Are you a Seasoned Tapas-tor? Drop Some Knowledge! (Advice for creators from creators)

[onyisart]

If you're a seasoned (has over 100 or 250 subs) Tapas-tor (yes-that's what I'm calling Tapas Ceators) help us newbs or cluless lost creators. Show us how to be a little more successful on this webcomics platform!

This is guidance for all newbie Tapas-tors!(something to keep in mind)

1. How long did it take you to reach 25 subs? 100? or even 250 (for tipping)?

2. Does publishing on a certain day at a certain time really determine views/reach? What time of the day do you think is best?

3. Do you think art quality/skill matters?

4. Why do you think your story is doing well on Tapas?

5. What if I have a good story but I'm not getting views, what should I do? (plus I don't have many social media followers less than 500?)

6. What did you do to get noticed? OR How do you think you think you got noticed? (this is great for those that got a surge of subs in a day, but if you didn't that's fine too)

7. Free question: Was there a question you wish you could find the answer to when you first started out but you have the answer now? Then drop that here. There may be someone asking that same question and you can give them the answer

8. Any other advice I should keep in mind?

I feel like these are some of the questions people wonder before publishing.
You don't have to answer everything but if you can in short sentences that would be Tapastic! (Heck yeah I just ended the sentence like that!)

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING!

@STAFF Ya'll should pin this thread. . . just sayin!

[Samuraiflame]

If by seasoned you mean been here for over a year then sure.

1. Can't remember when I hit 25 or 100 subs. I mostly just redirected my friends and people I already knew to my comic from other sites. I started in March 2017 and didn't unlock tipping until December 2017, thanks to getting on ye olde Daily Snack during the tipping event.

2. I find evenings and weekends to be pretty active, so I tend to post around midnight on Saturdays. Having a set schedule helps your readers know when to expect updates.

3. I think if you have decent art and readable text, you'll get a decent following naturally. Showcasing your best art in your first episode and thumbnail are the best ways to grab and keep new readers.

4. I'm doing a rom-com so that's probably it. My art is anime style. I have hot bois. My jokes are pretty lit, hopefully.

5. Just keep posting! Also cough cough Try crosspromoting with other creators with a similar genre.

6. Back when I started, it helped to participate on the forums just to let people know you exist. I didn't spam my comic in every promo thread but I posted in a few discussion threads and engaged with other creators. ty Tapas staff senpais for noticing me

tbh my advice is to just be genuine and active, both with your readers and peers. People can tell when you're desperate or trying to use them as stepping stones, so just don't do it.

[feardeer]

Not sure I count as seasoned, but whatever, I like filling out questionnaires!

1) How long did it take you to reach 25 subs? 100? or even 250 (for tipping)?
Within a week of launch because my comic ended up in Staff Picks/New and Noteworthy. :V

2) Does publishing on a certain day at a certain time really determine views/reach? What time of the day do you think is best?
I've experimented quite a bit, and while I haven't tried every day or every hour, I've settled on Fridays at noon. It seems to be moderately better than other time-slots I've tried. But it's not a huge difference, so just do what is most convenient for you.

3) Do you think art quality/skill matters?
Absolutely. It's the hook. Before the premise of your comic, the art snags the reader's attention. I think the most important things for beginners to focus on are color theory/harmony, anatomy, and composition--don't shy away from challenging angles and backgrounds in your shots! If these things are halfway decent, you stand a good chance of hooking readers.

4) Why do you think your story is doing well on Tapas?
I wouldn't say it's doing well. Despite having around 1.4k subs, I have a pretty low engagement rate. I'm still grateful though, and I think people are sticking around for the decent art and dark atmosphere. Or maybe just the end of chapter gag comics, heck, I don't know.

5) What if I have a good story but I'm not getting views, what should I do?
Promote as much as you can, realize that quality is subjective, and keep working on your story and skill. It's not a race. Just keep chugging along, and remember to have fun. You should be doing this for you, above anyone else.

