Why isint my webcomic getting any traction even though I've been updating it for a year?

@HGohwell HgOhwell
Tue, 03 Jan 2023 04:41:17 +0000

@HGohwell wrote:

Your summary definitely doesn't help, your summary, cover/thumbnail and earliest episodes need to be the the best you can show to lure people in. So I'll quickly go through your summary and hope it helps. This may sound harsh, but it's better to be blunt, I'm afraid. You can have the best story in the world, if you don't get people in the door it means nothing.

A tale about lost souls in a post-apocalyptic world looking to find themselves when all seems hopeless,

This is your summary and it tells your reader very little about the actual story. I don't know who these lost souls are or why I should care about them and post-apocalyptic worlds are a dime a dozen. Unless you have an interesting new take on that setting, in which case mention it, I doesn't draw anyone in. Tell me who your main characters are and why I should care.

and a cult-like organization that will become important later.

This bit - don't care. If it's a twist, don't give it away now, it's important, explain. This is far too casual. You're saying "trust me, it's important" and that doesn't look professional. Either explain the cult properly or don't.

What connections can be made when all seems to be lost?

Why do I care? I don't know who's forming connections or why or what the plot or goals are. What I know is there are some (idk how many) characters who're lost souls (which could mean anything from literal to angsty teens) in a non-descript post-apocolyptic world and there might be a cult later. Why do I care? What's there to hook me into this right now?

Eclipse starts off slice of lifey but becomes more plot-heavy as it goes on.

None of this is reflected in your actual summary. If you have to tell people this, your summary needs work. I should be able to tell from your tone something like "X thought they were joining a basket ball club but the longer they're there, the more they realise there are deep secrets they're teammates are hiding from them behind the cosy team atmosphere" rather than having to outright say it.

Note: Apologies for the first couple of chapters and text formating, i promise it gets way better!

Don't say this! This is one of the biggest nos. Everyone knows webcomics improve over time, it's in their nature, so don't draw attention to the your early mistakes, but also, as I said above, your early chapters should be the hook to get people in and text formatting is a big thing because it effects readability. If you know there are issues like this, and feel the need to warn people, go back and fix it. Or, if it's not that bad and you're simply trying to sound modest and humble, don't. Both are a lose, either people won't stick with a comic they can't read long enough even if it gets better, or very few people actually go for summaries that go "I know it sucks but trust me it gets better", there's a reason that's a hallmark of first time fanfic writers. Have confidence in your work and tell people it's fine to read or fix it, which ever is actually required.

I'm sorry if this all sounds harsh, but there's not much point sugar coating it. The summary and episodes are some of the most important parts in getting eyes on your comic long enough to stick around, you need to leverage those to their fullest. A very simple basic template for summaries should be more like:

This is Main Character. Their goal is Goal (optional Because). In the way is Problem. To solve Problem and achieve Goal, Main Character must Solution. Follow Main Character as they Solution, will it work?

Don't try to hide things or be mysterious. Play with this kind of template and bit and see what works for your specific story, but remember that most people are here for characters and plot. Tell them who their main character(s) are, what their goal is and why I should care, above all else. Think of stories you like, what is the main plot and how would you summarise it? Most of the time it will be something like "X tries to save the world" or "Y gets stuck in a love triangle" and so on, not "there's this vague world and maybe a cult later".