Comixlaunch: Crowdfunding For Writers, Artists & Self-publishers On Kickstarter... And Beyond!

After a perfect storm of dealing with Covid, labor shortages, paper shortages, market uncertainty, and getting hammered by the third-costliest weather disaster on record, Comic Impressions is back on track and printing more comics than ever. Sales manager Rich Boye returns to the podcast to discuss the turbulence in comics printing over the past few years, what's hot in the comic printing industry today, and more.

For the past decade, Will Robson has been working as a professional artist for Marvel, DC, Image, IDW and more. In his career, he's worked on major IP such as Batman, Star Wars, Spider-Man and Deadpool, TMNT, Spawn and more. He's now just hours away from launching his first Kickstarter for a creator-owned zombie anthology style comic book series, called OUTBREAKS! He'll join Tyler for a frank discussion about the state of the comics industry for freelancers here in 2023, and why now is the time for Will to jump into the Kickstarter game.

After three successful Kickstarters raising over $100K in funding on Kickstarter, Russell Nohelty is handing over his Cthulhu is Hard to Spell franchise to Laurie Foster, publisher at Unlikely Heroes Studios. With a new campaign collecting and expanding the first three volumes in new softcover editions launching on Backerkit this week, Tyler chats with the team about the transition, new launch and future of this popular anthology.

Tyler shares the details on a few new rewards he experimented with on Launch Day for the SINK: Cutthroat Kickstarter campaign. Plus, some challenges he had giving it his all on launch day.

With his latest six-figure campaign for PATRIOTIKA REBIRTH, Ron Z of Mount Olympus Comics is employing a number of innovative strategies to keep his Kickstarter fresh and keep the funding coming in. In this interview, Ron and Tyler will chat about how he's been able to consistently raise over one-hundred thousand dollars per launch on Kickstarter and build a massive following for his fantasy imprint.

For the first time in over three years, Tyler's released an all-new FREE strategy guide for comic creator crowdfunders. In this session, you'll hear excerpts from the new guide and learn how you can get your hands on this valuable Kickstarter resource!

Nightwolf creator Rob Multari is back on the podcast to share insight from the trenches as he is attempting to diversifying his product line beyond just comics. In this interview, you'll hear Rob's experience developing a new plush toy for his most popular series, his experiments and challenges with digital figures, and how he's approached launching it all on Kickstarter.

For more than a decade, David Barach has been building technical platforms to help people crowdfund as the president of ConnectionPoint, the company behind FundRazr and Crowdfundr. In this "state of crowdfunding" discussion, David and Tyler discuss the past, present and future of the crowdfunding movement, and why Crowdfundr is so bullish on comic book crowdfunding in particular.

After a successful career in IT and project management, Peter Taylor is working harder than ever on his passion projects. Now a full-time writer and artist, Peter joins Tyler for a discussion about his creative journey, getting started in comics later in life, and the crowdfunding launch of his new series Pioneers: Blood & Stars #1.

Backerkit made news a few months ago with the announcement that it was launching its own Crowdfunding Platform as a Kickstarter alternative. That platform has been up and running for several months now, and the first batch of comic projects have started to launch on the platform. In this session, Tyler chats with David Byrne about his current launch for Cancelled II on Backerkit Crowdfunding. A veteran Kickstarter creator, you'll hear David's insights about the process moving to Backerkit for the crowdfunding launch, and his advice on what creators should be prepared for if they make the switch. Plus hear David's thoughts on variant cover strategy and lessons learned from his time as co-publisher of Scout Comics and a whole lot more!

Over the past few years, writer and publisher Travis Gibb (Orange Cone Productions) has had a lot of success on the Kickstarter platform. Now, he's seeks a roundtable of creators' advice on how to best translate his crowdfunding success into success elsewhere?

The conventional wisdom is that Kickstarter is an awesome platform for serializing comics, as many creators experience strong organic growth in both funding and backer totals with each new issue launch. But what does it mean when that growth doesn't happen? Writer Patrick Kellner seeks the mastermind roundtable's advice to help him figure out if his series has peaked on Kickstarter.

Writer Tom Leveen is currently battling an age old dilemma: should he pursue projects that interest him the most or should he try to follow the market and do something more commercial. Recognizing that some types of projects seem to do better than others on Kickstarter, Tom is questioning whether that should be a filter he runs future projects through when deciding what to work on. In this mastermind style session, four other creators and Tyler will help Tom sort through this dilemma.

What are the best strategies to communicate deadlines and juggle multiple projects and creative teams when you're eyeing the Kickstarter platform? This is a challenge writer and filmmaker Michael Dean is currently wresting with. In this mastermind style session, a roundtable of creators will help Michael find the right tips and best practices to motivate his team and hit his launch goals.

Imposter syndrome is a common affliction for comic creators and humans in all walks of life. In this mastermind style session, Karla Medrano, a self-styled "noob" to the world of creating comics shares her struggles with having the confidence to grow an audience. Luckily, a roundtable of creators who have all been there share what has helped them battle imposter syndrome and have success in the industry.

Storyboard and comic book artist Frank Forte joins Tyler for a discussion about alternative forms of distribution for comics and creative work beyond the main channels. While Frank is an active advocate and user of the Kickstarter platform, he also sees tremendous value in getting your books to sell all year round, and this interview is all about how to do it!

Join comics writer Brian Hawkins (Black Cotton, The Vineyard) for a discussing about creating and launching alternative history comics. Brian's latest crowdfunding effort is America's Kingdom, new series taking place in a modern-day America under the reign and rule of a descendant of George Washington. Get Brian's tips on alternate history worldbuilding, plus insights from his lessons learned as a freelance writer and comics editor.

Want to save some serious coin shipping to backers overseas? Then you need to listen to this one, as Tyler shares how the discovery of Pirate Ship's Simple Export Rate option helped slash over a thousand dollars in shipping costs during his last launch. For US creators shipping goods four pounds or less worldwide, this is a godsend and a game changer!

Get ready for a deep dive conversation on the state of comics crowdfunding with one of the most respected creators in the space, writer Charlie Stickney. Charlie returns to the ComixLaunch Podcast to talk about his stepping down as Co-Publisher of Scout Comics to focus on his successful crowdfunding projects including White Ash, Glarien, The Game and more. Topics will include how many launches are too many, how the crowdfunding space is evolving, what the future may hold for the direct market and Kickstarter, and much more!

After your Kickstarter campaign funds, your work as a creator has only just begun. In fact, it is often how you handle the fulfillment of your campaign and communicate with your backers post-launch, that will have the biggest impact on whether your backers become super fans for life. In this session, Tyler will share time-worn tips to get the most out of your post-launch Kickstarter updates!