6) What did you do to get noticed? OR How do you think you think you got noticed?
Like I said earlier, the bulk of my subs came from a Staff Picks feature. The rest showed up slowly over time, thanks to regular updates, promoting on the forums, social media, and across various websites like Topwebcomics, Comic Rocket, etc.

7) Was there a question you wish you could find the answer to when you first started out but you have the answer now?
Not to my recollection.

8) Any other advice I should keep in mind?
Never ever underestimate the importance of a buffer. If you think you understand how important a buffer is, triple that level of importance! It's... so important. Also having a creative buddy you can talk with about your story is great, so you don't have to bottle up all the spoilers, and to remind you that somebody besides you really cares about what you create, even if you're not sure anyone else does.

[GesuGesu]

I'll say I'm seasoned because I've been creating on Tapas for about 2 years now. I have about 6 series, 3 completed , and their total subscriber count probably places me in the top 50% on this platform.

1. I reached 250 subs within a week. I started back in 2016 and there was no minimum sub requirement to unlock tipping back then, so all I had to do was email Michael Son and he would give me tipping.

2. When I first started, I had already finished an entire short comic series and uploaded one page EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I was trending every day because I uploaded every day. I did not worry about my queue or rushing to finish pages because I completed it before I even started to upload.

3. Do you think art quality/skill matters?

Yes. I cannot tell how many times people have asked for my opinion on their work and the first thing I thought when I saw the thumbnail or artwork was "I don't like this art. I'm only reading this because you told me to." Art is the first impression. I process the thumbnail in less time than it takes to read the series description. You need to appeal in that precious 3 second time frame.

4. Why do you think your story is doing well on Tapas?

Well, my first story on Tapas was built on a pre-existing concept and I simply expanded on it. There's no worry about being original! I made what people knew and wanted, set them up with expectations and broke them as moments came. It currently has 1000 or so subscribers. My most popular series has about 4000 subs. But that's because it's BL. Yes BL. The genre matters. I swear just labeling your series BL guarantees 25 subscribers just on it's own.

5. What if I have a good story but I'm not getting views, what should I do?

Improve your fecking art. You need a minimum level of attractive art for the majority of readers to gravitate towards you. Even if you're drawing stick people, make it clean, simple, and stream lined. I can tell the difference in quality between some chicken scratch stick people and some clean, smooth inked stickman.

Another strategy is to MOVE AWAY FROM CREATOR-SATURATED COMMUNITIES. Creators all have their own projects and can't dedicate their time to read other people's works and subscribe to 100 series just for the connections and cross-promo. Subscribe-for-subscribe plateaus around the 100 mark. If you want to go higher, you need to spread out. Go to general fandom discord servers. There are more readers there who you can attract since THEY'RE the main audience you're looking for.

6. What did you do to get noticed? OR How do you think you got noticed?

I personally think I have attractive art. How do I know? If I posted nothing but a cover page and a summary, but still gain subscribers. People are clearly paying attention to my artwork when the story hasn't even started yet.

Second. I was on the daily snack a while back. This was for a series that HAD ONLY ONE EPISODE. I gained 1000 subs suddenly and I was like wtf. My series was basically a family-friendly anthro-furry phantom thief/detective story. Maybe the staff thought it was unique. Maybe they thought it was funny. Who knows.

7. Was there a question you wish you could find the answer to when you first started out but you have the answer to now?

How to make casual friends in the community LOOOOLL. I was alone for a lot of my time. I joined because of an IRL friend and we did 2 collab episodes. A lot of the creators I thought were cool ended up moving on to regular illustration and moved away from their tapas series comic. I really, REALLY don't like people approaching me with ulterior motives just because of my art or my subscriber count, so I tend to be suspicious of people quite often and don't share my comic series.

I have friends now dw.

8. Any other advice I should keep in mind?

Work on comics because you want to produce something, not for the attention. If attention comes by, great. If it doesn't, keep drawing until you get to a level that it comes eventually. I have never seen successful creators beg and bump their posts for subs. They are the ones who quietly hone their craft until they don't have to do such things.

