its one thing if you put some nice bonuses(like extra art, not character bios), or like the online version had some mistakes that you corrected;

But what about having a webcomic in to a print comic but there is no difference in content? Why would the book sell?

Why would you want to have your web comic into a print comic?

There is something about a book that is inherantly... comforting and appealing. People like to own things. You can own a book. You can collect a book. You can curl up in bed with a book. Its easier on the eyes. Books don't have a load time. A book never has downtime and isn't affected by powerfailures. You can read a book in the car, at the busstop, on the subway, in a hospital, or out in the woods camping by candlelight. Books don't run out of battery power. Books are a complete unit. An author can sign a book. A book can go up in value as it becomes a collectable. Books appeal to a broader audience. Books offer a sense of value to a work. People respect work printed on deadtrees more on first outset than something just 'on the internet'. Some people just like to own a little peice of their favorite things or support their favorite artists.

There are many reasons people might want a book aside from extras. Print also demands a higher standard from artwork and generally one would want to proof and possibly re-layout aspects of their comic before print anyway. This means the product, by virtue of its medium, is inherantly higher. I can tell you from going to conventions people WANT to buy books. Thats the first thing they look for from a comic is the deadtree copies. It might seem weird, but tis the honest truth.

I think personally my comics would be best translated into books. Its easier to get into them (particularly Shifters ) when they are in a large chunk. There is a lot of action and such, so the pacing online sucks. It would be far more appealing in a deadtree version. More exciting too. It is also extraordinarily gratifying to hold a finished book that you made in your hands. Its a feeling like no other.

Books are a waste of paper !!!
if you want to climb into bed with your comic- get a laptop !
books cost $$$$
Paper books are extreemly limiting in page sizes , color, and animations !!

everybody should just have 1 portable internet accessing electric book that can hold 10 million books !!! after that they should abolish ALL copyright laws and assemble the greatest colection of books EVER !! it should prolly be in some huge database in Antarctica (international territory) it would be the greatest collection of human knowlege since the library of Alexandria in the midle ages !!! and of course it would have all the comics ever conceived as well !!!
so once that gets off the ground paper books will be obsolete !!! unless of course , you just like collecting things !

lothar
if you want to climb into bed with your comic- get a laptop !
books cost $$$$

Ah, where to nitpick on this statement first?

Well, I don't really know WHERE to stand on this issue. As an artist, I actually designed my comics to be readable like a comic book so I can try to print it someday. I feel that as an artist that it is probably very satisfying to know that a hard-bound copy of your work has been sold; to know that someone cares enough about your work that they would commit money to it because they want to read it.

I'm under the belief that paper books will never become obsolete, partially for the reasons that ShadowsMyst mentioned. Books will be more portable and convenient than laptops ever will be. They certainly don't tell you to put your books away during take-off on an airplane. There is still a huge market for books and book stores stay open later than most stores that specialize. That, and they're certainly cheaper than laptops! Books have a higher relative resale value and rate, as well. Paper is a very permanent form and you don't need to replace them with an upgraded version.

And by the way, the Library of Alexandria got burnt to the ground before the Middle Ages started...

heh
the future is webcomics.

i don't really care about printing my comic
i made the size so it's easier to read on a monitor.

yea i agree with Sub ! it's the future , i used to dream about printing my comic and holding it in my hands , i actually printed some comics on dead trees before i ever got on the nets ! but it was tottaly pointless , it's just impossible to reach the kind of audience you can on the web if you try to go with a book ! and even if you were able to get "published" through some sort of comics company (i don't count self publishing as being published ) you would most likely have to change a lot of stuff and put up with constant BS from the company !

IMO - the sooner you discard the dinasaur dreams about ink and trees, the sooner you are free to realy create something adapted to This new medium ! i can't imagine that something like Subs "DiS" would look better on paper, that's impossible , they would loose a vital dimension - lighting, depth, spontaneity ! you just can't replicate that in Print ! and that's what i'm trying to say here - i see a lot of people holding out for that paper dream , that's fine if that's what you realy want, but i believe it to be limiting and very unnecessary . i'm not trying to flame anybody about this , i just think that a lot of people are holding themselves back , tailoring their work to fit a format that is somewhat outdated ; limiting their means of expression because they are hoping for something that will likely NEVER happen !
i'm sorry if i'm being Harsh , but i gave up on the paper dream years ago and i have no regrets !

my comic is designed to be printed someday, hopefully when we get to page 200 we'll be able to.

