marsoid

HOW I MAKE WEBCOMICS (part 7)

Added 2021-07-23 23:54:28 +0000 UTC

updating

how often should you update your webcomic, and how many pages should be in each update? for Long Exposure, i updated 3 times a month on saturdays. i don't know why i picked 3 times or saturdays, but i think updating during a weekday is a smarter choice, when more people will be online to see it! i'm not sure if there's any weekday that's better for webcomic updates than others, but if it's a big concern, consider searching the most active times of day for each social media site you plan on posting your update alert to!

for Ride or Die, i'm posting updates twice a month, every 13th and 27th. i decided to go for this updating model because i think giving readers specific dates each month makes it easier for everyone to remember, and look forward to. it's predictable!!

i personally post my comics with multiple pages each update, BUT that's because this is my full-time job and i don't have many other responsibilities outside of work! if you don't have the time or energy to make more than one comic page a week (or every 2 weeks, 3 weeks etc), don't promise multi-page updates! don't burn yourself out! it's important to really understand your limitations mentally and physically. today you might feel like you could do 4 comic pages a week, but how do you feel on bad days? always prepare for the bad days.

the majority of webcomics (to my knowledge) update with one comic page a week. it's a model lots of readers are used to.

obviously, the more pages you post, and the more often you post them, you'll probably drive up readership and engagement. but please don't take that as a reason to kill your wrist/shoulder/brain to pump out as many pages as possible. as often as i make comic pages, i still take breaks often. long breaks! the better you care for yourself now, the better your comic will be later down the line.

it's also really recommended to have a backlog of pages. finish several pages ahead of the ones you're posting to readers, in case something comes up and you can't make a new page one week!

also one last note about updates: remember! anyone who complains about how often you update your webcomic doesn't deserve to read it :^)

guest comics

GUEST COMICS are a great way to keep your webcomic updated while you take a break! for those who are unaware, a guest comic is a short comic made by someone other than you, to be posted as an update in place of your regularly scheduled comic updates. guest comics are usually (i think??) NOT made in line with the canon storyline. they're usually a fun little one-off about the main or side characters. think of it as a short break between whatever crazy shit is happening in your plot at the moment! i like to plan mine between chapters, so they're not placed randomly in the middle of a scene.

note: PAY YOUR GUEST COMIC ARTISTS, PAY THEM FAIRLY unless ofc they don't want to be paid!!