Thursday, September 01, 2011

Comics Biz - Money Problem


I just want to tackle something that has been bugging me for many years now every time I talk to a younger people than me that wants to create their own comics. Most of them have the talents and perseverance to do so. But there is this thing that always holding them back. And that is MONEY. When I ask them why don't they do their own comics. They would simply say "Wala po kasi akong Pera". Pero ang tanong? Sino nga ba ang may pera sa atin? Eh wala rin naman ako. I have a family with 3 kids to support, many bills that must be paid and yet I had produced 11 issues of comics.

While it is simply true that you need money to print your own comics, you really do not need that much. I want to bust this Myth that you need a ton of money to create your indie comics. You do not necessarily have to go all out producing thousands and thousands of copies on your first comics. I highly recommend that you start small. So that if your gonna fail, you will fail small. Not that your hoping that your gonna fail, but just being realistic that your comics is not going to sell. Specially since this is your first comics and people still do not know you or your character. You could simply print only 100 copies, or even only 50 copies of photocopied indie comics.

Let us compute for the cost of your indie comics. By applying on what we have learned on how to create your own indie. With an average 20 pages (24 if you include the covers) of your comics. You could photocopy your own comics with a 6 pages A4 size back to back (without the Pin-up). With a cost of P1.5 per side (mahal na ito ha, pero maganda ang quality[sa UP]), both side will cost you P3. Multiply that with 6 A4 size pages and you will get P18 per comics (which you can sell for P40 or P45).

With P18 cost per comics, you will be spending only P900 for 50 copies. And if you still do not have P900 to spend (which I dought), you can only photo copy 30 copies which will only cost you P540. By spending P900 for your cost of comics, you could turn that into P2,000 for a selling price of P40 each (assuming you sell all of your 50 copies). And with this money, you could fund your next printing again. And you can roll that money as time goes.

Of course, I overly simplified this. Because you will still have other expenses such as transportation, food, electric bill etc... But if you have the Will, there is a Way. Sa tagalog, kung talagang gusto, may paraan, kung ayaw, maraming dahilan.

In this world, we need to be street smart and gutsy sometimes to get what we want in life. Wag sana tayong umasa masyado sa ibang tao to help us. If opportunity does not come our way, we should make our own opportunity. We must learn how to stand on our own two feet.

Let us get back to the topic of money problem in comics biz. Here is the BIG question ... do you have P900 or P540 to spare? Only you can answer that.

2 comments:

Martin Jackson said...

I argee that starting small is the best way to start and truth betold with print on demand and digital comics it cost even less money thne it used to (and you maybe even able to get stuff out at not ost to you)

I didn't have much money when started my company Graffiti On The Sun comic and POD and digital made it possible for me to put out comics

Gio Paredes said...

Hello Martin,

Thanks for reminding me (I totally forgot that option) of this other alternative on publishing your own comics, which is on-line or digital. :-)

This cost less, and you will reach a wider audience.