A Call to Comic Creators!
My iPad is way too empty. :(
I love my iPad, and I’ve got to say, it is the PERFECT device for reading digital comics. However, I’m having trouble finding the kind of content that I want to read, and that’s frustrating.
I’ve been experimenting with selling digital comics in my store. I want to see more comic creators jumping on board to do the same thing because 1) most of favorite comics are independently made webcomics, and I want more stuff for my iPad and 2) there are some serious problems with how digital comics are created and sold, and I think this is the first step toward fixing them.
Problem #1: Limited Selection
If I were a superhero comics fan, I would have a much easier time – both Marvel and DC have their own dedicated iPad apps and sell lots of digital comics. But seeing as I’m not, I have virtually nothing on my iPad in terms of comics. I have no problem filling my bookshelves. Where is all the content?
Problem #2: The iBooks Store
Apple attempts to solve the content problem with their built in bookstore. This is a beautiful and convenient solution… for traditional novels. However, even if you manage to get your comic listed in the store, iBooks is not a great reader for comics – it automatically adds a wide margin (making the pages small), you can’t zoom in on images, and the format (ebook) is iffy for both creating and reading.
(However, iBooks does work as a wonderful PDF reader – I’ll get to that later.)
Problem #3: Apps
Marvel, DC, Image, IDW, and several independent creators have entered the digital comics marketplace by creating their own apps. I think this is kinda stupid.
For me, if I’m going to build a digital library, I want all my books in one place. One app. I don’t want to switch apps just because I’m going from a Marvel book to a DC book. And how about all the independent creators? Where are they going to sell all of their books? And how am I going to read them?
Other creators are selling their comic issues as apps in and of themselves. One app per issue. You know what this means for me? More clutter for my home screen. And with the limited amount of spaces on my iPad, this is very inefficient if I want to carry around my entire comics library.
Plus apps are difficult to make, unless you happen to be a professional coder or rich enough to hire one. Simply, it’s not the ideal format for independent creators.
PDFs are the New Mp3
I like to compare today’s digital comics industry with the early digital music industry. Back then, it was chaos with tons of different formats, lack of players, and lots of unfamiliarity, uncertainty, and fear from the creators and labels.
Then, the iPod and iTunes came along. Suddenly, digital music was easy to manage, buy, and listen to, and the industry eventually grew to the monster that it is today. I think the iPad has the ability to become for publishing what the iPod was for music. Publishers and creators just need to get their act together and step away from the proprietary formats.
I think there should be one (or two) simple, easy-to-make, easy-to-distribute format for digital comics. Digital music has the mp3. I think comics should use the PDF.
Why PDF? It’s already widely recognizable, easily readable, and simple to make. You can pull it into any iPad/iPhone app you like (including iBooks, GoodReader, and ComicZeal), or simply read it on your computer.
There are other formats that could work too – CBZs are very popular in the digital comics community. However, I like the PDF. They are more friendly for the general audience; almost everyone can read a PDF file already, whereas CBZs are not widely known and used elsewhere.
Sell Digital Comics NOW!
There’s no reason to wait. You webcomickers who are already cranking out content – let’s see more iPad-friendly stuff. Make your PDFs and CBZs. Sell them on your site. You will make this iPad-owning comic fan very very happy. I want to see this become a trend. I want to see more customers accustomed to buying this kind of content. This is how industries shift, people. It starts with YOU.
How to Make a Digital Comic
PDFs
I happen to use InDesign, but you hardly need anything so fancy. You can use Adobe Acrobat or any of the variety of PDF applications out there. I think you can even do it in Preview, which comes free on every Apple computer. Heck, you can make a PDF out of a PowerPoint presentation.
CBZs
CBZ files are very easy to make. Format all your images. Put them in a folder, numbered in order. Zip the folder. Rename the file extension to “.cbz” and you’re done.
iPad Formatting
The screen resolution of an iPad is 1024×768 pixels. I recommend resizing your pages to anywhere around there to make them look good on the screen. Smaller than that, and your pages will be pixelated. Larger than that, your file sizes will grow.
FYI, one page of the My Sister, the Freak digital comics are 700×1050 pixels (a 7″x10.5″ page at 100 dpi), and it looks swell on the iPad.
How to Sell Digital Comics
Until someone comes up with an awesome digital comic marketplace, you’re going to have to sell your digital files yourself. You can stick up a PayPal button and email the files, but you’re probably better off finding an automated solution. I have used eShop (a WordPress plugin), and nowadays OpenCart to manage my digital sales. E-Junkie is also a great site for selling digital files and doesn’t require you setting up a full online store.
