How often do you update? (and how many pages)

[actualquienn]

Well, I'm planning on starting a webcomic soon. It would be about 10 pages or so each chapter, and there would be about 10 chapters since I'm making a short comic, and I will see if balancing webcomics and school is possible. However, I'm not too sure how often to update and how many pages at once.

As a reader, I prefer updates with several pages at once as compared to a page by page one, since for page by page ones, I tend to forget the story more often and I end up rereading the previous few pages as well. Updates with several pages is more favorable as I don't forget the story as often.

As for how often, many use the page per week format, some use the chapter per month and some don't have any schedule at all.

So far, I've been thinking of update half a chapter each month, so, how often and how many pages do you upload each time?

[infectedbloodcomics]

Personally, I believe it's better to update consistently a page each week (that's what I do) or twice a week (if you have time) than uploading a bunch of pages every two weeks, as I find that it helps build and engage readership. Until you have several pages up, I doubt you'll be able to gather much traction anyway, and leaving the comic sit on several pages for two weeks runs the risk of having it slide by in people's memory. This is why I uploaded a preview for my upcoming next page when I went on a brief hiatus (just a little over a couple of weeks), and this is why several people fill hiatus time by requesting guest comics.

Just my 2 cents.

[Chopythes]

Even though my comic is fairly easy to read, I only update once a week with one page.
That, because I don't want to run out of my buffer. However, I used to update 2 pages a week, as it gives you a little more exposure and a chance for people to find your comic more easy.

(I also happen to subscribe to peoples comics which I find interesting, wait for them to update for a while and then read the whole thing in one go! It's easier for me to remember what has happened in the comic by the next update.)

Since you're combining school and comics, what would be the easiest option for you? I would think more like that, if I were you.

[AnnaLandin]

I upload one page at a time, twice a week - Mondays and Fridays. I've picked this schedule because it's one I can consistently keep up with, and still have a buffer in case of emergencies.

While several pages per update is nice from the reader's point of view - they get more of the story in one go! - it's not something I feel I can realistically pull off, so I don't. I am considering going back and editing previous episodes, collapsing them down so that I have multi-page episodes, and therefore fewer episodes per chapter - to make navigate my archives easier on new readers.

Also, if there are too many pages in a single episode, I find the endless scrolling a bit tiresome - and also confusing. When there's only one page (or one 4-5 panel strip) in an episode, I can keep track of where I am easily. If there's, like, 10 pages or more in an update, it's easy for me to lose track of where one scene ends and another begins, etc. This is, of course, purely a personal preference, so you might feel differently.

As for updating only once a month... Some people do that, and manage just fine, but remember - if you only update once a month, your comic only shows up in the Fresh-section once a month. Updating more frequently means more exposure to potential readers browsing that category.

[stephensharpe707]

I think it really comes down to how much you can output without unnecessary stress, as you mention school as well it might be worth building yourself a couple weeks buffer before starting to post? Just means should anything come up, you've still got comics going out whilst you're otherwise occupied.

Currently I'm updating twice a week with a DPS each, but once I finish the current issue, I may just stick to two pages a week. Thankfully I've been in a position of coasting on 2 years worth of content, but I'll be posting fresh pages soon enough.

[mg78]

2 page each 15 days, if im lucky.

[niinasalmelin]

I update new page once a week. Twice would be best, but I'm not fast enough maker to not run out of material sooner. Best way to avoid stress is to make as much ready pages as you can and then start uploading once or twice, while you'll be making new ones without a pressure.

[Kayke]

When I was in college I used to make 2 new pages a week, but once I graduated I had to drop down to one page a week so that I could work on my comic and still have time for freelance and illustration stuff.

If you're going to do bigger updates rather than one page at a time, don't leave too long of a gap between updates! I know as a reader I hate waiting months and months between story chapters and even if I like a comic sometimes I'll stop checking it if it doesn't update regularly. Maybe set a schedule? Like "first Tuesday of the month" and post 5 pages at a time?

[DynamoToon]

I upload new Room for Improvement episodes every tuesday and thursday. I take the weekends off and resume comic making in the week.

[Amymone]

My comic updates 12 pages, once a week, but this is because I worked to build up a large buffer. It took me a year to put 30 chapters (360 pages) of distance between me and my readers. Averagely, it takes me a week to churn out a single chapter if I'm completing two pages a day. Whenever I know I'll be hitting the road for a week, I try to bring two chapters worth of work with me so I don't fall behind, but living in and out of a car really zaps the energy out of you.

I keep a very tight production-schedule book and I know what day my series will end and how much time I have to complete it before I absolutely must start my next story project, so I'm ALWAYS constantly freaking out about days/time I've lost and days/time I have left to work. ;A; It's horror and I don't wish it on anybody. I have these anxious conversations with my family and they keep telling me "Don't worry, you have plenty of time" and I'm like waving around my schedule book "NO I DON'T" The only way to make more time is to push a project back another year and time is precious! Tomorrow is promised to NO MAN! I'm alive NOW! Seize the day!

