Comic Book Budgeting

Had our workshop meeting tonight. I went over how to budget a single issue comic, a mini-series, and a trade paperback. We covered creative costs, advertising, shipping and printing, and all major costs associated with producing a comic book and how to calculate out what some one is likely to make.

We covered how to accurately (as much as anyone can, anyway) estimate sales of a comic throughout a series. And we calculated the profit on trade paperbacks.

And the more I talked and plugged numbers into this lovely spreadsheet, two things happened: It became increasingly obvious that making money while making comics is darn near IMPOSSIBLE. But the other thing that happened, was that every person in that workshop started to feel more driven and more empowered. And more ENCOURAGED to pursue his or her dream of making comics.

And here's why, I think. Prior to tonight's meeting (and you should join us, we meet every month online to discuss these kinds of things), the budget was a real mystery. How much do you pay Diamond to place an ad? How much of a discount do retailers actually get (meaning, how much do I actually make per unit sold)? and so on.

Simply gaining the knowledge--having the insight--you could see that the obstacles before our heroes became clear. And with that clarity, that meant they could start to plan around them. The group was able to look at the problem--seeing the problem as a bunch of solvable puzzles instead of one lump puzzle made of nonsense. It's now real to them. And in that reality, it is made up of component parts. Each part is manageable on its own. And that means that the problem as a whole--is ultimately solvable.

Okay, now I feel like I'm talking in riddles, but the gist is this. The creators in the Comics Experience Creators Workshop got one heck of an advantage now that most creators don't. They're armed to know what they're in for, and their clever enough to make it work.

And the best part is they have each other to help out--to check their calculations--to make sure their estimate of how many units they think they can sell is honest. Together, these creators are going to make great comics, and make money. I'm confident of that now.

If making comics is in your blood, I recommend you join our workshop. Signing up now will allow you to still access tonight's session as a recording and we'd love to meet you on the exclusive message boards and start reviewing your work!

Check out the Workshop and sign up today!

Andy