Pricing
Based on my observations, a standard issue of a comic (one chapter, maybe 16-24 pages) goes for around $1.99. Some go cheaper at $.99. In my opinion anything more expensive than that is stretching it. You want a price that is great for the “impulse buy” – just like a music single.
This pricing wouldn’t apply for full graphic novels and books. I haven’t seen very many around yet, but in my opinion they should sell for slightly cheaper than their print counterparts.
Distributing FREE Comics
Obviously, if you’re not concerned about money, you can just put a download link up on your site. I like free stuff. :) And it gives your readers one more option for reading your comic.
And did you know that iTunes podcasts have the ability to distribute PDFs? Your readers could just subscribe and receive new issues automatically.
Conclusion
Create more content. Sell it. The more stuff that’s out there, the stronger the market for digital comics.
Use one easy-to-make, easy-to-sell format. My vote’s for PDF.
We need a central marketplace. I hope this will be iBooks, but who knows?
Technology = Change. Devices like the iPad are still in their infancy, but it can only go UP from here. There’s no doubt, publishing is shifting. Don’t be left behind.
FYI, you can buy digital comics and PDF’s from my store right now here: http://store.danidraws.com/digital-downloads
And by all means, if you are selling downloads or iPad apps of your comics, leave a link in the comments so I can fill my iPad. :)
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Dani,
Nice post. Your analysis is solid and arguments well made. I may disagree that PDFs should/will be the go-to standard for digital comics. But I do agree that there needs to be a dominant central market for them.
It’s the wild west right now. We’re seeing players like Comixology and Graphic.ly make moves to be the iTunes of comics, as well as other app developers doing innovative things on the tech side. I expect things to shake out in the next few years, and don’t anticipate you’ll have any shortage of comics to fill your iPad for long.
For me, I’ve just started dipping my toes in the app waters. You can check out “Tyler James Comics Presents Vol. 1″ for free on the new Oxicomics app. http://itunes.apple.com/app/id381078590
I agree about the pdf format, it should be the webcomic standard. I also wanted to bring to your attention that any document that can be printed can be made into a pdf. Software like Primo pdf install as a printer and will create a pdf of just about anything. There are other pdf printers and many of them are free downloads.
I’ve been working long and hard trying to convince my Vancouver comic community that selling pdf versions of comics is the best way to go digital. It’s cross platform and works on a variety of levels.
How do you deal with digital permissions? Do you password your pdfs and remove the option to print them?
I don’t deal with permissions. I think that’s akin to DRMed music, and I’m not a fan. Despite potential pirating issues, I’d rather put a little bit of trust in the customer. The files are also lo-res, so they won’t print very well anyway.
If you want you can lock your pdf to not allow image copying, printing, etc. I’d do that, but also make the images high enough resolution to read, but no more than that. And put your copyright at the bottom of every page, legible but unobtrusive. And put a copyright line at the bottom of your site, etc. This will guilt most people not to steal your work.
Really, piracy is not entirely bad. On the one hand, it may lose you some revenue, but having your comic passed around also gives you exposure and may pull in fans that wouldn’t have seen your stuff otherwise. If you can get most of those to pay for the next issue, then you come out ahead.
You might even put a line of text at the back about not pirating your stuff with a link to where they can buy it or the next issue honestly.
Dani, what program do you use to make the PDF. I know Photoshop can do it and Preview for Mac can do it, but is there more than that? Do some programs make better PDF files than others?
I use InDesign. It’s a great layout program, and when you export there are options to set the image resolution and stuff, so the file sizes are reasonable. You can also take any pdf created in any program and do the same kind of optimization in Adobe Acrobat.
I’ve used the open-source program Scribus, to great effect.
Back in the day I had used the first version(s) of InDesign, and Scribus reminded me of it. Free, open-source, robust, good to go: scribus.net
http://www.osalt.com/scribus
(gives you the opens-source description, “is similar to”)
I am using openoffice for all of my pdf tasks. The full office suite is a bit bloated, but is fairly feature rich. I use it mostly for my novel formatting and ebook publishing. When I start my GN this year I planned to use it after having put together the images in Photoshop.