[AnnaLandin]

I keep a very tight production-schedule book and I know what day my series will end and how much time I have to complete it before I absolutely must start my next story project, so I'm ALWAYS constantly freaking out about days/time I've lost and days/time I have left to work. ;A; It's horror and I don't wish it on anybody.

Just curious - why do you have such a tight production-schedule, if it's making you this anxious? I'm sure your readers would be just as happy with 6 pages in a week, or five, or whatever. If it's making you feel this bad, perhaps it's time to reconsider it?

[serenitysquirrel]

With work and everything, I can manage a page a week. Occasionally the pages are late as well. So is life.

[Kura]

One page, sometimes two, everyday for No Future

One page every week or two weeks for Raven Wolf Though I've had to temporarily slow down a bit because of health and real life issues.

This is the schedule that works for me. With the one that gives me the least stress 'No Future' even though I update everyday. It's art style is simple so that it doesn't hurt or over exert me too much to draw (I have autoimmune disorders, where my system sees my joints and moisture glands as an 'enemy' and attacks and destroys them giving me much pain and arthritis) as well as it just feels nice to have the story going. As opposed to Raven Wolf, which has more detail and is not nearly as simple, so it hurts like hell to work on, and I constantly feel like "I'm working so hard yet I feel like I'm going nowhere the progress through the story is so slow." It's unfortunately the drawing pace I can manage at the moment.

For No Future I have two versions, one that I release it in parts in a scrolling format, the other page by page. My readers seem to prefer the page by page format and it's more commons for them to comment and share it. The scrolling one consisting of around 10 - 15ish pages reformatted to scroll, hardly gets much views, readers or comments at all.

[joannekwan]

In color
Demon House - 2 pages a week (sometimes it's 1 depending on how I've paced scenes)

In grayscale
Heavy Horns - 1 page a week

In pure black and white
Erie Waters - 2 pages a week

[Amymone]

Just curious - why do you have such a tight production-schedule, if it's making you this anxious?

Specifically, the schedule got tight from every week I lost, the first few times I had to hit the road. In other words, I lost time back when I had the mentality that I "had time". I only recently started bringing my scanner/printer with me in a bag and even then it was a hassle to try to figure out when and where it was appropriate to bust it out. I was actually supposed to be starting the next story project this September, but I had to push it back to January because of all of the lost time, which means that I only have 20-something weeks between production and when the story is scheduled to start posting. Thankfully this season of mandatory road-trips will end soon,so I'm hoping to not have to many prolonged gaps in my schedule..

I'm sure your readers would be just as happy with 6 pages in a week, or five, or whatever. If it's making you feel this bad, perhaps it's time to reconsider it?

Building up the buffer isn't really something I'm willing to reconsider because it means too much to me to have a consistent posting schedule and to be as far ahead of my audience as possible. The only thing that really makes me feel bad is when other variables try to jump out and eat away the time I've already scheduled for work. For example, I'll be moving into a new home sometime soon and I can already see losing a week or two of work on just that alone.

[Kamikaze]

I'm with a lot of people here that it's better to update on a consistent basis once a week. There's a lot of people who can pull off the 'I'll post it when it's done" model, but folks get suuuuper antsy waiting so long. You don't want to give them more time to forget about your work. Seriously, the only person I've seen able to really pull that off is Aaron Diaz behind Dresden Codak.

The comic I work on, Kamikaze, is updated once a week with one page, and in the very rare occasion, two (full story page and a splash).

A bit of advice: Please, please, please be sure you have a buffer of some kind pulled together no matter how long you wait between posts. The more pages you have in your back pocket the better. My team and I made the stupid/brilliant decision to just DUMP 23 pages worth of our buffer at the beginning of Kamikaze all at once. This meant that we could hook our readers in and give them lots of story from the get go...but it also meant we had NO buffer. We've been playing catch up ever since. Not fun. Not fun at all. :/

[starvebeast]

I've been updating Starve the Beast twice a week, one page at a time. But I might try to update 2-3 pages every week all at once. I know that I'm always a bit disappointed when I see an update from a comic I like and only get a page.

Do you all think readers are more likely to like/comment on single pages or multiple pages?

[atlas]

One to two pages a week. My job has slowed me down substantially.

[hiwar95]

I barely have time to draw. But when I do have time to draw, i draw and post at least 20 pages with bonus material (backstories, profiles, weapon-information, basic explanations etc) My shortest chapter was 12 pages the longest 43 not including my one-shot chapter that was 48, because it wasn't about my main comic.
I used to draw 5 chapters a year, but I think I can make time to draw perhaps 1 chapter a month.

[ErithEl]

Readers will always show a little more interest in comics that update with several pages per week, or in longform format, but I've always been very patient with comics that only update one page per week, because that's all I can do for my own comic, Burning Bright.

I actually have a pretty big buffer, but I work full time at an exhausting job and I know I can't finish pages quick enough to upload more than once a week.

I can only blame so much on work, though...like right now I should be working on my comic, buuuttt Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is on Netflix, and my bed is really comfortable...