First chapter finished - what now?

[zilo]

First of all, today we posted the last page of chapter 1 of No-Good Heroes, and we're pretty happy about that. Now there will be a 2 week "break" before chapter 2 starts to go online, but we still want to put something up there. The question is what.

Do you guys have anything you like to do as an intermission between chapters?

I'm planning on streaming the creation of chapter 2's coverart, but other than that I'm not sure what will happen!

[ChipGod]

I dont do chapters, but i would do Qnas, sketch dumps, and other stuff

[brown4life26]

Maybe show progress? I post how far I've done a chapter or previews of characters since mine is so new.

[eleoza]

I always go straight to the next chapter + cover page xD
But it's a nice idea to do something in between. Q&A's are always fun to do, or just illustrations with your characters thanking the readers.
Gratz on finishing your 1st chapter ^^

[zilo]

Thank you of course we'd rather go directly to the next chapter if we could, however because of an insane workload outside of the comic creation world, I (the artist) am limited to only one day a week to work on it OTL. I have considered doing a Q&A, they seem fun - thanks for your input

[TrustyShamrock]

yeah! i usually go stright into the next chapter too but i think itd be cool to have somethin in there. Q and As are awesome! if anyone has Qs for ya to A. or little comic strips and stuff
but yeah if yer suuuper busy maybe you can post somethin ya already made. like character designs or work in progress shots of yer page. all that kinda junk is pretty fun to see

[mac]

qnas usually seem to be done after a subscriber threshold is reached, but i dont see why not u couldnt, especially if the plot is quite involved. theres also, silly extra comics you might do, or maybe some extra illustrations, something like that

[jessicasurline]

When I have a little hiatus between chapters I like to post a sneak peek image of the cover for the next chapter. I usually crop in on part of the cover so I don't give away too much. If there is a holiday during my hiatus I try to post a themed picture so the fans have something fun. I haven't tried to do a Q&A yet.

[efdvorsky]

For Cosmic Fish, I tend to post something fan-related like art or someone (a reader, a friend, both?) doing a guest comic to help out other artists and also spread some of the love. Sometimes I can host a Q&A, and one time I made a survey to see how people were reacting to the series in an anonymous and welcoming manner (I did this after chapter 3 to see the 3-episode rule).

So usually chapter breaks for me are community-focused moments while I keep working on the side.

[Vanadis]

No rules! Whatever you like!
I usually go straight onto the next chapter, but an intermission is a nice idea... Q&A sketches, concept art, wallpapers or pinups... anything goes.

[hushicho]

I personally usually like to leave at least a week between chapters, just to give the audience -- as well as me -- a little "closure" time. I have sometimes posted pin-ups or pieces of art in that time where there would regularly be updates, but I agree that an intermission is a very good idea.

The idea behind me doing this is one that I also feel is important to me as a viewer or reader or such: when I'm experiencing a story, I like to have points where I can "rest" in a way and digest the story and what's happened. It gives me a mental break that also emphasizes the fact that there is a break between the chapters, which can allow me to resolve in my mind what happened and prepare for what may happen in the next chapter. It's a nice transition period to have; a week usually is enough time.

On a pragmatic note, it also can give you time to catch up with your buffer or other things that you need to do behind the scenes! If you go directly from one chapter to another, it can give it a kind of relentless feel that can be good but more often is exhausting, even given the way webcomics update. It also can give readers, especially new ones, time to catch up! So I feel like a little break can be really helpful for a number of reasons. Even if all you're doing is taking a week off from doing anything...that's still important to do and remember! It's good for your health.

[zilo]

You're pretty much summing up my exact thoughts on the issue, so it's interesting to see more people than me thinking the same. I would want to make it only 1 week, but it's probably going to be 2 since a lot of the time that I was going to spend on finishing up the next chapter has been spent on game development and lecturing. So many deadlines! Thanks for your input

[Tobi_The_Dark_Rabbit]

While I currently don't have a series on here, I have made a webcomic before (which is cancelled in manner of speaking) elsewhere for a forum I originate from. Basically I would post previews of a few panels to show that progress was being made. It helped keep people aware more was coming. Maybe you could post a small preview of what's to come to keep people hooked.

[shazzbaa]

Honestly, I would just take a two week break. xD
For me, my chapter covers are pretty simple (just a small shot of the next environment) so it's a sneak peek of the next place our heroes will go and sets the mood in a way, but it's also something that doesn't take me long to draw, so that's my normal little one-week "break."

I've been thinking I might take a longer break before the next chapter, to get a little more comfy with where my buffer is, but I'd just keep that as a break. My chapters are only 50ish pages, so doing a cool intermission after each one would be a bit much for me. xD

But if you do wanna do something, I think it depends on your audience! When I was at one chapter I really hadn't gotten enough of an audience to be sure of a Q&A, and I felt like it was early enough in the story that I wanted most questions to wait and be discovered in the comic. But if you've got an engaged audience that asks questions and is attached to the characters, go for it!
If you feel like the place your story is at might leave your readers struggling to think of something non-spoilery to ask, or your readers aren't super talkative, then sneak peeks, some cool world information, character bios, that sort of thing might work better and give them something neat to engage with!

[zilo]

Thanks for the input. I have been thinking about doing a Q&A, but I don't really have the subscriber base for it - only at 57, so I should probably wait.