Just my $.02 which is more expensive than openoffice
Open Office is a free word processor similar to Microsoft Works. I use it to create PDFs because you don’t have to pay for an additional PDF conversion program or plug-in. It’s included. If you have MS Office or Works, you’ll have to pay for the plug-in. Or make do with freeware which is often of less consistent quality.
Open Office is from Sun Microsystems. Although it is free, since it’s from Sun, it’s more stable and functional than most freeware.
So, any comic book artist should be able to get this program and create PDFs with it. Even if they don’t currently have any money to invest in the technology at the moment.
Also:
Both the kindle and the nook do display PDF files, though I’m not sure if they have the ability to zoom in, something crucial for digital comics. They’re also black and white.
oops, should have read one more thread…
I don’t own an iPad but I’m curious, is there a problem reading people’s full page comics straight from their site?
No problem at all, Luis. I have my comic free to read online at any time. The PDF’s are for those who want something more convenient and readily available.
Ah, I see.
A very timely post! I was actually considering this myself and was wondering why the industry doesn’t seem to organize itself and create standards for itself. It seems to me that if we all want our readers to begin to adopt digital comics, we need to have a standardized format and distribution platform for them to know they can use reliably. (AKA Itunes like) It seems that on other forums where this has been brought up, the idea meets constant resistance. The argument I hear constantly is that people want to actually feel the book in their hands.
I honestly don’t see how that is realistic. Comic shops today are in a hard way. With the price per book being an average of 4 bucks or more, the average comic reader would rather just grab it for free OR only have to pay 1.99 or .99 cents for a quick and non-bulky option. Comics these days aren’t even the same level of investment they were during the 80′s or earlier. They are so mass produced now that I honestly don’t see any modern comics rising in worth above 3 times their cover price EVER. (if that)
So yes, I agree, we need to come up with a standardized format and I happen to think that PDF is cheap to create, easy to distribute, and readily accessable by anyone with a computer of any platform.
This is a great overview of the current situation of webcomics and digital comics, and where the two intersect and sometimes overlap. I kind of feel like there’s a shift away from Web to digital — by which I mean people aren’t reading online, on their computer so much as on some sort of reader, smartphone, or other device.
But maybe, as a digital comics person, I’m projecting a bit.
With more and more people reading on devices, though, there’s a NEED (just like yours) to fill those devices with content. This is a great time to be a comics creator. People are willing to pay for your stuff. Just not TOO much. I think 99 cents is the perfect price for a 20-26 page comic. I start to pause before hitting BUY if a comic is $1.99. I’d definitely pay the same amount for a single issue of a comic as I’d pay for a song on iTunes.
I’m not a fan of apps-based comics either, for the same reason as you — too cluttered. I think the two big players to watch are Comixology (the big one) and Graphic.ly (an up-and-comer). They take comics and present them in a variety of ways — a standard view much like a PDF, where you can see a whole page and zoom as need.
But what’s really cool is their panel-by-panel option, which lets you read each panel in a larger size. You miss the overall layout, but you get a nice, easy-to-read image (a big deal for those of us reading on our iPhones).
Sorry to blather on at length here, but this is something I’m passionate about — along with artist Niki Smith, I’m creating an ongoing digital comic called IN MAPS & LEGENDS, and we’ve hooked up with nine different digital distributors, in a range of formats, who sell our comic for us (we usually get 50-70% of the sales). We’re on the iPhone, iPad, Droid phone, as well as good ol’ PDF. The cool thing is most distributors ask for a PDF and do the converting themselves.
So there’s another avenue for ya. I just wonder, with webcomics, will people pay for something they can read online for free? That’s where digital comics and webcomics are going to collide, I think, and not in a good way.
Here’s a link to our site, for more info: http://inmapsandlegendscomic.com
Thanks for kicking off this discussion, Dani!
Who are your distributors if you do not mind my asking?
Does Indesign allow you to have different sizes of pages within a PDF? I can’t see any comic standard popping up without the ability to have 2-page spreads.
I think PDF would be the easiest way to go in the current market because you can read it on nearly anything, but I don’t have an iPad or smart phone or anything. However, I also have never heard of CBZ! Something to look into, but if I make a digital comic, I will distribute in PD format. I also would only produce digital comics in addition to another format. If print, then definitely the digital version would be cheaper than the print.
I have been thinking about my web comic and whether it would be worth while to have a digital version with larger-sized images but still at 72 or 100 dpi. Do people really pay $0.99 for 24 pages of a web comic they already read because it is slightly larger? If it is a strip comic, do people want multiple smaller comics per page or one large format one?
