Getting Tapas support for a comic? Waiting or Asking?

[bilvyy]

I've experienced a bit of Tapas support in the past, and those times have helped my comics grow immensely! I'm very confident in the quality of my work, and I feel like at this point, the only thing holding my subscriber count back is exposure.

So I'm wondering, what separates comics like mine from those that get advertisement spots on the app, regular spotlight features, and that extra supportive push from the Tapas staff (retweets etc)? Is it rude to approach Tapas about things like spotlights and ads - do we just kinda have to wait until we're noticed? Or is there something we need to do to take that first step?

(For context of my experiences, I've had two comic snack features (one for my previous comic and one for Questables), and they came by pleasant surprise! When I got a spotlight about a year ago, I was contacted by email beforehand, but I think I only got the spot because a more popular comic recommended mine to him. So now, I don't really know how to get recognised without having some kind of connection)

[ISNEKO]

I'm very interested in this subject. 90% of the time I feel like Tapas just want to show off those who have already gotten popular.

[kylebrummond]

Sadly, I have no teenage boys in love with each other in my story so, - no spotlight.

[Evan]

I think Tapas uses an algorithm to at least filter out who gets the chance to be spotlighted and I've heard that the snack has been replaced by an algorithm (uncomfirmed), so if you want Tapas' support you probably need to do a bit of your own marketing first.

You have to think about Tapas from a business perspective, it's easier to catch more readers if they see a popular webcomic that they already read on the site, so they're more inclined to advertise already popular comics. Tapas will support you when it benefits them, but to benefit them, you need to grow yourself.

In conclusion, you have to promote yourself and get big yourself instead of hoping for that fateful day when Tapas decides to support you.

[ratique]

You can ask, but that is not a certain way to success. A lot of people ask to be featured, but because of various reasons the Tapas team can't always comply. That doesn't mean that I want to discourage you from contacting them.

Feel free to ask for their feedback and what you can do to improve your chances for a feature - If they come back with interesting information, you could also share it here with everyone.

[bilvyy]

Thank you for everyone's responses! Part of me was just wondering if there was already a set system in place for this, or a social expectation I wasn't aware of, so it's nice knowing I'm not the only one curious about this

[GoldenPlume]

Things to keep in mind:

You can ask but you most likely won't hear back. Staff is immensely slammed all the time. Our last nomination of another creator's series for a feature was never acknowledged.

Due to the immense number of series on Tapas and the limited availability of features, odds are that you won't be. The average series has a 1 in 20 chance to get featured per year.

Certain content is unlikely to be featured. The more categories you qualify for, the less likely you will be featured. If your story is: A) long form, B) not gag-a-day, C) not BL, D) B&W, E) only updates one page at a time, F) reads right-to-left, G) not highly shareable/viral, H) not a premium series, I) not a creator with a premium series on Tapas, J) has a low tipping ratio, then you are unlikely to be featured.

Tapas has a certain readership demographic and because the features program is a very valuable limited resource, staff tends to focus on that demographic. The Tapas reader demo enjoys fantasy, romance, gag-a-day, and LGTB. The daily snack sells a lot of keys, so for each non-key series staff promotes it effectively costs them money. Your series has to have long term value to staff (will bring more subs to the app) to get a nod.

Finally @tapas_app twitter retweets don't accomplish much for creators due to a low engagement rate.

[jordanthelass]

I feel like Tapas favors some comics over others, but it's neither here nor there for me since I love making comics and writing stories to begin with. Though, having more views and subscribers with their help would be a great help with ad revenue and the like.

[LordVincent]

Sadly, I have no teenage boys in love with each other in my story so, - no spotlight.

Only 3 comics of those I've seen spotlighted were BL, and in 2 of those comics the guys are adults. (These comics are: A Matter of Life and Death, Griefer Belt, and Red Velvet. Red Velvet, btw, was promoted more as a horror comic rather than a BL comic.)

The "only bl and/or gag-a-day gets popular" stereotype is destructive for two reasons:

1. It demotivates people who create other kinds of content, despite the fact that they too can become really popular on Tapas. From what I've seen, content quality and update speed is what will truly help your series out. If you don't stop tossing the "only bl or gag a days gets seen" card around, you will demotivate the creators that do other kinds of content meaning that type of content is even less likely to succeed and be seen on tapas due to sheer lack of motivation on the creators' part when it comes to studying statistics and their correlation to their publishing methods.

2. It devalues the hard work that creators that do make BL or gag a days put in. Because people are so quick to assume a series is popular only because it has guys kissing or simple comedy, they overlook other things like writing, art, publishing speeds/regularity, audience engagement, etc. This means that some creators' hard work is ignored and all boiled down to "horny teenage girls like it" or "it's simple and dumb and funny and doesn't require much smarts to understand", and on the other hand since you don't acknowledge the other things the creator did to get popular you also don't discover new tools you could try for yourself.

Basically everyone loses and noone wins from this attitude I see tons of content that isn't like that getting popular, and I only wish more people were able to see the big picture rather than get caught up on one thing or another.

I think Tapas uses an algorithm to at least filter out who gets the chance to be spotlighted and I've heard that the snack has been replaced by an algorithm (uncomfirmed)

Sadly I cannot pick out which thread this was stated in, but no, the snack has not been replaced with an algorithm.
Studying the algorithms on any site you use to publish, however, would be productive for any creator regardless.
Self promotion is always the way to go, there has never been a time where artists could just lazily rely on getting most of that job done for them by someone else unless their dad is a hollywood celebrity.

