to partake in the #webcomicchat - which isn't just a tea party of folks hanging out btw, it's answering a specific question each week, offering your own answers to it to start a dialogue. you don't even have to interact with people, it's about other people finding you through that discussion. but yknow, it's also beneficial to find others in the same way. not every website will be perfect for you, like i get not a lot of people like tumblr, but that was mainly my suggestion for posting with tags. twitter is harder to share content by tagging, it's more about building those connections first, following other people, sharing their stuff, and networking. twitts and tumbs are just the two biggest broadest sites to start off with because it's hard to grow 100% restricted to the Tapas.io bounds.

the biggest thing that has me reeling about this, is people being "worthy" to be your friend and how immediately adamant you are that you don't want to talk to others or make friends with any of your peers. i promise you scrolling through twitter a few times a day isn't going to eat up your entire mobile data plan. if you still feel that way, i'm sorry to say, but have fun being stuck with a tiny community forever and never gaining any real traction with your peers! even creators on tapas who you think are on the highest of pedestals are socialising within the community to keep their content alive. i hope for your content's sake that you reconsider your attitude/approach to this kind of stuff, or at the very least you manage to be the first person to invent success without socialisation and share that golden knowledge with every other introvert on the internet.

-edit: oh! on twitter there are also exposure days where you can post your links/art to a particular hash tag and huge industry professionals retweet you and everyone goes through the tag to find new artists. i got like 50+ new follows just from posting a link to my comic in one of those, if you still weren't sure what twitter can be good for!

[Shanny8]

Use social media to push/promote and gain new readers for your comic. Invite your readers to ask questions about your comic, the story, and the characters.

[RaptagonStudios]

These things take time. Unless you have a good amount of content, (25 pages for instance) your advertisements will be for nothing as people will have nothing to see yet.

Most importantly be consistent. If you post every Tuesday, post every Tuesday at the same time. If you can prove you are constant you will have a reputation to show to publishers and fans.

[Ririx]

when, by the name of all that is holy and sacred, did i say i expect overnight success? i literally stated otherwise on the very first line of this thread, tolerating how stupid it is to state such obvious facts, for the sake of nobody approaching me with the " dont expect to be anything " attitude.
Clarification : "i am sitting here watching my web-comic series grow slowly" was not a complaint by any means, and for the very few chance of anyone taking it as such, i have followed up saying that i am not expecting an overnight-success, and the "but" condition i have set for said statement wasnt that i want more or a slightly faster growth rate, it was a complete different statement that stands on its own, moving on.
my immediate response was "no that takes too long" ? please go ahead and quote me saying "takes too long" over any of the points that i have addressed in the main thread, or my reply to your previous comment.
contributing to the #webcomicchat was probably the only valid thing you have mentioned so far. and i thank you for that advice, and since you're completely misinterpreting my text, i clarify that that was not sarcasm.
i am not saying that i am not anti-social, nor saying that i am, but you have no right to assume that i am, i have pointed out the exact reason why i cant follow these " try this and that and you'll eventually find your way " advices, being my very, VERY restricted bandwidth, down to 15gb's a month, and i love how you assumed it was a mobile data plan, and that i even have a mobile phone also, and i doubt that you have any idea how much these websites eat up over each scroll, and if you're going to suggest i change my data plan then you're retarded, and i wish i could go back in time to take back everything i said alongside my very first reply because of how not worth the time it was.
the thing is, i cant get mad at anything you said no matter how offensive it was (and i cant stress enough how infuriating that "oh boy" is) because its not that uncommon to encounter oblivious people, and while its wrong to assume everyone is, its the safest approach if you don't want to end up having a fight with everyone you cross paths with.
i never said i do not want to talk to others, nor did i imply that very few are worthy of befriending (that does NOT mean everyone is, nor isn't)
the "have fun being stuck with a tiny community forever and never gaining any real traction with your peers!" part was only intended as an offense and so i shall overlook it completely.
and about the following statement, no it does not work that way, its very different and is time consuming to sit here and argue about that until i eventually prove you or your phrasing wrong and i am not quite sure if you're worth the time or not at all, all to be determined by your next reply ( not saying i am of a superior understanding of social studies, or not ).
my attitude is to not be reconsidered as i do not see anything wrong with it, and changing it would not make it IT anymore thus i exclude it out of this argument.
my approach however, is what i need help with, which is why i started this thread dont you think?
success without socialization exists, vastly, its called something being viral, or at least thats how that term started anyways, where something gets passed on and gain massive exposure without the need of knowing whom it belongs to/who made it.
and may i know more of said exposure days on twitter? or are they the same thing or somehow related to that hash you mentioned above?
i'm sorry if my lack of emoticons or over friendly phrases may seem off setting or reek of hatred or other negative emotions. but it should not. this is just me being formal to gain actual advice, not just temporary friends and their support that is motivated by nothing else but sympathy.
-
Edit : did you even bother to read through it? or did just assume its full of curses and inappropriate behaviors?
there is nothing there i wouldnt say to my boss, co-worker or interviewer, so why on earth would someone feel this post is being inappropriate, it contained no swears nor name calling, no personal information, no sexual terms, nothing.
just facts, the strongest word i might have used was calling someone retarded, which is just so... moronic to think of as an insult to the people bearing the actual illness, am not calling them anything, am calling you one even though you dont suffer from autism, yet act like you do.
And i did not, i did not call anyone retarded, i have put certain , specific identifications to those whom i might call so, the reader gets to choose whither he is under said category or not.
and if you feel that i have done you wrong in anyway then say so, or let it be if i am not worth your time, instead of just trying to make my reply go away.

