The Business of Creating A Web Comic

I never imagined the shear number of things that you need to think about when creating a web comic. I think, somewhere in the back of my mind, I figured it would be easy, once I found my artist (the lovely and talented Amanda Hayes).

Then reality came crashing down. First, we have to register the domain and get the basic web site up and running. This is a lot easier than it sounds. Every hosting service has different tools and different ways of getting to the little details, and none of them seem to spell things out in just the way that I need. Sure, if you want to throw up a standard blog, that’s easy enough. Or maybe a website for your real estate business. Hell, there’s a template just for the occasion. But a web comic?

And not just any web comic. This isn’t a single page strip. This is an ongoing story, delivered four pages at a time. The closest example I can find is Warren Ellis‘ Freak Angels. If you look at it, it shows you the first page of the current batch, with a little gizmo that allows you to flip through the other pages and a sidebar that will take you back to previous issues.

Which is precisely what I need.

Unfortunately, that’s a custom built template attached to the top of WordPress, the blogging software. So, now I need a programmer who can twist WordPress for me and make it do something similar. But it also has to look different. I have no desire to copy the look or feel of Warren’s site, I just need some of the function.

And of course I need it done, basically, for free.

Because, while we hope to eventually generate money from this endeavour, we are under no illusion that it’s going to come right away. And we are, as they say, broke.

And of course, we also need some legal paperwork. Something that defines the title, The Invisible Skein, the characters and the the overall story as co-created and co-owned, 50/50. I would imagine that there’s some sort of contract template out there for such a thing, but I’m having a devil of a time findng one.

And after that, we need to look into promotion. Obviously, one of the simplest ways for a web comic to start pulling in some cash is through merchandising. So we’ll need to find a decent deal with a supplier of things like t-shirts, coffee mugs, mouse pads and such. Yet another business detail.

Mind you, I’m not really complaining. I’m having the time of my life getting this rolling. But the amount of things involved has suprised me, and I thought it might surprise you, too.

Not to mention, one of you might just have a contract lying around that would be useful, or a template for WordPress that will do just what I want it to do.

One can always hope.