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Tim Broderick

Tim Broderick's The Road Less Traveled Series

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on May 13, 2008 - 10:05

I just wanted to post that Tim Broderick's The Road Less Traveled series about the entire process of bringing his webcomic Cash & Carry to print via a traditional publisher is coming to a close. 

While we may have one more Cash & Carry-related article later this year we've now published 7 articles detailing Tim's work from pitching the book, to getting the contract, and selling it to the readers.  I really think this is a valuable series for any creator to read and it was a real service for Tim to write all of this down for other creators to learn from his experience.  Click here to see a listing of all of the articles.

The Road Less Traveled: Selling the Book

May 12, 2008 - 12:37 | Tim Broderick

Most people, like me, are not very good at selling things.

But according to what I've learned, there's really only one true thing about selling your book: You have to do it -  one on one, one at a time.

Unless you're John Grisham, you're not going to get a marketing budget, a promotional manager or personal assistant. You'll have to do it all on your own.

First things first - you've got to track your money. Only you know how much it makes sense to spend on things like conventions or advertisements, but to know that you have to have hard data. That means get in the habit of saving your receipts and maybe even setting a budget. Purchase a financial program. But know how much you're spending - you can use that knowledge to test what works and what doesn't.

Here's where you'll spend that money:

Conventions

Webcomic Wire - 5/5/08

Submitted by NightgigTim on May 5, 2008 - 15:36

Drawn from sources inspired by the Maker’s Faire…

A womping 10 years of PVP! Congratulations Scott!
Tim Broderick replies to Chris Wright’s guest column on Fleen.
Webcomics collective Transplant Comics seems to be recovering well from surgery.
Red String celebrates 5 years. Congratulations Gina!
5 years of Station 3V. Congratulations Tom!
The Webcomic Overlook has a one punch review of Wayfarer’s [...]

Cash & Carry by Tim Broderick

The Road Less Traveled: Money and Contracts

March 9, 2008 - 21:30 | Tim Broderick

Your book has been accepted by a publisher. The hard work's over!

Well, no. You've pretty much just entered the Twilight Zone and that means dealing with contracts.

But what kind of contract you get depends on the publisher you're negotiating with, and you need to set your expectations accordingly.

I was actually going to talk a bit about marketing this month, but the recent discussions over Bookscan numbers in a number of comics blogs made me change my mind. You can read my take on how language can shape expectations here.

For this column, we're going to look at some key details of a typical contract written for a larger publisher and the kind of thing you can expect when dealing with a small publisher.

ComixTALK TODAY - TABLOID STYLE!

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on February 29, 2008 - 10:55

ELO FAN BOY CONFESSES HIS CRIME: Comic Book Resources has an interview with Kris Straub (Starslip Crisis).

CRAZY CAT LADY EATS PAINT:  Comixology has a review of Dorothy Gambrell's Cat and Girl.

SELLING YOUR SOUL: Tim Broderick has some thoughts on the different types of publishers to whom you could take a comic project.

YOU SUCK!: The Guardian has an article on dealing with trolls and message boards.

NO REALLY, YOU SUCK!: Editorial cartoonists get to live teh drama too: The Bad Cartoonist blog.

I HAVE NEVER USED HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE: Editor & Publisher reports that Nick Gurewitch's PBF will definitely go to a monthly schedule.

Happy Friday

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on February 23, 2008 - 00:28

Happy Friday.  The image function was not working properly this week but I have fixed it -- SORT OF.  For now I've gotten it so you can create a  separate image node first (and load an image) -- than create a new node and select your just loaded image from the "existing images" dropdown.  You can now upload images with your Talk Posts.  Click on the "attached images" link below the text input window and upload your file to the server.  Please only use Safe For Work images.

While I'm writing let me thank our current sponsors: Tim Broderick's new graphic novel Cash & Carry, the webcomic Blip, and the Learn to Draw the Human Figure course.

FREE As in New COMIXTALK Articles (Not Beer)

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on February 11, 2008 - 09:38

COMIXTALK

BUSINESS

  • Harper Collins jumps into FREE and the WEB in a big way -- a NY Times story this morning reports that "In an attempt to increase book sales, HarperCollins Publishers will begin offering free electronic editions of some of its books on its Web site..." This is a very traditional book seller recognizing that for most authors obscurity is worse than haggling over payments for a few copies of a book. Down in the article is a bit recognizing the print success of webcomic (yes webcomic!) Diary of A Wimpy Kid:

    • There is evidence that readers still buy books even if they can get the content free on the Web. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” a children’s novel illustrated with cartoons, was published online three years ago at Funbrain.com, an educational Web site. But the physical book has spent 42 weeks on the New York Times Children’s Chapter Books best-seller list.

    And hey, let's see if book store sellers squeal as loud as the Direct Market store owners have been lately.

 

Book Party for Tim Broderick's "Cash & Carry" Graphic Novel

Tim Broderick - the creator of the webcomic Odd Jobs has a new graphic novel out that collects "Cash & Carry" one of the Odd Jobs stories.

WHERE: Centuries and Sleuths, 7419 W. Madison St. in Forest Park

WHEN: Friday, February 8th at 7 p.m.

Booklist, the premiere review journal of the American Library Assocation, says I show a “…sure command of plot and dialogue has already earned him an option from Warner Brothers for a possible TV series … .”

Also be sure to check out the latest installment of Tim's column for ComixTalk on his road to publication - this month: REJECTED!

The Road Less Traveled: REJECTED!

February 3, 2008 - 16:29 | Tim Broderick

So you've sent your materials to a publisher or agent, you've waited politely for the prescribed amount of time, and finally a letter from them shows up in your mailbox.

Chances are you've been rejected.

So now what?

So, you've sent your materials to a publisher or agent, you've waited politely for the prescribed amount of time, and finally a letter from them shows up in your mailbox.

Chances are you've been rejected.

You will feel many emotions, but I'm too heartless a bastard to discuss them now. Seriously, I could care less -- this is a business not a birthday party. So when you've calmed down, there are two things you need to do: