How I did after two years! (and what you can expect)

jwabeasley 2025-11-05 22:52:44 UTC #1

Hello fellow Tapas creators!

A year ago (ish), I gave an update on how I and my comic Etherwood performed over its first year. Now that we've reached the end of the second year, I think it's time to put in another check in.

Last year's thread:

This time last year, I had 41k views, ~132 subscribers, 697 likes, and 69 comments. I'd made $0.20 via Tapas as well.

So what about this year?
My goals were these:
1. Not miss an update
2. Do better than last year on all stats
3. Meet the final subscriber milestone (250)
4. Average 100 views per day
5. Make art friends
6. Reach the top of my genre
7. Make it to the Staff Picks

I'll admit that these goals aren't necessarily the best ones to have. Views/Subs/Staff picks are all out of my control, really, so I wouldn't recommend them as goals, but that's what I hoped to accomplish anyway.
So here's how I did. First, some graphs:

Overall, now I have 90k views, 424 subscribers, 5158 likes, 782 comments, and I made $17.25 on Tapas, 95% of which was from donations from my generous and very good-looking readers. That's pretty darn good, I think!
I haven't yet had another comic page reach r/all like I did in April 2024, but I have had steady interest. I actually beat my views/day goal, averaging 133 views per day, higher than last year's average of 107/day (83/day if you exclude the fluke month). It was also much more evenly spread, with only June of this year not exceeding 100/day average.

Genres
I briefly reached the top of my genre this year:

I have since changed my genre from Romance Fantasy to Fantasy, since about the time this screenshot was taken, we had a staff picks for Romance Fantasy and Etherwood wasn't on it. Clean, slow-burn fantasy adventure (hetero) romances aren't what they're looking for in that genre, I guess. I have yet to do as well in the Fantasy genre, though, as there is more competition and less visibility there.

Maybe I should switch it back? The trouble with being unique is not fitting in quite right anywhere, something I know very well in real life.

I'm in a bit of a quandary with advertising (aren't we all). My issue is that I don't know of any really effective venues to reach my target audience, as several of the venues I intended to use do not (or no longer) allow self-promotion or comics. Probably the next step for me is to post short videos somewhere, but making video content is a bit out of my skills/time bandwidth right now. Do any of you have advice on making shortform videos?

I have made several art friends this year, which is great. Phenomenal, really. I've wanted to make online art friends like this for ~20 years, and I'd never figured out how to do it until now. That's not really an annual comic goal as it is a life goal. Some of you might think it's trivially easy to do, but it has been difficult for me to do. I really appreciate the community here and the various smaller communities it's led me into.

Last year, I jumped on Bluesky when it took off, and that seemed to do well for a while. It seems to have dropped off lately, though. I've never really understood the Twitter format, it just doesn't appeal to me at all as a viewer. That makes it tough for me to participate in those online communities.

Sub4Sub Changes
Last year, I participated quite a bit in Sub4subs, which are not allowed anymore. I agree with the change, as it seems that while I saw it mostly as a way to make art friends, most other people only were in it only for the numbers.

Still, I'm anticipating a relative decline in new subs over the next year. When the issue came up in September, I went through my subscriber list and found that ~1/4 of my total subscribers were sub4subs. I suspect that is also the case (or worse) for others who participated in sub4sub extensively. With the explosion in AI generated content, I was becoming choosier in sub4subs as time went on, others not so much. On the other hand, subscriber decay is much less after I stopped doing sub4sub, so that's good.

One thing I did this year that I didn't anticipate last year was participating in the TapasxKickstarter contest. While I didn't win, it was nice to break out of my box and try something a bit different. You can see the results here:

What about next year?
I'd like to continue not missing updates and not decline in my stats. I expect sub growth to slow quite a bit, since most of my readers I think do not have Tapas accounts. I should also take my own advice and choose goals that are within my control rather than ones requiring external events to happen.

Year 3 Goals
1. Don't miss any updates
2. Participate more in art communities
3. Make video Etherwood content
4. Run a community event through the forums (stay tuned)
5. Improve my comics artistically
6. Submit to a physical media publisher

I'd love to hear your goals for this year, or your critiques of my goals.
Longtimers: how did your second year compare with your first?
Newer creators: Has your performance mirrored mine? Do you have any burning questions you'd like the answers to?

ThunderChicken 2025-11-05 23:02:21 UTC #2

Etherwood is on my binge queue, I’ve just got to get to it. I’ve taken a few peeks and like the art style a lot. You might have noticed that I subscribed a while ago but haven’t liked/commented on any yet. When I do start reading, you’ll know it.

susutaru 2025-11-05 23:30:42 UTC #3

Woaaaah these are amazing numbers. Thank you very much for sharing them with us!
It's totally interesting, to see how the stats look with other artists and I guess you can be proud for getting so much points done.

