What small press comic creators can learn from punk

www.smallpresscomics.com — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Small press comics are directly related to zinesgenerally self-published works with small circulation and a goal of exposure over profit. Most small press comics creators are aware that their properties are unlikely to end up on the front page of www.directstartv.com, but that’s part of the charm of these DIY publications. Many groups have produced zines successfully through the years, from Benjamin Franklin’s self-published literary magazine (distributed at a Pennsylvania hospital) to science fiction authors. One of the best-documented zine communities, though, can be found among punk fans and musicians. These creators set an example of how works can be cheaply distributed in the modern day.For example, PUNK Magazine was started in 1975 by John Holmstrom, Ged Dunn, and Legs McNeil. Besides attaching the term “punk” to the new wave of bands like the Sex Pistols and Iggy Pop, the magazine supported clubs like CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. The magazine also published comics, drawn by Holmstrom and future alternative comics celebrity Peter Bagge. The main purpose of these zines was to allow fans to comment and critique events and creators in the punk community. The technology of photocopying was instrumental in getting these zines out to audiences.Punk and other zines were often obtained through mailorder distribution outlets, some of which were founded in the 1970s and still exist today. Some zines have made it into bookstores, like Giant Robot and Maximum RocknRoll. Still others can be found in specialty zinestores or zine libraries devoted to special genres. Small comics publishers are sure to find an audience in these locations, or at one of the many zine conventions held around the country, including:

Alternative Press Expo
Boston Zine Fair
Richmond Zine Fest
Portland Zine Symposium
Twin Cities Zine Fest

How to get your own comic published

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:25:16 +0000

So you’ve done the hard part. You’ve come up with a superhero, or a detective, or a punk rocker, and you’ve written and drawn their adventures. Now is the time to relax, right? Wrong. You’ve still got one important task ahead of you: getting your book out in the world.First, you will have to come up with a way of printing it. You can use commercial stores like Fed Ex Office or, if you’re lucky enough to have access to a college or university, you can use their printing departments. Before you get to this step, you’ll also have to figure out what to charge for the book. This depends on a variety of things, like how long it is, how many you have available, and how much the printing cost. One thing to keep in mind is that people usually like paying with single coins, so make it a round 25 cents rather than trying to go lower.The next step is advertising and promotion. This is how you’ll convince buyers to pay for your comic instead of a book from a larger company. It’s important to make sure you’re reaching the right audience, so decide if you want to advertise in magazines with larger circulation, like Wizard and Previews, or a smaller, more independent newsletter. Of course, you can also always just tell your friends, and tell them to tell their friends, and tell them to tellIn today’s modern world, the internet can be your best friend as well. If you use a print-on-demand company like Lightning Source, you can even get your books onto the Holy Grail of sites, Amazon. Even larger independent presses like iUniverse and Xlibris make use of this model. These are just a few of the things you’ll have to consider before you get your book in the hands of the fans.

Small Press Comics » Self-Publishing

What small press comic creators can learn from punk

How to get your own comic published