Also, I don’t know about Indesign, but if you have Adobe Acrobat Professional 9 (or something), you can insert PDFs of different sizes to get the 2-page spread. But I think that costs money. I use it at work. Word allows you to have pages of different sizes (I think), so converting that to PDF would also work.
First off, let me say I really enjoy this article.
Now that I got that out of the way, I think we’re missing the point. Making digital comics is a huge opportunity…. but let’s go out side the box. Just simply translating art into pdf isn’t using technology wisely. We as creators have the opportunity to go crazy with this. As mentioned above, this is the Wild West. I know personally, I’ll never purchase a digital comic that doesn’t add to the user experience… I can just wait a couple of months and buy the comic in a store for less than the digital version.
So, how do we make it better? Is it extra content? Interviews with the creators? Showing the book in- process? Who ever figures this out first, will change the game.
Luckily, and this may not make sense, Disney and Warner Brothers are too big to tackle this problem correctly. Mark my words, it’s the independent, creative thinker that’s going to change everything.
Oh, and this may curb the simple piracy of PDF comic files. Why not spend the dollar and get “more”.
Thoughts?
I also think the PDF will be much more of a power player for comics in the future. The reason is their simplicity, commonality, and flexibility. Also, the plain old .cbz also is a capable format for comics, and extremely easy to produce.
For turning art into .pdf, epub, or .cbz simply and economically, I highly recommend Calibre, a free program that converts between various formats.
As for webcomics, digital comics, and print — they’re all for different markets (sort of). Many don’t have the patience to wade through a webcomic, but they will pay for a download, especially if the process is painless and the cost not exorbitant. If you package in extra content, that makes it even more palatable. Comic apps also fall into this category/market. Print is for people that like print, but also for people who want to support a webcomic. And then webcomics are for webcomickers, their own niche market.
The strategy I’ve adopted for our titles is to release on as many platforms to as many markets as possible. There is no one silver bullet, as each has their preference and, with the exception of print, the different formats are easy to prepare yourself.
The key here is not production or format, it’s marketing. The biggest hurdle to the small/self publisher is getting their work out there and convincing the market that its worth purchasing. The majority of digital comics publishing is still Big Two reprints, the same as trades and floppy sales.
Even in digital, comicking ain’t easy…;)
I agree…. my motto for the past week has been “comic are hard” lol.
I am -so- glad you brought this up.
This was a major issue I was trying to understand, and went to San Diego Comic Con 2010 specifically to ask around, and see what/how the industry was doing to address the problems you described. I attended a panel discussion with some great web authors.
Frankly, there were no answers! I left more curious than when I started!
The main dilemma, the “answer” to what this is about, is that we are on the precipice of new tech. The iPads, palmtops, and tablet computers just aren’t uniform or ubiquitous yet. They are still buggy and expensive.
The content -will- follow. Once there is a uniform standard for distribution and coding (a single app-style) then the industry leaders will set the pace (because, as you say, it is expensive and difficult to write an app or platform; that is why Marvel-DC-Image will do it first since they have the revenue).
In other words, we -will- eventually have the last 20 years of, for example, X-Men in digital formats for download.
However, you are right in that the creators have to make the content specifically for the gadgetry. But some people hate iPads or anything Apple, and they are not exactly bug free (nor affordable). Palmtops and pc tablets just aren’t in everyone’s hands yet. Either way, creators right now need to make their content to -anticipate- this “spec-tech”.
OK, will do… I came back from the Comic Con wanting to flesh out two previously print-only comicbooks, into web format. I’ll make it so you may read it for free on a weekly basis. I can sell pdf-s. Fine, enjoy. So, how can I make it both desktop-screen friendly, and iPad screen friendly, AND get it ready for any app that might run it?
The best I can think of, is to get a group of real smart people, sit them in a room, feed them coffee, sugar and money, and see if they can innovate something. That, and get a crystal ball to see where the spec-tech market will go.
Until the technology gives the creator 1. a ubiquitous format for a user interface, and 2. a solid hardware interface or gadget (that is not proprietary; sorry Apple), we creators must make these comics “in the dark” and create with little regard to forthcoming formats. That said, the .pdf format is ultimately best right now especially on current gadgets because the user can not only flip pages, but “pan-and-scan” the panels. What we would like is to have the panels pan-and-scan on a sort of track, with cues embedded into the .pdf itself. That way, we could indeed retrofit old-fashioned comics for the new gadget, and let the track “run” between panels and word balloons (due to the oblique shapes of the panels).