I still work on practicing my artwork more often than updating my comic. Readers can wait. If they leave, fine. I won't post until I am satisfied with myself.

[Kittosaurus]

I wouldn't say I'm seasoned.. I just got lucky.

How long did it take you to reach 25 subs? 100? or even 250 (for tipping)?

I hit 100 in my first week, like @feardeer I was lucky enough to get on the Staff Picks list.
However I had previously uploaded my comic on Webtoons for the contest they ran this summer and I still have yet to hit 100 subs on there..so right time, right place I guess..

Does publishing on a certain day at a certain time really determine views/reach? What time of the day do you think is best?

I am still figuring this out... right now I don't have a buffer. I settled on Thursday as my upload day, but I am still experimenting with times

Do you think art quality/skill matters?

I think the quality/style of art is the initial hook for readers, but the quality of the story/ content is what keeps them coming back. You also have to remember that there are a lot of different skill levels on here so even though you think your artwork is not up to pare, someone else might be admiring your skills.

Why do you think your story is doing well on Tapas?

I am actually in a bit of a lull right now... Now that I am off the staff picks list I have been having trouble increasing my audience.

What if I have a good story but I'm not getting views, what should I do? (plus I don't have many social media followers less than 500?)

I would love to hear tips on this as well. One thing I do know is that you can't compare yourself to others! Everyones journey is different and a lot of times you don't see from people who are successful is how many years it's taken them to get there.

What did you do to get noticed? OR How do you think you think you got noticed? (this is great for those that got a surge of subs in a day, but if you didn't that's fine too)

Again staff picks was the a big part of it for me. Right now I am trying to work on my networking! (Which I am not very good at).

Free question: Was there a question you wish you could find the answer to when you first started out but you have the answer now? Then drop that here. There may be someone asking that same question and you can give them the answer

Probably something along the lines of: "I have so many great ideas that I am excited about but I don't yet possess the skills to do my vision justice? How do I start?"

I have struggled with this a lot - but not having the "skills" was just another excuse for me to not start working on my comic. You will never be ready, or "good enough" you just have to start! You will learn the skills you need along the way, and by the end you will be "good enough"

Any other advice I should keep in mind?
Just enjoy it! Be proud of what you have accomplished and do not let the numbers get you down. If you put in the work your audience will come. With something as time and work intensive as comics you need to do them for yourself first!

[joannekwan]

How long did it take you to reach 25 subs? 100? or even 250 (for tipping)? Probably a day or two for 25, a week for 100, and a couple weeks for 250.

Does publishing on a certain day at a certain time really determine views/reach? What time of the day do you think is best? Honestly I don't know. I think maybe there's more activity Wednesday through Sunday. Hour of day doesn't really matter since everyone's from different time zones.

Do you think art quality/skill matters? Yes. If you have something that looks decent or better, you'll gain more subs quickly.

Why do you think your story is doing well on Tapas? I came during a time when the site was smaller, so less competition really. BUT I think my stories appeal to a wide audience, at least my two most popular ones anyway. One of them is a mlm romance so it does get a higher amount of attention though.

What if I have a good story but I'm not getting views, what should I do? (plus I don't have many social media followers less than 500?) Just promote it anywhere, any site you can. Use relevant tags, share particularly interesting episodes, go on reddit, anything you can do for it really.

What did you do to get noticed? OR How do you think you think you got noticed? (this is great for those that got a surge of subs in a day, but if you didn't that's fine too) My series are in page format so I suppose it's more shareable. Like on tumblr (where I originally host one of my popular series) a person can just reblog a post and immediately their followers see the two or three pages. Or if someone shares the tapas link, the receiver views the page right on one screen without scrolling too much. And when people judge whether they want to read something or not, it happens in a flash, so the more content they see in one instant the more likely they'll stick with it, I feel.
BUT I think it overall comes down to the content. I never really promoted my series too hard. I just sort of posted it and people came and shared it, doing the promotional work for me.

