On Business: Make Work & Show It

This past weekend saw the sixth annual East London Comics & Arts Festival (ELCAF) and publisher Broken Frontier hosted a panel entitled "Comics and the Micropublishing Revolution." The panel, hosted by EIC Andy Oliver featured Tillie Walden, Sanita Muižniece, David White, and Peony Gent.

Jenny Robins was in the audience and took notes in her sketchbook, which she then posted on Twitter. I wouldn't necessarily call all this business advice, but it's interesting that all of these creators boiled things down to more or less the same central idea... Some of the comments she's written down (if you're unable to read them) include:

• Put some brilliant alternative work out there.
• Big publishing works really slowly. Micropublishing is quick.
• The scene is usually supportive.
• Distribution is the biggest challenge. Distributors need 6 months notice.
• The only way to stay engaged is to do a lot of difficult things.
• Advice:
  • Sanita: Make a website.
  • David: Make work and show people.
  • Peony: Believe that it's worth showing people.
  • Tillie: Finish what you start -- nothing better to show a publisher than commitment.

Robins summed things up nicely in her Tweet:

The drawing I made at the @brokenfrontier @ELCAFest yesterday. Great lineup, good advice that basically boils down to: make work and show it pic.twitter.com/YYgFAvVWyC

— jenny robins (@jennyrobins) June 18, 2017

Regardless of your business model, your social media strategy, your connections... everything still relies on the basic tenet: make work and show it.

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