Remember the most common writing advice: write what you know! It’s good advice! This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should only write about your life or make realistic fiction style stories. It just means that you’ll usually write best when you write about overall experiences and emotions that you know about.
Remember that characters that lean more heavily on the flawed side will give you more to work with as writer and develop over time. Balance is important, but you need to give yourself wiggle room!
The goal here is for you to get an idea about how long it takes you to make a comic and learn how you might streamline the process. You might end up deciding that you need a simpler style, less coloring, or other changes.
Don’t worry about catering to what every single person says. You want to deal with what the most common complaints are. Do people dislike your main character? Are your jokes funny? Is your drawing style a bit slapdash? Work on things like this before you complete your final comics.
Having am irregular publishing schedule is a good way too lose your readers and deter new ones. An update schedule will also help motivate you to work on your comic, as working on it as a habit will help you overcome laziness and procrastination.
Generally you want to start with 1-3 months worth of strips. Do more if you know your schedule is hectic or you’re prone to procrastination. If you wish, you can use the same plot lines you used in your first three, just cleaned up from the new feedback you’ve received.
You can get a website for very cheap and the right web host can make it much easier to run. Give your website a good name that’s easy to remember. Naming it the same as your comic will help a lot.
Center your webcomic in the middle of the page. It should not be too big or too small. Make your comics easy to navigate. Include a link to an archive of all of your comics. Arranging them by story line or chapter usually works better than by date, if your comic has an actual plot line. You should also include buttons below the comic that let you see the “first”, “previous”, “next” and “latest” comic strips. List the name of your webcomic at the top of your page, along with the update schedule. Let your readers “see” you. Include a Contact page, so people can e-mail you about the comic, advertising, collaborations, feedback etc. You should also have a blog area, possibly below your comic, that will just be random musings from you, possibly about the comic. This way you can keep people informed and help them connect with you. Give your readers a voice. Consider a comments area for viewers to comment on your comics. This is not for everyone, but it will make your readers much happier and invested in the story. You can add a forum later if your comment section can’t handle the load. Consider a link exchange or links section. They may do the same in return for you, thus raising your site traffic. Just talk to other artists!
Put links on your Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook and in your signature on any forums you are a part of. Ask any friends who would appreciate its humour to go on, and perhaps advertise it on their blogs/sites.
Spend time interacting with and supporting other comic artists, and be sure to be respectful and positive. Definitely don’t be creepy!
You’ll make a little money by putting ads on your site (Google Ads are easiest) but most webcomic cartoonists make most of their money from merchandise (often called “merch”). Be prepared to deal with getting books, posters, stickers, and other items printed and made, as well as traveling to conventions and things like that. If you’re not up for these things, then you’re unlikely to be able to sustain your comic in the long run.
