Some marketing thoughts via MSN.

Sydney says:
you were telling me that part of Dave's problem is he doesn't have a name as a comic book artist, that's part of why his sales are weak. In order to establish a name you need exposure right? So how about this... Bite the bullet... Accept the fact that Dave isn't going to make any more money of this comic book venture? So what does he have left?... A comic book. Why not just post the comic book online for free and get free readership? It's eaked out as much money as it's ever going to make. Get more exposure by offering it for free.
Rhody Belo says:
hey thats a good idea, hmmm, your on to something
Sydney says:
The people who bought it won't be unhappy, they already have a hard copy and for people who get it free, they only get an internet version.
Rhody Belo says:
so far this comic thing isn't great sales wise
Sydney says:
Here's another idea but it's not new, I see other publishers doing the same thing. Next time, publish the first 10 pages free, get people into the story before the comic is finished. People can read the first 10 pages and are left hanging wanting more. They have to buy the comic to find out what happens next. I didn't see Dave do that.
Rhody Belo says:
actually we kinda did that with the first issue
Sydney says:
oh really, I didn't see it
Rhody Belo says:
but its kinda all over the place
Sydney says:
Then you need a dedicated site for the comic, kinda like each feature film has it's own site. A place where a reader can go to get updates and all the info they ever wanted.
Rhody Belo says:
true...we didn't do that
Sydney says:
I think there were major flaws in Dave's marketing strategy, people just don't know his comic is out there, even to this day. A lot can be done for little money to promote the comic beyond just random posts on comic book forums
Rhody Belo says:
we just advertised on some critic pages
Sydney says:
not enough, need more in ur face marketing.
Rhody Belo says:
your right bad marketing
Sydney says:
It's not enough just being an artist. I am find out that too many artists like to hide behind their art as an excuse for not marketing themselves properly. There's too many good artists out there, why is it that the crappiest artists make it into the money... they promote promote promote
Rhody Belo says:
wow...we are bad biz guys, the market is kinda shot too which doesn't help a lot
Sydney says:
i think so, you need to look at the market. Is it an emerging market? Is it a growth market? or is it a mature market in decline? Like i said, just being a passionate artist isn't good enough.
Rhody Belo says:
declining big time
Sydney says:
Then what are your options? Use your creative gift and enter a different market? Or recreate the comic market with something creatively different
Rhody Belo says:
yah
Sydney says:
Here's my take. As a business, you need something that will grab customers, something that is unique to your product, something that the other guy doesn't have. As I see it, Dave is just creating more of the same old same old.
Rhody Belo says:
yeh
Sydney says:
I don't see what's giving his product that extra edge. He may be a talented artist... but, he needs to be more original. Sorry if it sounds harsh, it's purely a critique from a business perspective
Rhody Belo says:
Its not harsh at all
Sydney says:
Picture yourself as a comic book geek. Would you buy it or any other title for that matter? What would you buy? What would catch your eye on that already overly saturated comic shelf? If you can figure that out, then you have a competitive product.
Rhody Belo says:
we need a biz mind...we just do art. I think I would bye it if it were colour thats just me
Sydney says:
but there's already so much color out there. You need something else to pull those sales in. Here's something just for shits and giggles. I did mention this before but not sure how realistic it is.
Rhody Belo says:
haha k
Sydney says:
The one thing I do know readers value... quality quality quality. What exactly do I mean? Too much art these days is created on a monthly deadline, too much quality is sacrificed. I think if one can take the time to really create a high level of design , narrative and rendering quality, then people will notice. It won't be a monthly thing that's for sure, but it'll bring in the bucks in the end.
Rhody Belo says:
your right people would rathar get quality then buying shitty by monthly
Sydney says:
Example, Masamune Shirow, people either buy his comics for the art or for his amazingly complex stories. He's now considered god of sci fi manga.
Rhody Belo says:
I think we just banged this out
Sydney says:
I think most artists bang it out because of publishing deadlines, that's the nature of the industry
Rhody Belo says:
yep