This may not go far to clarify what you discussed, but it still is food for thought, and all I know is that I am tired of haulin’ my last comic book proposal to the conventions, and tired of mailin’ off proposals, and the 4 issues of the other comic under my bed haven’t done anything in years.
I’d rather share all my content, and have made fans of my art and stories instead of all the artwork languishing in obscurity.
One very positive note: book-and-paper publishers are already embracing the strange formats of webcomics (the lengthwise, cinema ratio, Golden Mean rectangle). Basically, it means that a webcomic creator can look forward to physically printing their book when they are ready to (especially after you have many pages or a story arc done, and many fans wanting to own a piece).
Either way, great article and great discussion!
Impressive and very useful post, Dani. Thanks!
Thanks for posting this. I was just talking to someone last night about why they read comics online for free instead of buying them.
They admitted if they had a quick way to buy them and read them online they would do it. Looking forward to exploring this in the future…
I agree that PDF could very well be a good standard for digital comic reading.
It seems like an easy to use file type, and it’s pretty universal.
I do love buying comics as books, but lately the portability of digital comics and being able to read them instantly, especially if they are constantly releasing new issues is something I need to look into. I’m a comic artist, as well, so this really is something I need to pay more attention to.
I don’t own an iPad, but I do have a little smartphone that can read PDF formats, and even though it’s fairly small, I’m still able to read my comics (granted, there aren’t that many that I’ve tried.) There are so many things that have potential for being the ideal comic-reading tool!
This was a great read! You made some great points, and I know I’m going to have to do some personal research before giving a proper response to this, but it’s telling me I better start thinking! Thank you for the eye-opener!
It is so nice to hear that others see a future in digital comic/illustrated book formats. I don’t have an iPad yet, but I have a good friend who just bought one a few months ago – as soon as a started playing with it, I realized it was perfect for digital comics & books! Light, portable, wi-fi/3G capable – almost too easy! It can display color or black and white – and all you have to do is PDF your work & post it on your site! That night was when I knew I was digitizing my work.
I’ve only done print comics up until recently, doing the indy shows to sell my work & trying local comic stores between shows. Shows are usually pretty good sales wise (and always fun), but tables, transportation, food and printing all cost a pretty penny. Selling in stores hasn’t worked out great for me personally – most people that go to comic stores are there for the pros (who have earned it, no doubt.) The digital option really opens up a whole new world in terms of availability for my & other indy creators’ work, though. My books are now available 24-7, and instantly to anyone who hears about my website or comics!! Being a relative unknown in the publishing world, this is a great opportunity to sell books with a low (ok, almost zero) overhead. I’ve heard time and again from buyers & indy comics lovers that they are willing to take chances on a book if it looks interesting and is cheap- doing digital, the cheap part is so easy!
While PDF comics may not be the next big thing, I think they have a bright future. They’re fairly easy to make & sell. They look great on the iPad (which is awesome!) You can make and sell them cheaply and easily – what’s not to love?
I’ve been interested in self publishing for a while, more so in Digital Distribution than actual print. But at the time the technology wasn’t there for comics.
Now with the rush of tablets coming out I’m interested in it again. I think self publishing your own stuff for $1.00 each is the way to go. I must Dani you’ve sparked my interest in this again.
Now that I know I have more options on how to sell PDF’s I’m going to be looking into this more now. And as a regular reader of digital comics I will admit anything around 1000 x 700 pixils is easy to read.
This is one of the most awesome posts I’ve read in a while. I never even realized it was possible to take iPad comic making into your own hands, without having to go through apps or some third party! I am bookmarking this and making producing a short comic for iPad one of my 2011 goals.
Comments are also chock-full of great tidbits of advice…
This is good info. I recently posted my work from a 48hr comic challenge and one of my friends suggested that I put it in PDF format for ease of reading. So it sounds like a practical way of creating digital comics. http://tactilblog.blogspot.com/
Very inspiring. I’m picking up the PDF flag. Quick, simple, cheap. I just want to draw the stuff not spend hours and hours tweaking on weird programs. Also being able to sell for 0.99 gives me more creative freedom because I might not have to be so concerned with delivering exactly what the viewer might expect. I also am doing all my own editing and writing which, without an editor, can sometimes get…hmmm better leave it at that – 0.99! 2.99 and I pay an editor and a letterer.
Cheers! Great post.