My comic is not really designed to be turned into a book...

BUT

I still love books, and there is nothing better to me than sitting in a comfy chair with a comic/book. Or on a bus. Or in the train. It's not just the practical aspect, it's the smell and feeling too. I guess all the webloving people out there calls me old-fashioned and outdated, but printed comics can do something webcomics can't, just as much as the other way around. And if you really want to, you can get books made in many weird sizes and shapes. It's not as limiting as you'd think.
I agree with ShadowsMyst and Kohdok, I doubt books and the like will dissapear just because there's a different alternative.

There's really no "perfect" solution and I don't think we'll ever agree on this. Some people cannot for the life of them see what webcomics can offer, some thinks printed ones are leftovers from the past and I stand in the middle and think both have something good to offer.

Whoah, Lothar, calm down. While I agree that some webcomics could never be put into print (When I Am King and Sub's own Dreams in Synergy are good examples), other comics (such as Ctrl-Alt-Del or PvP, where strips have a fixed size) would do well in the format.

Also, you seem to think that printing comics is an alternative to web publishing. It's not, in many cases- many books are just anthologies, a collection of comics from a given period of time. I don't think Penny Arcade or Girly, despite having print volumes, would ever stop being webcomics. Frankly, the books are just like candy for fans.

My comic is going to be printed and I can't wait. There will be some extra content in there for people who've read it all online too~ It's been my aim from the beginning and I think it's totally worth it.

Aside from all the other things mentioned such as the convienience of books and how they will increse in value and don't crash/have loading times etc... you make money when you sell books! Maybe not much money but still, something at least. It's like you're "earning" something from all your hard work and not just relying on dribs and drabs of donations off the occasional generous reader. I might get a certain number of readers here on DD who are members of the site... but if I had my book in print I can go to a comic event and possibly have my work seen by thousands of people just browsing past - and they're far more likely to shell out for something in physical form if it's right there in front of them.

I dunno about you but I sniff at the idea of paying to view a webcomic; but an actual book? I'll buy that. Not just because I want the book but I also want to support the author~

I know comics aren't all about money but damn, we gotta eat. ^^;

I love books. The feeling, the look, the smell... I just do. It's the same reason I will buy manga, even if they are identical to an associated anime series. Books are just... better somehow. (Our house is overfull of books. I didn't even sell my old textbooks most of the time.)

I want print versions of all my stuff just to have. I always intended on having a bound print version of my work -- just for me and my friends/parents; not really interested in selling or even sharing. I never even intended to make it a webcomic, but my brother pushed me into it. It's kinda nice to be able to have an actual audience for my stuff (which the internet is great for...), but I still want that tangible thing.

Actually, having a webcomic has forced me to clean up and improve my drawing and do a better job salvaging some of my older, god-awful pages. The stuff I used to make was stuff only a mother could love. An audience has caused me to start making things I might be able to actually be proud of. I doubt anyone would want print versions aside from my original audience (parents/friends), but I will have more pride in it thanks to my webcomic.



(I wouldn't pay to view a webcomic either. But I'd definitely buy books! )

Well, one day I'd like to sell my work (lord knows I don't have any other profitable talents-- unless making wierd noises can make money), but I don't use fixed strip sizes. Every page of HVH is generally a different size. Though I am making an effort to stay a consistent size in other comics. Ezra has a fixed size, sort of.

I actually had the first issue of my Drewbot 3000 and a half comic printed. I went thru Ka-Blam.com and just for shiggles had one copy printed out. it cost me probably $1.70 plus shipping but it's cool to actually hold your comic in your hand in printed form. My Son has helped me in the past with the comic, He's actually the inspiration for the main character, and he got to take the issue to school with him and show it. Another self publishing company is Lulu.com. They not only will print your comic (for a fee of course) but can set up an Amazon type page for you to sell it. It's pretty cool.

J. Michael

http://www.drunkduck.com/drewbot_3000_and_a_half