The self marketing is still a big point that concerns every artist or writer I guess. Since the market is flooded with everything it's harder then 10 years before. Youtube, Tiktok and maybe reddit could be of some help for you, but I didn't try them myself yet. (Just Bluesky which suits much better than Instagram or Facebook) I'm sorry, but at this point I guess I'm not much of a big help for you

Do you already have a publisher you concider?

I joyned Tapas in June this year so I'm nearly still a newbie xD I came from a german site that once was the main point to meet other artists but we all grew old now and there are just few people left, so I searched for alternatives and found one here in Tapas, to publish my comic.
Years ago, before I took a baby break, I was kind of famous on this site with a BL Fancomic of Naruto. And since I got published in germany with a One-Shot Comic by a small publisher, now I want to draw my big baby.

My goals are for sure- to reach the next milestone with 250 Subscribers and till june next year maybe get about 6.000 Views (according to my recent views that should be realizable) but I want to go even further. Since I approved my artstyle my real goal is to get into Tapas' Creator Bonus Programm. My problem is - due to my baby break I lost nearly every fandom of my art so I'm really starting from scratch and cannot deliver the numbers of followers, they want to have. So I have to prove it all by my actual artwork.
So...wish me luck on my journey.

justincarbunkle 2025-11-06 01:02:08 UTC #4

Congratulations on hitting your goals! I really like Etherwood and I’m glad it’s getting more recognition.

For short form videos, you could talk about your process + give art advice over a time lapse of you drawing your comic. A voice acted animatic of select scenes from your comic would be great. Preferably real people. AI voices could still be okay + get views, if you don’t mind how it sounds.

I think your goals sound great. Especially the submit to a physical publisher one, and finding other communities to take notice of + share your comic with.

My main goal for next year is to finish an animated pilot episode of my comic. It’s been hard to find time + motivation for it while also making my 6 pages for the comic every week. After finishing the current volume in May, I might put it on hiatus just to focus on that.

Outside that, I’d like to improve my website so I can advertise it more than here for viewing my comic. I wanna add a comments section + allow my friends to post their comics on it. I have very little coding knowledge. Some combination of studying js x using AI will eventually make that happen.

My second year has been better than 2024. I posted two non-M rated episodes the last few months, and they both got over 100 views, versus the 5-10 view avg of all the other episodes. I’m still debating if I want to edit all of my Tapas uploads for their mature content. I really want the views, but I also really hate making the few people who do currently read my comic have to see it censored.

Subs have also stagnated since sub for sub stopped. I'm fine with those being gone. I just wish review swaps weren’t banned. At least those required us to engage with each others content, and the comments they generated were often actually helpful. The few I’ve seen since the ban weren’t immediately locked at least. I really like engaging with those, and don't care about "you're only reading because you're getting something out of it."

wolflu66 2025-11-06 02:57:48 UTC #5

Congratulations. You draw really well, and I especially love your watercolor style.

I uploaded the first episode of my comic on December 28th last year, and by the end of this year I expect to reach episode 14. This was something I couldn't have imagined before.
Additionally, my comic once reached #1 on the Action Fantasy category ranking, which was something that made me really happy. Although that category has relatively fewer works, so the competition isn't as intense XD.

I also hope to be selected for Staff Picks someday. Looks like we both need to keep working hard XD.

Also, I hope that next year I can be like you and average over 100 views per day.

riddp 2025-11-06 06:08:22 UTC #6

Congratulations
I found about Etherwood this year and I love it!

svlyisanliu 2025-11-06 09:00:09 UTC #7

@jwabeasley

Hi, I've read your summary (and the previous one as well) with interest.
With so many things, I just can't agree more. Having a backlog is key because low stats at the beginning (and also, beginning = long months, not a few days) are so depressing, and it's so easy to give up. Your goals are also quite interesting to think about, and in your current post, here is a nice piece of advice: establish goals that are within your control. Then to achieve them is more satisfying, and when they are not achieved, at least it's possible to analyze the why.

About stats, I have a bit of a different approach. No, maybe not. The approach is not different; I still have the urge to check and analyze. But I am trying not to. I would truly and madly like to stop looking at stats. When I think about when I drew and wrote when I was younger (pre-social media era, yeah), I would never think that what I did was to achieve X or Y views. I would be happy someone saw it, sure, but mostly I did it because it felt so good to create. Now, this 'feeling good' is diminished every time I check stats, no matter if they are bad or good. It changes nothing if I have a new subscriber or someone reads the entire story: the joy lasts a few seconds. But the joy of creating lasts hours.
Do you have the same?
It doesn't mean I'm not thinking (and struggling) with the ideas of how to promote my work - meaning how to reach readers. This is something I, in tiny steps, but still, try to do. Usually it's more about finding the voice: how to communicate not to sound like a salesman, rather than where.
What doesn't help is that I am aware that what I publish now I wrote some time ago, and now I write better. I am even writing a new story, but it'll take time to finish it. So, what I publish now, I am certain it's more or less ok, but I already am better, and readers deserve the best.