Any other advice I should keep in mind? BE PATIENT. If you really love your story(ies) then you owe it to it to stay persistent. Keep working at it. Finish it for yourself. Don't mind how few subs there are in the beginning, so long as you stay consistent, people will come over time.

[spicy_sweets]

O, I also thought you meant seasoned as in longtime Tapas member.

1. Err, for one book? Hang on, let me check...a week for one novel that ended up on staff picked/noteworthy for a month or two, and I haven't reached 25 for the others bc I rarely advertise them. lol
   For reference, this is the stats for the noteworthy book
   
   
   
   vs a book of mine that is low key
   
   

The major difference being how much exposure noteworthy got me for only one book. Personally I hated being in the spotlight for that long, but I won't get into that too much.

1. I dunno. I just update on days I figure would give people time to read it. I only update on mondays, fridays and thursdays, when putting the days I update my books together.

2. I write, so I'll just answer for that... Yeah definitely. You have to give readers the right tools needed for them to put themselves in your story. Your words are a sketch on a blank canvas, and your plot the paint readers use to bring color to that painting. It's important to have a balance on execution, dialogue, worldbuilding and description, which all fit into skill. However, everyone has to start somewhere. I'm not expecting a masterpiece when picking up a novel or comic; I just want clear visuals/writing that can express the creator's passion. I also have a preference of style, but am usually flexible.

3. ?? I'm not really sure tbh? I figured it was because of the pretty cover and writing style + plot/characters.

4. You fucking be patient. You don't need 500+ followers to get views. Have you considered talking with the community, commenting on others' work (from genuine interest), or simply letting time take its course? That's how I did it, and I'm guessing others too.

5. I literally have no idea how I got on noteworthy/staff picks. Figured it was bc I tickled the fancy of one of the staff, which doesn't tell me much as taste is subjective lol. The result of that time in the limelight got me around 50ish inactive subs tho. Otherwise, I talk in the forums way more than I advertise, so I'm not as noticed as I guess I could be if I put effort in.

6. Err, ah yeah. I was confused how far horror could go before it should get marked mature. But found out that's based on how much description there is.

7. Be patient, again. The tapas app used to make it stupidly difficult to find free content, but that has since been updated so you'll probably have a bit more luck getting noticed nowadays. Interaction also helps a fuckton bc you make an impression, connections, and can share tips/advice witch creators you click with.

[onyisart]

Just to be clear. This isn't for me it's for everyone reading. So please don't aim your answer(s) at me.

[spicy_sweets]

Ah ok cool. I'll edit them then

[keii4ii]

1) I don't remember for 25 or 100. But I remember getting staff picked (IIRC it was called New & Noteworthy at the time) around the time I posted the end of my first chapter, and that's when my sub count shot up to almost 1000.

2) It's going to be different for each comic. Overall though, I don't think it makes a huge difference. For example, if you post during a high traffic hour, you might get seen by a lot of people during the first five seconds... then your update gets pushed out of view by all the other comics being posted at the same time. On the other hand, if you post when things are a bit slower, your update won't get pushed out of view as quickly, but you won't have a big crowd looking for new content to read. So each option has pros and cons.

3) Absolutely. In addition to what everyone has said about good art thumbnail getting attention, there is such a thing as the right style for the story. e.g. A gentle, introspective story about grief VS a high-octane, action-filled crime mystery in some near future urban setting. Those stories will probably need different styles in order to really shine!

4) My story isn't exactly doing well. Sure, it's got over 12k subs, but most of them are inactive subs. My engagement ratio is terrible!

This used to make me feel really bad, like: "if my comic didn't have many subs, I could think of it as a hidden gem. But it has many subs and it's not doing so well, so it must mean I'm mediocre." That's flawed thinking though, very damaging and frankly unhelpful. These days, I try not to think about it much, and even when I do think about it, I take other possible explanations into account.

5) TBH everyone starts out with 0 followers. Don't let it discourage you. Keep trying, and be genuine.

