Thread by @Iron_Spike

(Sorry, only saw this today!)

Unfortunately, no. I learned everything by doing, honestly! I know there are degrees you can get in publishing, but I don't have one.

I can just list the stuff I use, though!

https://twitter.com/9chambers/status/1148757187562360832

Iron Circus has a publicist, two primary editors, three situational editors (no better word for them, honestly), a customer service/fulfillment person, a print tech, and me. But it used to be just me and the customer service guy, who is also my husband.

Free labor rules. :V

ANYWAY tho, I strongly suggest anyone who wants to get into comics publishing TAKE IT SLOW. There is absolutely no need to hop out of the gate with 10 books a year or something; start out with one, MAYBE two. Learn by doing.

Spend some time as a one or two-person operation, and figure out print buying, pre-press, conventions. Pre-press will probably be the toughest part; let any printer you work with know that you're new at this, and need pointers.

When you can get a book back from a printer that looks good, you can start considering doing it more often than twice-yearly.

I acknowledge this is a pretty conservative take, but I know people who approached publishing in 4th gear, like a tech start-up. It didn't go well.

Comics still isn't a wealthy industry. we're 1/25th the size of prose publishing, and a blockbuster movie can make in a single weekend what the entire N. American comics industry makes in a year. This isn't gonna make you rich, in all likelihood; you have to want to be here.

(And for everyone reading this? Comics is not, I repeat, is NOT a proving ground or shortcut for film/TV. If you want to make movies, go make movies. We're not a step in the process; the vast majority of comics never become films.)

Anyway, growing as publisher, at least for me, is a process. This is my 12th year.

-I only signed my 1st option agreement Wednesday.
-I began licensing foreign editions this year.
-I self-distributed until 3 years ago.
-I only published my work exclusively until 7 years ago.

And comics, like all the creative arts, has a HUGE washout rate. People will be spending your first five years pretty much expecting you to give up. Persistence will prove more valuable in the long run than instant, meteoric, It Girl notoriety.

Y'gotta stick to it.

But anyway: THE LIST.

- ICC is run out of a Slack channel, with a plugin called Workast.
- Pre-press is done in the standard Adobe suite, printing is out Canada (porn/drugs) and China (everything else).
- Here's a pre-press beginner's guide you can buy! ironcircus.com/product/lets-p…

You will probably be selling at conventions.
- Get a Square reader. They are free. There is no good reason not to have one.
- Invest in a retractable floor or table banner; get it a hard case if you're gonna check it as luggage, a soft case will be fine if it'll be carry-on.

-Southwest Airlines allows two checked bags for free, and two personal items. Use them and join the frequent flier program.
-A nice tablecloth, nice signage, pleasant demeanor will get you far at cons. Be sure to network, not just sell. Make friends. Trade minis.

-Re: Conventions? Get a book on your table as soon as you can. Buttons, enamel pins, stickers are fine, but if you wanna be a publisher, you want to sell *books.*
-You'll probably use Kickstarter. I have a (VERY OUTDATED, BE WARNED) guide for that here. ironcircus.com/product/let-s-…

-Distribution for the first several years will probably be a mix of self-distribution and Diamond. At shows, on Sunday, see if any comic shops are exhibiting, and offer them what you have left for half-price.
-When you have a high enough profile, start self-distro.

My self-distro was literally sending PDFs to comic and sex toy shops, and giving the ones who responded positively 50% off discount codes for my online store. I did that until I had 30 or 40 stores ordering from me regularly, then I went to Book Expo and got a real distributor.

My distributor is Consortium. They also distro @unciv, @2dcloud, @AnnieKoyama, and a bunch of other alternative comic publishers.

They will not distribute you unless it make sense to do so. It needs to be worth their while. 5-10 books annually at a minimum.

Diamond is... an experience.

They're slowly changing to shift with the market, but they Do Not Care About You. They will sell your graphic novels the same way they sell Marvel/DC floppy periodicals; they will offer it for one month only.

That is not good, or normal.

- Get a domain with a private store when you have some books. (Shopify/Bigcartel will probably be fine until then). I use WooCommerce, cuz a lot of people do, so there are a lot of plug-ins and every problem I've ever had w/it, someone else has already solved and posted about.

And honestly, name your publisher:
-something memorable
-but not too silly
-or too edgelord
-that you can say out loud in public to a stranger in businesswear.

This seems like silly advice, but SEO matters. And any name you're considering, Google it. Make sure it's not taken.

One day, you might want the Strawberry Shortcake license or something, and you don't wanna hand Hallmark a business card for Fuckbucket Publishing.

OR MAYBE YOU DO, I DUNNO

And I feel this goes without saying, but saying it anyway: Focus on graphic novels, not floppy periodicals. Even the biggest publishers of floppies, like Marvel and DC, more or less consider them loss leaders to promo the eventual trade paperback.

And go into this knowing and understanding the adult graphic novel market still has a ways to go; it's the YA/middle grade stuff that's blowing up. Weirdly enough, the stuff that keep ICC ticking over is the porno (cuz it's not available anywhere else) and the kids' books.

And my most important bit of advice: be wary of my advice. I think sharing experiences is valuable, but the conditions that allowed for ICC's success are a decade-plus behind us, and can't be recreated. Direct imitation of any other publisher's story/methods is VERY inadvisable.

You can't be Marvel, you can't be Drawn & Quarterly, you can't be IDW. Those spots are taken. You need to figure out YOUR angle, what sets YOU apart and makes you a contender. My distro tells me ICC books are an easy sell, cuz our publishing philosophy is unique and consistent.

"Figure out who you are" sounds like the purest imaginable cheese, but you need to, and you'll be glad you did. Cuz it's GONNA come up.

Anyway, hope this thread was helpful!

No Soundcloud, but I've got a Kickstarter running right now. Check it out if you like comics full of Neolithic caveperson shenanigans! kickstarter.com/projects/irons…