It’s all about putting stuff out there – though you’re right, Freddy – In the UK we do have a low-tolerance for too much publicity being pushed in our faces… coupled with our natural reticence to blow trumpets, it’s not easy!

I published my first comic, a collection of short bad-taste gag strips, in March this year for the UK Web and Mini Comix Thing. I felt exactly the same with regard to printers. The first I spoke to was so objectionable he really made me feel as though it was a massive favour to be asking of him rather than a service for money! It really put me off but I found another printers last minute who had a sameday turnaround (!) and were much more accommodating. Still, the PDF/formatting issue was a massive challenge and one I’m still not overly comfortable with.

Your ideas for promotion are particularly interesting, I am in complete agreement that conventions are the source for 99% of sales! The two I have attended so far have been brilliant and I’ve seen very healthy sales considering I’m a newcomer.

Having said that, the travelling and attendance costs more than wipe any profit from the table!! On top of the fact that I’m selling at near production costs, I’m financially very far from being able to sustain myself on the craft alone. I see it that self-publishing is a hobby though, and it’s not really about making money more just doing what you enjoy. And if you can make a bit of money back, then that’s great.

eBay is one that I completely overlooked but is a very legitimate idea. It’s a shame that so many of these places have such high fees, as they’re really prohibitive in helping get stuff out there. Again, Google AdWords is one I never considered. Do you reckon it brought it a lot of interest on its own?

It may also be worth researching small-press distributors in the UK? There are more than a handful of zine distributors scattered around the country that would almost surely sell on your stuff for little or no cut of the profit. On top of that, I have yet to find a comic shop that doesn’t have some degree of small-press section selling self published stuff. I know it’s hardly ‘mass-distribution’, but at least it’s getting the stuff out there.

Probably the best tool for me so far as far as promos go is using Facebook. It really has brought in a huge new readership and is great for getting instant reactions to the stuff we’re doing (albeit positive or negative!). It’s best to be aware of not over-promoting, as you don’t want to piss people off with constant advertising, but use it intelligently and it can be a great tool.

Intersting post, anyway mate. Good luck with everything!