Also, whenever you can, be the change you want to see. See a GREAT comic that you think needs more readers? Promote it. Do a fanart for it to help advertise it (as well as show your love for it!), or just talk about how awesome it is and why people should read it. I've been trying to get better about doing this myself, because my comic is NOT the only one that needs more love. I've seen some comics that are done suuuuper well, yet have so little subs. That ain't right!

But again, be genuine. Don't promo other people's comics with the goal of "hopefully they'll promo me back." I mean it's okay to expect people to credit you when they post your fanart you made for them... But beyond that, you really have to do it out of your own appreciation for their work.

[skicoak]

Urgh! Yeah, I know I'm being all jealous and petty when I think/say this but it's disheartening to hear about the boost strips get by being featured/Hot Picked/Daily Snacked.

It just reinforces my perception that the best way to succeed on Tapas is to be picked by the Tapas staff to succeed. And that's pretty much outside a content creator's control.

SIGH!

Back to grinding and being "patient".

[spicy_sweets]

Ehhhh, boost strips are nice and all but to me they aren't worth as much as engagement from said subbers. Notice the immediate drop after my august bar―that's exactly when I was taken off the lists. Views total also were sliced in half afterwards, understandably

[mrtoontastic]

Why hello there fellow, Tapas-tor! There's quite a few things that are required to be successful on tapas. Follow me as we read up these few easy (or not) steps!

Reaching 25 Subs...
I started Tapas when a friend told me about it in 2016, back when it was still called Tapastic. While there were more advanced comics already posted ahead of me, I thought it would be nice to jump in and be a part of the website. I started easy with my comic strips, but rather than transferring previously made works over to the new website, I started over. Made new strips. It took a few months but with the kind of humor it had, I got to reach 25 subs within half of the year

Scheduling....
Now, for comic strips, comic pages, and more, publishing new stories/chapters/pages are sometimes easier at times when most people are usually on the internet. It varies from country to country, but for me, its easier to do it around "after-school times" so basically around 3 or 4 PM. I don't know WHY Tapas only uses PST and doesn't allow you to switch the Time Zone, but that may take some time. Certain days and times aren't really a MAJOR factor, but if you have a subscriber base that's accustomed to your scheduling, keep it up unless you can't. Then just inform them that you'll have a different time change. Trust me, they'll listen.

Art Skills...
Yes, art skills and quality do matter. BUT Everyone's skills will matter. Whatever kinds of styles draws YOU to someone's work will benefit the both of you in the long run. For me, I'm not too big on the anime/manga style that's all over the website, but I will say I do like some that I've seen. I'm more of the guy who's into more of the kinds you'd find in 80s comic books, and ol' classic cartoons. The kinds that look kinda realistic but kinda not. The kinds that look and act silly and roll with it, those kinds. It's all based on your own perspective and such, and what you personally like.

Why's my Story(ies) going well?...
I dunno. People think I'm funny. Nah, well. To be fair, I personally enjoy writing and drawing the kinds of stories and cartoons and movies that I enjoyed as kid up to even nowadays. There's something about them that clicked with me so much that simply replicating them would be an injustice to their brilliance. So much of my cartoon-styled (whether comics or novels) work is made to honor the works I've grown up with. And while there hasn't been much new material that really clicked with me in recent years (on account of them being criticized, messaged differently to others, or simply just overshadowed), I can always go back to these old works and still get a large kick out of their style to this day, and I believe that some of the people that subscribe to my works have felt the same.

An Underappreciated Masterpiece...
If you have a series, a story, or a group of works that you feel are wonderful, but aren't getting as much attention, don't be disappointed, we've all been there. Heck, I'm still there myself as well. The best option is to simply keep working hard. Don't let the numbers/lack of views get you down. It's like movies and shows with a cult following, there's definitely a group of people enjoying your work. It's like they always say, "Sometimes its better to appeal to a small group than to try appeal to EVERYONE." Keep on writing/drawing! and Keep on Sharing! Someone BIG is definitely going to take notice some day! Speaking of getting noticed...

