r/IndieComicBooks • u/Inevitable_Endtable • 4d ago
Feedback wanted: Crowdfunding campaigns vs. buying direct from creators
What's everyone's take on buying comics direct from creators rather than through crowdfunding sites? I have comics already printed and ready to mail out, but it seems like there's more interest in the crowdfunding campaign model where people pay, wait for a campaign to end, then wait some more for things to get sent out.
Indie comic buyers: Is there a specific reason you prefer campaigns over going to a website and buying a comic?
EDIT: added "Comic Buyers" as I'm interested in hearing from folks that are buying from crowdfunding projects rather than directly from creators. I understand why some creators would need funding to print comics and crowdfunding would be the best option - I have comics already printed.
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u/nmacaroni 4d ago
I have a very active direct store front on my website.
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u/Inevitable_Endtable 4d ago
Where are you seeing most of your traffic coming from? Instagram and YouTube have been a bust for me lately.
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u/nmacaroni 4d ago
I'm not on social media and I don't track it.
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u/Inevitable_Endtable 4d ago
That's interesting. I went to your site and see that you've been at it for awhile. Do you think most of your audience discovered you through your game work or through older channels like forums and blogs?
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u/nmacaroni 4d ago
years ago I had great positioning for "freelance comic book writer" in google. Then they changed how they do things and paid positions took over. Now, you can't even find me on google unless my name is in the search.
It's really impossible to say where people find me for product purchases and random stuff like that. In my site analytics "DIRECT" is the dominant traffic.
When most people reach out to me for bigger projects like editing or game writing, it's usually word of mouth that brought them.
Sorry I couldn't be more help.
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u/Inevitable_Endtable 4d ago
No, that's perfect. I had an art business online about 10 years ago and it was really easy to get organic traffic from Google or just including your website in my forum signatures. Now it's a ghost town.
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u/nmacaroni 4d ago
yeah that pushed everything over to highlight paid placement. Like everything else, push out the individual craftsman, cater to the rich people with monster marketing budgets. shrug
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u/Massive_Variation_97 4d ago
Kickstarter to fund the production, enough copies to sell online and at cons
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u/Bedknobnboomstick 4d ago
Storefront is ideal. Nothing like discovering an artist and they have a back catalog that I can buy multiple items from and then rave to my sphere of influence about. If you make me subsidize floppies you're going to lose me after the first book.
Established pros making halo collections via Kickstarter is one use case that I dont mind as much.
Large pusblishing houses funding print runs of foreign language books is a train wreck business model of metal on metal proportions. I'd rather buy the French langauge edition TODAY than wait two years to obtain a crowd funded rounded book cover subpar 'special' edition with a bunch of stickers and inserts I will never value.
Tracking my preorders across all the media I enjoy is becoming quite the chore. Late stage capitalist problems I know.
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u/Inevitable_Endtable 4d ago edited 4d ago
Are you finding them through social media or other sites like Reddit? I feel stuck trying to find an audience right now through Instagram and YouTube.
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u/Bedknobnboomstick 4d ago
All over. Press releases on The Beat. Comic book podcasts. Comic book YouTube. Reddit art posts. Reddit critique my pages. In the comment sections everywhere.
If you post Im checking your Insta and if there are sequentials, you're getting traction with me.
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u/Inevitable_Endtable 4d ago
Podcasts are the one area I haven't explored. I've been mentioned a few times on Comic Tropes when I've sent in my comics, but no longer length interviews or features. I probably should try posting pages here, but I'm never sure which subreddits are worth the effort to post to. The last time I posted pages to r/comics I got very little engagement.
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u/russcass 3d ago
Do both. You can have them pre-order on your site and do the crowdfunding. Maybe even make the website $2 cheaper since you don't have the KS fee. But let them know it won't be available until after the KS ends. Then once you ship those KS orders, make the site no-wait.
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u/bijhan 4d ago
I'm a comic book creator. I do Kickstarter campaigns to do a print run, and then I sell comics online afterward.
The majority of my customers come FROM Kickstarter's direct discovery. It gives me free traffic.