Hey, my Squids!
Dropping in with a little update. I’m crazy. I love Taliah. I love drawing Taliah. I love writing Taliah. And I literally can’t stop thinking about it constantly. So, what better way to show that than to make a blog post about it?
I wanted to talk about three topics in this blog. Feel free to read all or none of them. I want to talk about the comic itself (how many pages are left in chapter 3 part 2 and what to expect in the next couple chapters), an omnibus + redrawing chapter 1 (yes!), and what a future kickstarter/fundraiser would look like if I ever do one plus the cost of printing a physical comic (so you all know what the actual Patreon subscription is going towards)! So buckle in. Let’s chat!
CHAPTER 3 PART 2 AND BEYOND
First things first, after October, there are 14 pages left in Chapter 3 Part 2. My overall goal is 5 pages the next two months and 4 in January. I would like for the end of February to be the start of Chapter 4. Mind you, if I have to push that back, then I’ll have to push it back. Can’t rush the art and I don’t want to cut corners when I’m drawing nor burn myself out.
Chapter 4 is a smaller chapter than Chapter 3 Parts 1 and 2. It’s probably closer to Chapter 1 in size. However, with Chapter 4, I’m opting for bigger panels. There will arguably be “less” art per page but much bigger art. Chapter 5 will more than likely be the same size as Chapter 4 and if my pace keeps steady, there is a chance that chapters 4 and 5 both show up next year.
A small “look forward to this” spoiler for those who want to know what to look forward to reading in the future but………………. Chapter 7 is a villain chapter. It won’t feature Leira and company at all but will feature antagonists and other characters that help set up some plot lines that branch in the future. I think you’ll really like that chapter.
I’m excited for you all to see how this story unfolds.
Omnibus + Chapter 1 Redraw
When I finish Chapter 5, I’ll offer it as a separate physical issue like all of the other chapters but I’ll be working on putting together an omnibus of the first five chapters, too. Because of that, I want to redraw Chapter 1 and the beginning to middle of Chapter 2. I want the art style to be more consistent. I also want to re-edit some of the dialogue to fit the tone of Chapter 3 and beyond. Chapter 1 has the bones of what I started working on six or seven years ago. Tonally, it’s a bit different from the way Chapter 2 and, especially, Chapter 3 feel. I want to make sure that when someone picks up a physical copy of the omnibus, they’re getting a complete story that’s tonally consistent.
One of the things I especially want to tweak is the way Leira talks about Saul. When I originally wrote this story, they were not a couple. It wasn’t until after I had released part of Chapter 1 that I really considered the possibility of him being a deep significant other beyond just a hook up partner. I fixed some of the dialogue back then but, with a redraw, I have the chance to truly change the tone of the introduction to Taliah. Part of Leira’s journey through this story is not only coming to terms with what has been taken from her but also understanding that even though there are people who may hurt you, withholding love from people who deserve to be showered with it, can be just as devastating when they’re gone and you never have a chance to tell them what they meant to you. I want to tweak a little bit of the dialogue in the beginning of the story to have her already reflecting on that.
The story will be the same. New readers and folks who already read it will know the same information and see the story unfold the same way. Chapter 1 will just have some of the tonality that we see in Chapters 2 and 3 when Leira is talking about her past.
Kickstarter + Comic Production Costs
I am not asking for money here! I just wanted to get that out of the way. Actually, one of the reasons I charge for my Patreon is because it helps with production costs of the physical comics! (Thank you <3) However, with something like a physical omnibus, I may consider doing a Kickstarter somewhere down the road. I don’t have any planned in the immediate future or even for the next couple of years but it’s something I’ve been thinking about when thinking of the first five chapters as a single unit.
With that said, I thought it would be neat if I told you what the cost of producing a physical comic for a self-published indie comic creator is! The costs will always vary for something like this and since I’m someone who writes and draws Taliah all by myself, my costs are very different from people who might have a small team. In fact, I just recently hired an editor, so you’ll start seeing her name on chapters and one-shots as time goes on. That will be an added cost overtime that I think about when getting physicals printed, packaged, and shipped. For now, my numbers don’t involve the cost of an editor!
Most small creators can only produce small stacks of comics. I get mine printed in 5 to 10 unit increments. My goal is to always have 50 on hand for shipping and if there are local pop up shows I’m able to attend. The place that I’m going to be using long-term is called Mixam. A stack of 10 full color, glossy cover, ends up being $65.00. That includes shipping and taxes. Each book is effectively $6.50 to start.
However, since we’re dealing with comics, we want to make sure each issue is packaged with a cardboard sleeve and plastic bag! I’m currently using Gemini Comic Supply for both the bags and boards as well as the mailers you put them in to ship out to folks. For the bags and boards, you get them together and you can get 500 for $74.95. Since I ordered everything together, my shipping was free. That makes the bags and boards around $0.15 a piece. Not bad. The mailers are $64.95 and they come in stacks of 50, so they’re roughly $1.30 each.
That means the cost for me to get these printed is $6.65. To package them for shipping is $7.95. Shipping cost will vary depending on where they’re going to and how many are packaged together. I always wondered why most indie comics were $10 a piece and now I know!
I hope you found that as fascinating as I did. I love numbers, so I enjoy looking at the cost of things. It tickles my brain matter.
Anyway, thanks for reading this long, somewhat pointless blog. I’m off to work on some art for the day! I hope you have a good day and stay safe. Take care, my Squids.