How I got noticed...
Easy, I just joined groups that promoted sharing your works with others. Most notably, I joined this group here: https://discord.gg/TXpMUX and made lots of nice friends. But prior to that, I mostly was just posting and waited and saw what happened from there.

A Question that I'd love to be answered
Why doesn't Tapas have a proper scheduling mode? Or a proper section on your profile page which tells which works are comics and which ones are novels. That would really help readers that visit your page so they don't jump in blindly.

Other Advice
Keep strong, keep at it, and never forget to trust your friends! Trust me, they might have some good advice for you. And always be consistent! Nobody likes a flip-flopper.

Other than that, keep up the good work!

Be Toontastic~!

[GesuGesu]

I already had a decent sub count before I got picked for daily snack. Luck isn't always the biggest factor. Being patient really helps. I wouldn't have any expectations until I've had my comic out for at least year.

[Luminosophy]

Reminds me a lot of getting Daily Deviations on Deviantart. Sure you get a lot of attention on that piece and some new followers, but most of them are dead and no one checks out the other work you do. It's like it increases overall exposure but the rule of where only something like 25% of your total audience will actually remain engaged applies. It's just so much better to have a long term focus (your product) rather than short term (sub count) imo.

[SleepingPoppy]

1. How long did it take you to reach 25 subs? 100? or even 250 (for tipping)?

I don't really remember, but tipping wasn't offered yet when I started out, so I was among the people to e-mail tapas to request tippping be enabled when it was first being rolled out by request. I think originally I was growing by 5+ subs per update, but it increased over time, and I got a nice surge for a promo post on LGBT web comics on tumblr.

Does publishing on a certain day at a certain time really determine views/reach? What time of the day do you think is best?

It matters, but I don't think there's a golden time or day to post. You just experiment a little and see what works. I chose Wednesday because I liked the idea that my updates help people get through hump day!

Do you think art quality/skill matters?

Pretty sure everyone will say yes to this, but I'll elaborate a little in a way others might not. Comics and novels created by people with higher skills are going to do better, faster, as a general rule. But you don't have to start out a rock star. One of the amazing things about creating a comic is that just by virtue of spending that much time on your craft, you're going to get better. And there are going to be people that will love seeing you grow from a beginner to some one with greater skills producing a higher quality product.

Why do you think your story is doing well on Tapas?

Luck, skill, consistency, passion, perspective?

What if I have a good story but I'm not getting views, what should I do? (plus I don't have many social media followers less than 500?)

Make sure you have a compelling thumbnail and a really powerful description/summery! (And other stuff, but these are the first things I'd check)

edit: just wanted to add that my social media pretty much amounts to a tumblr I barely use, so those of you that aren't big social media users, it's not a deal breaker of any kind.

What did you do to get noticed? OR How do you think you think you got noticed? (this is great for those that got a surge of subs in a day, but if you didn't that's fine too)

So people sometimes complain about those creators that put "BL" on their thumbnail, but thats literally just good marketing. People that want to read BL of different genres (I'm in the fantasy genre) can immediately visually identify what my story is. Obviously this isn't applicable to everyone, but you can still think about how your thumbnail and description market your story! Think about where you can promote your story that aren't just the tapas forum and your personal social media!

Any other advice I should keep in mind?

Take things one step at a time, and try not to get hung up on the numbers.

[gh0stcr33p]

so I've almost been here for a year, and I currenty have 104 subs.
1. I don't really know how long it took me to get 25.. maybe a few months or less. it took me until last month to reach over 100, so that would be around 11 months
2. I honestly don't know since I don't really think about it...
3. yes, it does. I don't mind if the art isn't great, but the anatomy should always at least be decent
4. I think my story is going well, but not the activity from the readers lately
5. try to promote yourself via social media and the forums, update consistently and other than that, the art looks well done so I don't think that's a problem
6. I think I've mostly gotten noticed from the forums
7. not really
8. just what I said on #5

[joannekwan]

My most popular series has never been in the daily snack nor spotlighted.
And my second most popular one has only been in the daily snack because I participated in a large scale holiday collaboration that took up the month of December.