So, my goals are

-Post consistently, be patient, and don't give up. It's about being present on the platforms and learning how they work.
-Draw more and more to be better, as this is the biggest joy; don't give up.
-Write a new story to write better (stop thinking about the old story; just publish what is done).

BTW, I was considering reading your work, so now I subscribed and slowly will read.
I stopped exchanging subs as I noticed it's giving a boost, but not real readers. However, I found here, on Tapas, a few people that I exchange reading and comments with- in a way that I like it - I like the stories i read as well. If you have time, check my work; if not writing (it can be not your cup of tea), maybe art you'll like. But no pressure, I don't expect any exchange.

Sorry for that long reply. Thanks for your post.

jwabeasley 2025-11-06 14:34:11 UTC #8

No rush, get to it when you're ready! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!

jwabeasley 2025-11-06 14:38:02 UTC #9

Good luck! Your comic's artstyle seems in line with what Tapas likes for its bonus program. I never really had a large art following before, I'm really starting from scratch on this run. I've definitely learned a lot from doing it this time around!

jwabeasley 2025-11-06 17:22:17 UTC #10

Those are good ideas, if I can just produce them. I think if I can let myself make some 'bad ones' then maybe I can get to some good ones. On the other hand, I'll try to avoid any AI involvement if at all possible. It is very tempting to use it to fill in my skill/time gaps, but I'll gain more if I can learn to do those parts myself.

It sounds like you should consider how to move to non explicit content. 9:1 difference in views is a strong signal, I think. I don't have any spikes like that on my chapters. Maybe there's ways to suggest, rather than depict, that would be amenable? Or some TADC style censorship blocks, perhaps.

susutaru 2025-11-06 20:19:15 UTC #11

Thx!

I'm a slow reader though, but what I saw speaks clearly of a lot of improvement and level-up XD
That's the satisfying point to see, if you're drawing everyday. When looking back over a great span of time, you see and feel your improvement.

jwabeasley 2025-11-07 03:51:15 UTC #12

Your comic is really great, and I love your style too! I thought you did get a Staff Pick, more than 6 months ago... regardless, staff picks are opaque and out of our control. That said, I don't think the boost from Staff picks is that big, actually, in the grand scheme of things.

You'd definitely get more views daily if you posted more things for people to view!

wolflu66 2025-11-07 12:00:45 UTC #13

@jwabeasley Wait, really? Are you serious?

Because according to Tapas's explanation, the basic requirement for Staff Pick is to have at least ten episodes uploaded, so I hadn't been paying attention to it before.

It seems the platform doesn't notify you when you're selected either. Well, I hope I can make it into Staff Pick a second time soon.

jwabeasley 2025-11-07 21:18:17 UTC #14

Thank you!

So you get a small dopamine hit from checking your work and seeing the stats go up - but it's just like cream puffs or drugs, the amount has to go higher and higher, and you're never really satisfied. There's no amount of stats where your brain will naturally tell you, "Alright, I'm cool, man. I don't want any higher numbers."

When I had a comic page reach r/all last April and had a huge spike in views/subs/etc., it did feel pretty good. I rode that high for a solid week. But I can't replicate that every day, and even if I did get 20k views on my stuff every day, soon enough I'd get used to it and it would feel normal to me. At that point any disruption to that would feel terrible!

That's why it's important to actively keep your expectations low and ensure you find enjoyment in the process of creation for its own sake. Wannabe rock stars that want the fame but don't love the music will never put the time in to even get a shot at fame. It's worse in comics, because in comics even the rock stars are still nobodies with lower-middle class incomes. If you don't love it, you'll never have the endurance to finish.

A prolific writer I follow often is asked how he finds time to write so many books. He always answers that he has no idea, because he's always writing. Writing isn't work for him, writing is the thing he gets to do when the laundry is folded and the dishes are done. He gets to write. We need that mindset for our art and writing, too.

Those goals are okay, but let's reframe them in positive terms. Our brains often drop negative modifiers on the statements we tell ourselves frequently: saying "I am not fat" will be way less effective than saying "I am thin." So Instead of "Don't give up," I say "PERSERVERE!" or "Maintain discipline!"

svlyisanliu 2025-11-08 09:14:18 UTC #15

Hey, again, totally agree.
Good idea to reframe the goals; could work better.
I like writing, that's the thing. Here I don't want to stop, no matter the stats. I perceive improving both how I draw and how I write as my personal matter now. Fortunately, it's tied to the aim 'someday you'll write as good as the book you enjoy reading' rather than 'someday you'll write as this XYZ someone who has these XYZ stats,' haha. But I met writers who fell into the stats trap and spoiled their stories because they wanted to chase 'what is working,' meaning what is giving clicks.
So, let's have fun: draw, write, and that's the most important:)
Wishing you the best!

justanothernerdling 2025-11-08 11:06:13 UTC #16

Man I do love stats, thanks for sharing the graphs!

Humbug 2025-11-08 15:47:54 UTC #17

Congrats on the steady growth! Also, traditional media is always a treat to see.