Re: expanding my operations

[Aeneas1]

Hello chaps

Lately I have been losing subscribers. This has been very bad for my mental health for several reasons: a) it means that I am no longer able to beat my higher-ranking competitors into the ground (I name no names) and b) it means that people aren’t appreciating my work sufficiently. My relatives have urged me to get a normal job in a coffee shop.

The fact is, I want to be treated with respect on account of the work that I do, and I don’t feel sufficiently appreciated here. I have lost two subscribers, both yesterday and today (edit: now three). My mother has advised me to find a different vehicle - from what she has told me, Tapas Media is obscure and her friends haven’t heard of it.

Nixvir’s popularity is dying, and I have had to do whatever it takes to keep it afloat. Therefore, I announce that I will be expanding into other comic sites. I didn’t want to, but I will have to anyway. Therefore, I announce that I have published in ComicFury. You may not think I have reach there, but I think it is smarter to go for the more creator-friendly option first.

Nixvir

To those who left, I am sorry you don’t like my work. Nixvir really could have been something great. - not like that idiotic film Frozen and that stupid comic The Umbrella Academy.

Thank you for your time, and keep creating.

[Panpan]

(typing on phone, sorry for the grammar mistakes)
I have a few thoughts on some of the things you said.

1) we shouldnt think of other creators/authors as competition. we are all in this together to grow for the same reasons. considering creating as a competition will, of course, affect mental health. saying "beat them to the ground" is kinda offensive to other creators who "made it" who started out with nothing as well.

2) people do appreciate your work, just sometimes people give it a try and decide maybe its not for them. it happens to everyone.

3) I mean...Tapas's average reader is 18-24. 80% in fact, according to their NYCcon presentation last month. So is it really surprising your mom and friends havn't heard of a platform that mainly caters to the younger crowd?

4) So by definition, losing 2 subs means your work is dying? my friend, absolutely not. I lose (and gain people) DAILY. Is my work dying, too?

5) also, even the biggest creators on the platform do not rely on their comic or novel as their main job unless HUGE like The Beginning After the End or Heartstopper. Everyone else has jobs to make a living.

[smokesalty]

Focusing too much on subs and competing with other creators will inevitably lead to you not feeling good about your work and being stressed out. Indie comics are a community, or at least we should be. We're all trying to put our work out there.

Also- tapas is a more niche area for indie comics that aren't promoted by the site. You shouldn't be loyal to just one hosting site unless you're under contract which you wouldn't be since you're putting it out for free. Post wherever you can, keep marketing. And losing subs is normal. It just means you'll have a more accurate measure for how many people are actively reading your work vs ghost subs. Losing a few subs doesn't mean your work is dying... there's always ways to market and get new eyes on it.

If you feel you aren't quite getting eyes on there, it's very valuable to get critique. Sometimes work needs much more time and practice to improve it to get readers. It's harsh but self reflection and feedback are important.

And as hard as it sounds, comics are not a very big money maker for most people making comics. You can still keep making your work while having another job. Hell, I work in fast food at the moment while working on my comic every week. Don't bet on it being your living. Nothing wrong with getting a job and working on your comic in your free time.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

The OP feels like parody, I must admit. ^^; I mean, if losing TWO subscribers is enough to bother you, you don't have enough subscribers to even think about making a living off your work. A number that small shouldn't even make you blink if you're actually within the realm of "success"...
I just checked out The Little Trashmaid on Webtoon; they have 1.6 MILLION. Losing or even gaining 2 subs would not matter to s0s2-- that's what a popular webcomic looks like. On the internet, that's what a popular ANYTHING looks like.

Also, no one has heard of Tapas. No one has heard of ComicFury, and no one has even heard of Webtoon except a small population of nerds on the internet (i.e. us). Webcomics in general are far from mainstream; they're barely part of the public consciousness. Of course asking around IRL is gonna get you a bunch of blank stares...there's definitely money to be made, but it's still an extremely niche market.

The lesson here is, you need to keep your perspective in check. 90% of webcomic artists will not be "successful" and will still have to hold down a day job. And of the 10% that are "successful", 7 out of 10 will STILL have to hold down a day job to actually make enough money to survive. It's normal.

Losing subscribers is normal. Branching out to other webcomic sites is also normal; you shouldn't consider it a drastic measure. The word 'mirror' exists for a reason...

Finally, if you don't mind a bit of constructive criticism:
1) Why are you bringing Frozen and TUA into this? They have nothing to do with your success or lack thereof, you just sound petty and juvenile. I guarantee the creators and fans of those franchises have no idea you even exist. =/
2) If you really want people to look at your webcomic, you might include a link to its new home in your announcement post??? Y'know, so that the few people who aren't put off by your childish complaints get a chance to click on that link and see your work...?
Business savvy is a large part of becoming successful on the internet, and the simple fact that you don't even bother to advertise your comic on a post that's explicitly about its dying popularity, tells me that you're not taking it seriously. So why should anyone else?

[justanothernerdling]

you only lose deadweight -

people aren't numbers. That's quite dismissive. Instead consider...
1. they are 'cleaning up' their shelf, making sure it's what they're actively reading. The Tapas algorithm prefers stories that has fewer ghost subs. You can have a million subs, but if only two like/comment, what's the point?
2. they just... left tapas.
3. It was an account sacked for using AI/being fake lol

Making it big is a long shot. Even for the big creators here (premium and such, On Tapas and on other sites) I'd HOPE they have a 'normal job'?! I know some don't, but even then, that's absolutely sound advice until you know you are really standing out and making it big.

saw your post earlier, btw, idk why you felt like you needed to rope in the umbrella academy?

[kyupol]

I gain and lose subs all the time for whatever reason. Also get positive and negative reactions all the time from both online and irl...

Doesn't bother me much because as far as I'm concerned, I believe in my comic and I've stated before I have often felt like I'm just a tool being used by someone or something that's far beyond my comprehension... and I feel fulfilled being that tool

Yeah... fulfillment... or maybe "self actualization". That's the best way I can put it to the best of my understanding.

Because if I spent all the time I've spent doing my comics into even a minimum wage job (im a welder-sandblaster and I constantly refuse overtime because that takes time away from doing comics...) ... I'd probably have an extra $50,000 at least.

So... doing webcomics > money

Sounds illogical... honestly don't understand ‍

[Aeneas1]

Because I read the comics and hate them as this overrated badly drawn mess that got famous through sheer dumb luck. And because that shit fraudster, the false and grasping Mr Gerard Way has no Classical education like the one I had. I read Homer and Virgil at uni and he didn’t. I resent their popularity and that of Frozen too, because of the way it treats its snowmen as nothing more than parasites feeding off their mothers to stay alive rather than serious, fleshed out characters in their own right.

[vfaqvrf]

(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)

[MelancholicOtaku]

If you’re going to complain about losing subscribers then just give up.

[Panpan]

Actually, the comic was created my Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, who worked on it for a long time before finally publishing it. So not really through sheer luck, but the band's fan base that already existed.

With your mindset and disdain for popular stories.... I wish you luck on any platform