So there's hope yet!

[BobbyjoeX]

How long did it take you to reach 25 subs? 100? or even 250 (for tipping)?

took me a couple months to reach 25.... and im slowly climbing to 100

Does publishing on a certain day at a certain time really determine views/reach? What time of the day do you think is best?

no really

Do you think art quality/skill matters?

nope, if the story's good, i'll read it XDD

Why do you think your story is doing well on Tapas?

my comics doing well?

What if I have a good story but I'm not getting views, what should I do? (plus I don't have many social media followers less than 500?)

keep pushing and you'll get there

What did you do to get noticed? OR How do you think you think you got noticed? (this is great for those that got a surge of subs in a day, but if you didn't that's fine too)

blabbed about it on the forum

Free question: Was there a question you wish you could find the answer to when you first started out but you have the answer now? Then drop that here. There may be someone asking that same question and you can give them the answer

nope

Any other advice I should keep in mind?

KEEP A BUFFER

[SeraphicMayin]

I guess I"m seasoned...sort of. I just know I've finished two one-shots and have a trio of ongoing comics at the moment, along with the Incubator comic currently in production.

1. How long did it take you to reach 25 subs? 100? or even 250 (for tipping)?

   Ooph, I don't remember at all. Making and finishing my first one-shots were more important than counting the subscribers.

2. Does publishing on a certain day at a certain time really determine views/reach? What time of the day do you think is best?

   Nah. As long as you stay consistent, when you have a wealth of episodes, it won't matter anymore when you uploaded the earlier episodes so long as you keep doing it and doing it consistently. It evens out so all you ought to focus on should be the quality of your story.

3. Do you think art quality/skill matters?

   Yes, but not as much as the quality of your story. You will improve your art skills by virtue of drawing, over and over and over again. Good thing a comic often requires you to do just that.

4. Why do you think your story is doing well on Tapas?

   The comics do well because I continue to tell the stories. I strive to tell the most interesting and surprising stories I can and as well as I can. This come from studying storycraft, screenwriting, and many other resources to have a good 'toolset' to tell the story I want to tell.
   It also helps to always be improving my art style, and learning what makes it easy to view and read the comic.

5. What if I have a good story but I'm not getting views, what should I do? (plus I don't have many social media followers less than 500?)

   Keep telling the story and keep sharing it everywhere you can, that is the ONLY way to get more subscribers. Learn how to share the story well. Don't say that your story is about a quest in a far-flung place of such-and-such. Give people a reason to read the story. Present to them the dilemma of the story beat that you uploaded in an episode. "So-and-so wants this, but when such-and-such gets in their way, can they overcome it?" Things like that hook people.
   Don't give up. Don't get discouraged. For every day you keep working 1000s of others quit. Hard work and Persistence means you'll outlast the competition. Especially if you continually study and find ways to improve yourself and your art.

6. What did you do to get noticed? OR How do you think you think you got noticed? (this is great for those that got a surge of subs in a day, but if you didn't that's fine too)

   I assume I got chosen for noteworthy (With my comic Skyblade) cause I had a strong beginning that was interesting, storywise. The only way to get noticed is to learn to tell a good story well.

7. Free question: Was there a question you wish you could find the answer to when you first started out but you have the answer now? Then drop that here. There may be someone asking that same question and you can give them the answer

   Hm.
   More like I wish I heard this advice earlier. It comes from Ira Glass: "Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."

8. Any other advice I should keep in mind?

   Consider studying screenwriting if you're focused on comics. I recommend Story by Robert McKee and Save the Cat by Blake Snyder.
   If you want this to be more than a hobby, TREAT it like it's more than a hobby. A professional is not someone who gets paid for their work, it's the person who shows up every day, sits down and gets to the work of storycrafting.
   If this is just a hobby and for fun, by all means, disregard all I've said and do what you find most pleasing~