So, for those of you wandering by the site here because you picked up a sticker or sat through my panel on webcomicking, thanks for putting your URL or contact info on the sheet that was passed around. Click HERE if you would like to check out the first fruits of that. That’ll carry you to Manga Magazine, where Nathan Long requests you go looking for The Epic Adventure of Two-Sticks, Chibi N’ Love, and My Girl.
I’m offering the link as a service to those folks kind enough to come to the webcomics panel. You’re on your own if you go looking- some of the cartoons that’ll be there might not be safe for younger viewers. Or at work. Or for people who don’t like Manga. There’s your warning.
One intriguing thing I see about Manga Magazine right off the bat is that at the top of their page, it says, “Submit your work!” Hmm. If you have some Manga work to submit, you need to do some research as to whether they’re a good fit for you. This may be just the thing you’ve been looking for if you do your own manga comic.
There’s your lesson for the day. Decide what kind of work you do. Look for opportunities. Network. Research opportunities and make informed decisions about whether any move you make is to your advantage. Do things that are to your advantage. Ignore things that are not.
Hint -(and this has nothing to do with Manga Magazine one way or the other, this is general advice)- sometimes, opportunities are to your benefit. Sometimes opportunities are to the benefit of those who offer the opportunity. There’s a spectrum of possibilities between these two ends. If a site or a publication offers to publish your material without paying you for it- are you getting any real benefit from that, or is the publisher simply getting free content? They MUST have new content to keep publishing. Is it your job to supply it to them? What benefit is it to you if they cannot continue publishing? On the other hand, do they do something on their site to drive traffic and readers to YOUR site? Do they pay you for your work in some other way?
Or is it just enough of a kick to see your work on someone’s site for you to spend a lot of time providing them free content?
Anything you decide is fine, just make sure you decided it, and it fits your plan.
