Between Tycho’s and Howard Tayler’s Friday news posts, it appears that (1) Schlock Mercenary is doing much better keeping 100% of the revenues and paying the costs versus its deal at Keenspot (split revenues 50/50 and Keenspot pays costs); and (2) Google Ads have done well for Tayler so far.
Google ads has been inconsistent for Comixpedia. One thing we’ve tried recently is Blog Ads, which it’s too early to tell if it’s a fit with us. It was initially designed for blogs (hence the name) but it certainly seems to me at least it could be a good fit for webcomics (particularly webcomics with a well-defined audience)
I’m curious, does the deal between Keenspot and its cartoonists prohibit the cartoonists to use Googleads on their site? I assume that the reason many of the cartoonists with a larger audience stays on Keen more because of the hosting and hasslefree advertising and not because of cross promotion.
A few points:
– The traditional syndicate model is 50/50 also.
– Keenspot doesn’t just take their 50% and smoke it or buy whiskey and hookers with it. They use it for promotion – the Keen booth at the San Diego convention every year, the free comic book day comic book, upfront outlays for plush dolls, comic books, whatever. Before it becomes a rumor that is assumed to be true, none of that money went to buy the school building in North Dakota.
– Good for Howard for being successful independently. He’d probably just about exhausted the benefit of the cross-promotion from other Keen comics that he could. In fairness, though, his new numbers are still inflated from the ‘big news’ (relatively speaking) of his leaving Keenspot. Having said that, Howard is, if nothing else, a shrewd businessman, and will do well in the long run.
– To run any advertising apart from the standard keen ads, you have to speak to Keenspot first, and negotiate it.
– God bless everybody. Even Case Yorke, the bastard.
If his success with Google Ads actually lasts, I will pay everyone FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Also, I will quit comics and become a priest. In space. A SPACE PRIEST. With a space bible, which is just like a normal bible, except it’s in space.