[Ririx]

so "play the game" is your response to "how do i beat this level"?
thanks for your comment x3

[Ririx]

yeah, i am trying my best not to delay or bail on any upload schedules, and have only done so once, when i was working on my big ass patreon introduction which actually took an entire week.
and i have already considered the first thing you mentioned, i havent started uploading until i had 8 comics pre-made and shaded so that when i tell the few people i know about it i could give them something that might interest them to look forward for more.
thanks for your comment x3

[Ririx]

yeah but like, saying a post that you made in a different thread doesnt mean its not yours, and it showed me your avatar next to the link so i assumed so , am not very familiar with the forums yet,
apologies, and thanks for your comment x3

[Chopythes]

Ok, first of all: You should've mentioned that you're on a restricted internet, and therefore not able to socialize/spend time on networking online.
Would give you better advices

As others have mentioned, update frequently (once a week or so).
When you're able to, attend #comicbookhour and/or #webcomicchat. It's a great way to network if you have the data to afford it.

When you update, try to include both those hashtags on twitter as people check them out often. (IF you let people on twitter know you've updated.)

You could also ask your friends to share your links (if you're comfortable with it).
Instead of tumblr, you could use instagram, include hashtags that describes your comic, you're also able to connect twitter and instagram, so when you post on Instagram, it autoposts on twitter as well.
Which means: less usage of data as you won't have to log in and re-do everything.

I hope the tips are of some use for you, having a low data plan can't be much fun D:

Edit: Since some of the questions in your original post isn't getting adressed:

i am sitting here watching my web-comic series grow slowly, not that i am expecting an overnight-success.but the thing is, the best way of getting that type of exposure that rewards with feedback, views and subscribes is via getting featured, But you need to have views and subscribers to begin with in order to get featured, so am i missing something?

To get featured, you COULD ask staff but I won't recommend it as I don't think they'll grant peoples wishes to get spotlit.
The Daily Snack is often Gag-a-day comics which are easily read on mobile or newly released comics.

i am also publishing on webtoon, i have never been around social media that much nor do i have any sort of fan-base or involved in big social groups of any kind to share my comics with.any tips? like places that helps you start an audience or more websites to publish in?

You're publishing on Webtoons, that's a great start! The more sites you're able to be on, the better exposure you'll get.
You'll also notice which sites better suited for you.

also does posting art works on your profile and communicating with your subscribers help? because so far i have never seen a popular artist that blends in with his fans that much, but it just seems wrong for me to not reply to comments when they are asking a questions or so.

Ofc. Your readers DO want to know stuff about you! If you take a week off, let them know through your wall.
Most "famous" creators gets hundreds of replies and notifications, there's just not enough time for them to reply.
So, YES. Do reply! Readers love it when the creator responds (but you don't have to if you don't want to/have the time to).

so tell me, how do you plan on expanding, and if you already have a fan base, how did you start it up?

I think you already know this question through ALOT of the replies here.
Networking, networking and a bit of luck.

[Shanny8]

One of the most solid ways to get more eyes on your comic is to spread the word about it- what better way than social media?

For the first couple of months, my numbers didnt grow until I started really pushing my comic awareness on social media.

[Ririx]

yeah, it would have helped others help me if i mentioned so but i simply thought that it wasnt that much related to my question at first.
i was like yo, i'd get recommended some sites, i'll start uploading there too, bara-bo-boop done.
i update twice a week, and i' m yet to bail on my upload dates except once, so i think i got that covered.
yes, my next twitter share shall have these hashtags, thank you very much!
and i dont really have that many friends, but i've told those whom i have and except those whom i actually call friends, others didnt bother to share it, some even to check it out.
and yes i am completely comfortable in sharing my web-comic series anywhere.
and the thing about instagram, i've tried it on my first 4 comics or so, but its sizes were killing me, it resized some of the comics and they looked horrible, others looked great but like got cut off, and resizing it made them lose their smoothness, so i just gave up and closed my account there.
yeah i wouldnt ask the staff, i feel like they check their sites content and they do feature others, if i get lucky its fine, otherwise i'm playing by the pre-set rules and i'll patiently wait for my turn if it ever comes.
and what is this daily snack you speak of, going to google it.
i myself like it when other authors or artists reply to my comments or even check it out, especially those that include feedback, or questions, so i can imagine hehe.
Thanks for the comment x3

[Chopythes]

Ah, about the instagram, it's now possible to make several images in one, where people can scroll sideways to read!
I think you should try it again, your comics fits the format if you upload panel by panel instead of a full comic page. (If there's a will, there's a way, so to speak ;D)
I know lots of artists who does that, like adamtots and jpahonen.

Daily snack is an app feature, where inside the Tapas app they give out small bite sized stories. It's like a spotlight for a day and it's a great way to discover new artists