Hey Tapastic!
Reading hundreds of comics, posting in dozens of threads, and reading tons of comments, I've come to a conclusion: A lot of great people here doubt themselves. They wonder why they can't get a reaction, even though they've been trying really hard. I run a couple of successful art websites, I've got a pretty good audience on DeviantArt - but it's all for 3D characters, generally in various states of undress. Webcomics? Totally new territory. But I'm going to give it my best shot, using what I've learned from my experiences in 3D, but more importantly, just experiences with showing your heart and soul (your art) to thousands of people.
Before I go into my list - just please understand one thing. You can do this. You're here because you're passionate about webcomics. You've chosen to give a lot of your precious time to Tapastic (et al) to get noticed. You will be successful, if you keep working hard. Now, how to work hard? Well, that's debatable, but this is how I do it.
Here's my mantras to being successful creatively:
Uniqueness. Don't look at other comics as a barometer as to what you should do with yours. You will get frustrated. You're going to see other comics with what appear to have minimal effort, only to have thousands of subs and hundreds-of-thousands of views. They earned their audience. They may have been doing this a long time somewhere else. Don't think about that. Just do your thing.
Fearlessness. Do what you want to do, not what's popular or what everyone else is doing. If you don't do what you love, you won't be successful. My comic has ecchi alternates to many of its pages. That creates controversy. But I'm here doing what I love to do, and that's what I love. I've been called a lot of things, believe me. You learn to shrug it off.
Persistence. People are probably going to comment and give their opinion, especially as you get more popular. Don't listen to them - you're popular by going your own way - so keep going your own way. You are doing this because you love to do it - not for money, or a reaction, or love of others, or anything like that.
Consistence. Stay consistent! Even if you post just once a month, make sure you do around the same time every month. People love to be able to stop in and see a new comic every week at a scheduled time. Be the one they love to come back to again and again. That can only happen if you're ready when they are.
Evolve. You have to do everything in your power to get better at what you do. Read a lot - and not just how-to books on how to draw comics effectively. We all love Scott McCloud, but going beyond the scope of how to draw comics will help a lot. Consider character creation, business acumen, advertising strategy. Get better every day.
Just do it! Do it your way, do it consistently, and don't listen to nay-sayers. Just do your thing. By the way - if you're this type, working hard and waiting for that spark, let me know. I'll be happy to sub you and talk about you on the various websites and social media I use.
Best of luck to everyone out there,
AD (Lunchtiiime writer)
