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ComixTalk

Sean Kleefeld on Digital File FormatsToday

Why hasn't digital comic downloads caught on like music, etc?  Maybe it's the failure of industry to rally around a standard?  (Or adopt the de facto CBR standard out there).  Sean Kleefeld breaks down formats and explains the strengths and weakness of them.

Sci-Fi Webcomic Ex Astris: From Cell Phone To CelluloseYesterday

John Freeman and Mike Nicoll's comic Ex Astris which appears online at exastris.co.uk is in the latest issue of the British SF comics magazine Spaceship Away.  I'm not sure how it's laid out in the magazine -- online it's a bit like one of those animated clickwheel comics as it was formatted for cellphones.  It also appears at mobile phone comics hub ROK comics.

An Interview with Crystal Yates, Creator of EarthsongYesterday

Crystal Yates is the creator of the fantasy webcomic Earthsong.  The comic has a complicated mythos; in it the planets are somewhat like gods and the creatures that live on their surface are their offspring.  I don't want to write out the whole mythos but many different species are relocated to the world of Earthsong.  Despite the involved world-building that went into the concept, it's a pretty easy webcomic to get into and the art is nicely done.  I got a chance to interview Crystal earlier this fall via email.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I went to college for an art program and hated it.  I excelled in it, but I hated it so much that I decided to give up on art as a career entirely.  So I went to university for Fine Art History, Archaeology, and Egyptology, and enjoyed it, but missed the art.  After graduation I started my comic, Earthsong, just for fun, and never looked back. I've been working on it for four years now, and during that time I got married, had a son and turned 28.  Crazy.

 

What's a typical day for you like recently?

I look after my 20 month old son full time so I have to squeeze in as much comic making as I can during his roughly two hour afternoon nap.  Occasionally I get to work on the comic in the evening when my husband comes home from work, but other than that I'm burnin'

Personality Type of Your Blog?Yesterday

This won't really work on a webcomic (unless it's been transcribed than I suppose it might work) but Typealyzer purports to apply the BriggsMyer Personality test to your blog.  I ran ComixTalk.com through it:

ISTP - The Mechanics

The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generally prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.

The Mechanics enjoy working together with other independent and highly skilled people and often like seek fun and action both in their work and personal life. They enjoy adventure and risk such as in driving race cars or working as policemen and firefighters.

Seems about right...

 

Slamming the Gates -- Or Opening them.November 29

I just sent this email to a bookstore in response to their youtube description of another funnel site (keeping authors going through one gateway):

Hi -- I'm joining IndieBound.org at your Facebook (video) suggestion.

Now -- I love independent bookstores. But as an author, I can't afford to lock myself into one seller base. I use Lulu.com, Dimestoreproductions.com, Booksurge.com, Amazon -- whatever it takes.

Dimestore and Booksurge work to keep customer costs and carbon footprint down by direct ordering. A retailer can get POD books at near wholesale through Lulu or Booksurge.

However, any retailer that tries to funnel authors through one gateway -- and penalizes those authors for refusing to use only one gateway -- is going to find authors selling everywhere except that gateway -- and the one with the gate ends up being the only one behind it. Even Diamond Comics is figuring this out (say what you will about them, they're trying).

I WANT to keep small independent bookstores running. But can you use POD the way it was meant to be used -- without distributors, without returns and shredding?

I know Amazon makes you crazy -- but it fills a huge customer need. Indie bookstores worked with distributors to limit our customer contact and sales. Why go to your bookstore when they can only get it on Amazon? By using Lulu and Booksurge you can get the Amazon rates -- near wholesale -- without distribution or extra fees,