[oneeyedrobot]

I actually agree that being featured or 'chosen' on this site would be nearly impossible from a business standpoint, and I think that self promotion is always going to work better, but, I am really upset at this list of things that make a comic unlikely to be featured. It's discouraging to hear that something that is long-form, black and white, not BL/gag or updated a page at a time would make a comic unlikely to be featured on this site.

Also, how does one improve a tipping ratio when it is nearly impossible to be noticed unless you're lucky and end up on trending? Especially considering tipping is ONLY on mobile, and unless a comic is in the daily snack finding a new comic on mobile is almost impossible. The desktop version of this site is way more suitable to finding new comics, but you can't tip on desktop.

Being featured on a site with thousands of comics is very rare and it's not even something I would ever expect, but that list of what would make a comic not 'valuable' to this site is just...really disappointing to read. I like that the staff here is honest, but that list does hurt.

[LordVincent]

Being featured on a site with thousands of comics is very rare and it's not even something I would ever expect, but that list of what would make a comic not 'valuable' to this site is just...really disappointing to read. I like that the staff here is honest, but that list does hurt.

GoldenPlume is not part of tapas staff and thus their statements, while observative and intellectual, are just that user's own interpretations.

Also, how does one improve a tipping ratio when it is nearly impossible to be noticed unless you're lucky and end up on trending?

Trending actually isn't a matter of being lucky. It has an algorithm you can observe and take advantage of. I ended up on trending multiple times back when I was just starting out on tapas. The only comic I created back then was long form, black and white, and the genre was horror. Don't be discouraged by the rumours you see being spread by disgruntled artists. Observe the things that popular creators do or have done to get seen, and do so with an objective eye.

Or, you know, you could just go up to an artist and ask them what they did to get noticed on this site! It's not all that uncommon really. Some artists might be too busy, but many artists would probably love to share their knowledge with you! I know I've given answers to a lot of people PM-ing me for advice. In the end, we're all just artists approaching similar dreams, and it's not so much a matter of competition as people think it is. A positive, flourishing community increases the impact that webcomics have overall and thus it benefits us all.

[Down_the_Rabbithole]

Honestly, I don't think it's up to Tapastic to make anyone popular. This is a site with so many creators that, unfortunately, some do fall through the cracks no matter how amazing their stuff may be. That's reality.

But look at your accomplishments! You got a spotlight! That's impressive! Also snack features too! Congratulations! Sure there may be stagnation in your subscriber or view count, that happens. If you keep working and advertising yourself in an appropriate manner, things will get better. It takes patience.

No matter what your subscriber count is, you are blessed! You have people who enjoy your work and I hope you enjoy your work too! So, no matter how dark things may seem, keep shining on!

[GoldenPlume]

GoldenPlume is not part of tapas staff and thus their statements, while observative and intellectual, are just that user's own interpretations.

We are not staff. What we report is simply our observations and educated guesses.

Things to keep in mind, staff are human. Humans have opinions and biases. Art is subjective.

Harry Potter was rejected 12 times, a franchise now estimated to be worth $25 BILLION.

It's argued by some that Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting in his life, The Red Vineyard, for an estimated $2,000 in today's dollars.

Today here is what some of his top works fetch at auction:

Le vieil if, hammer price $17M in 1989
Autoportrait, hammer price $24M in 1990
L'homme est en mer, hammer price $24.4M in 2014
Sous-bois, hammer price $24.5M in 1995
L'Arlesienne, Madame Ginoux, hammer price $36M in 2006
Paysage sous un ciel mouvemente, hammer price $48M in 2015
Nature Morte, Vase Aux Marguerites, hammer price $55M in 2014
L’Allee des Alyscamps, hammer price $59M in 2015
Portrait de l'artiste sans barbe, hammer price $65M in 1998
Portrait du Docteur Gachet, hammer price $75M in 1990

The take away? Create what you want to create and don't worry whether or not staff will feature you.

[kylebrummond]

So you're saying my story needs more teenage boys in love with each other. Got it!

[Kayke]

Hey everyone, just a reminder to be kind to each other and stay on topic.

[kylebrummond]

How does the staff contact you in the event of a nomination and how would you acknowledge said nomination?

[MoonSquid]

I can't imagine the chances would be at all high, but what are the odds of a traditional comic being featured? I've seen a number in the snacks, but not on the front page (which makes sense to me; they're not as "crisp" as digital works, which doesn't seem as marketable). Has there been one before, and I just missed it?

[keii4ii]

I would think it's the creator's job to make their art crisp, whether it's traditional or digital. It can be achieved by scanning the art or taking a really good photo of it (probably involving a tripod and a room with the perfect lighting) + a little bit of adjustment in an image editing software.

I follow at least one webcomic that's done 100% traditionally, except for the lettering. The art is amazing, and there's no blurriness to detract from it. It can be done!

[MoonSquid]

@keii4ii Welp, that's true! I just know my own personal scanner woes would likely stop mine from being selected (which I'm fine with!). Just had me wondering if there ever was a traditional one featured?

Oooh do you know the name of the comic offhand? I'd like to try to pick their brain for uploading techniques if they're willing! :3

[keii4ii]

Unfortunately, the only one I know to be 100% traditional is this Korean comic, and the creators there don't reply to comments even in their own language (which is understandable due to the sheer number of comments they get). X'D But you can take a look here! (warning: contains some violence, but nothing too over the top)