Back From Vegas, I Think I Won
Posted September 29th, 2009 by Howard TaylerI went to the “Success in Comics” seminar in Las Vegas over the weekend as a featured speaker. Turns out I was the closing speaker. I worried all weekend that my job was going to be the “Voice in the Wilderness,” prophesying doom for everybody who depended on syndication — especially since the original theme of the seminar was pitched to me as “self-syndication.”
As it turns out I needn’t have worried. Everybody there understood that syndication was not the be-all, end-all of comics success. Everybody was looking for alternatives, and at least two-thirds of the presenters discussed those things.
A year ago I would have thought that the event would be a waste of time. After all, Kevin Kelly’s “1000 True Fans” is proven out by webcartoonists using the Free Content Business Model, and we professional webtoonists have been enjoying an upward revenue trend.
But while we in webcomics often pat ourselves on the back for proving Kelly’s “1000 True Fans,” I think we do ourselves a disservice with our hubris. I learned an awful lot at this show. For starters, I cemented my belief that the presentation I gave in 2007, which was based on information I got in 2005 is very, very badly out-of-date. Some principles still hold true, but don’t expect to hear me preaching that as the one true business model again.
I’ve said before that I don’t want to be the guy making a living giving motivational speeches to cartoonists. I stand by that remark. I’d prefer to make a living BEING a cartoonist. This event presented an opportunity for me to share and share alike with professionals who are making their way a little differently than I am, and for whom the old FCBM just doesn’t fit. I may not have gotten paid to speak, but I came home a lot richer than I left (and not Vegas-style, either.)
I’ll probably do an interview with Gary over at Fleen.com with more details, so I’m not going to bother to write all this stuff twice. If you’re interested, look for the link here when the interview airs there. If you’re not interested, that’s okay. My next post will probably be about Surrogate Meatballs.
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September 29th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
“My next post will probably be about Surrogate Meatballs. ” Does this mean that your next post will be plugging Brandon Sanderson’s latest YA book, or did you go shopping in a North Berkeley health-food store and find the wide world of tofu isle?
September 29th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Well, I was going to do a review of “Surrogates” and another of “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs,” but I stayed home and watched “Dragonball: Evolution” instead.
It’s so CUTE! It’s like the “My Little Pony” version of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
September 30th, 2009 at 3:48 am
That little, tiny review of Dragonball just sent shivers down my spine. I’m afraid now…very afraid.
September 30th, 2009 at 4:30 am
Tofu meatballs? That is just wrong on so many levels. And not in the good way.
That Dragonball review got me too. Just creepy.
September 30th, 2009 at 4:32 am
FCBM? Huh? Please translate :)
September 30th, 2009 at 4:56 am
Sure thing, Cartoon Gal! Free Content Business Model.
September 30th, 2009 at 5:33 am
Ahhh… :rereads article:
Thank you, sir or madam ;)
September 30th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Thank you cartoon-gal. It would never have occured to ask. One of the big dissadvantages of reading primarily SCIFI/FANTASY is that I am accostomed to easily skipping over anything I don’t understand. Every time I come across a name, process or concept I’m unfamiliar with I’m sure that some where underneath the part of my brain that I pay attention to, I’m thinking “If this where important enough to know at this point in the story, the author would have explained it by now. Understanding this right now must not be integrall to the story line.” This is very detrimental to reading pretty much anything else…
September 30th, 2009 at 11:39 am
And in fairness, I broke the FRNA (First Rule of New Acronyms) by not spelling out the connection between the original text and the acronym at the first appearance.
September 30th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
I must be getting old:
the _loading animation_ on http://www.cloudywithachanceofmeatballs.com/ gave me a visceral feeling of unease because the torrent of meatballs falling down the screen is _just too fast_ to be deflected by that weeny litttle umbrella.
October 1st, 2009 at 12:17 am
No, the only thing that stays in Vegas is your money.
October 1st, 2009 at 10:23 am
That, and all the unclaimed virginities at the lost and found. :P
Sorry I couldn’t get together with you, Howard. Saturday was the last day of finals, and I’d had a total of about 10 hours sleep over the previous 3 days.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:08 pm
The Interview with Howard is now active on Fleen.com so click the link above to see it!