Why Being as DIY as Possible Makes for Better Self-Published Comics

Pouring more of YOU into your self-published comics ensures a final product that's more unique and ultimately authentic.

Making your own comics is hard work, and real indie creators (the ones without investment from venture capitalists or cash from initial public offerings) wear enough different hats to fill a haberdashery. If you’re creating and self-publishing more than one comic simultaneously, the sheer amount of responsibilities can be overwhelming. After doing this for 15 years, my advice?

---

Hoard as many of the comic creation and publishing tasks as is feasible and keep them for yourself.

---

I put together this promotional video for our upcoming Kickstarter campaign for Last Ride of the 4 Horsemen: Tribulation 3 with self-taught skills. It launches on Kickstarter on Sunday, September 7.

---

Here’s an impromptu (non-exhaustive) list of responsibilities I maintain within Inverse Press/Flatline Comics all these years later, some of which I reclaimed from outsourcing:

• Story concept development

• Writing

• Scripting

• Recruiting/management of artists

• Approval of layouts, final line art, and colors

• Art file storage/security/management

• Lettering

• Logo design

• Cover concepts

• Cover dress design

• Book design

• Pre-press file management/preparation

• Interfacing with printers

• Placing print orders

• Website design/upkeep

• Social media content creation and marketing

• Stock image creation/management/storage

• Kickstarter page design

• Crowdfunding campaign design/management/marketing

• Financial bookkeeping

• Budget design/implementation

• Packing products for shipping

• Customer service

I’m sure I’m excluding some obvious tasks, but that list provides a fair illustration of what true DIY self-publishing entails, and I have a partner, Amanda Rachels, who handles a huge litany of responsibilities, herself.

---

---

So, why would I want to keep all of this on my plate when I could potentially outsource much of it? Let me count the ways:

• Money - Obviously, the more of these responsibilities you assume yourself, the less money you must pay for others to handle them

• Passion - Nobody cares about your creative endeavors with even a fraction of the zeal that you do. Thus, their contributions to them will be proportionately reduced in quality and effort.

• Authenticity - Every external voice added to the final presentation of your comic shrinks the volume of your own voice in that work, rendering it less personal, more generic, and less meaningful.

• Efficiency/reliability/ease of oversight - Assuming you handle your responsibilities in a timely and productive manner, the schedule of comic production will benefit from eliminating the gross amount of time required to effectively track down and communicate with/solve problems caused by others to whom you outsourced critical responsibilities.

• Accuracy - Simply put, no one this side of a conscientious telepath is going to realize your comic vision in a manner as true to your dream as you will.

Unlettered final art from Last Ride of the 4 Horsemen: Tribulation 3. For these pages, I provided story, script, image references, and layout and color approvals, and I will letter them over the coming week.

Certainly, we, as individuals, can’t do everything ourselves, but, in the pursuit of the best possible comics, we should endeavor to do as much ourselves as is realistic. The end result will mean much more to us and will resonate more personally with readers.

Comment and let me know how injecting more of YOU into your comics has made them better and more successful.

Thanks for making comics with me —

• Kevin