Robert Scoble recently posted on his blog asking Comics, is there any way to make a business here? He talks about his friend, Dawn Douglass, has been pitching a business for comic artists to some of the Sand Hill venture capitalists.
Apparently Dawn thinks she can make a business out of charging people for using cartoons. I think that’s probably a given as many newspapers, magazines and books use them, however as I understand it they tend to stick to a few well known ones making it very hard for a unknown comic to break into the market.
Here’s what Scoble has to say on it:
Truth is, advertising is still the best choice for a new business like this. But how to do it? Google’s AdSense usually around only $.50 to $2.50 CPM (payment per thousand page views). Getting 1,000 people to visit your site is actually pretty tough as any Z list blogger will tell you and that’ll only get you $.50 in advertising. So, the numbers of people you have to get to visit your site to build a business is daunting. Cartoonists, she tells me, aren’t willing to do it for free. They want to get paid up front. That’s going to prove difficult.
I keep pointing her to Hugh Macleod who DOES give his cartoons away for free. He got so popular that now companies are willing to pay for him to draw cartoons for them. To me that’s the way to build a business, it seems. Give away something for free to get people to come and buy something else from you.
That’s also pretty much the approach taken by J.D. Frazer his comic is free on his website and he makes a living from the ads on the site, which no doubt helps sell his books, he’s also written a book about running his comic business which might help shed some light - Money For Content and Your Clicks For Free
This blog is about business opportunities and ideas that I spot, think of or hear about and think are useful and interesting. It is intended to provide ideas and inspriation for you to help you find the right business idea for you to then grow it into a successful business.
Interesting, after seeing a recent superhero movie it really sparked some of my creative juices flowing from my childhood memories. I used to sketch comic books and i had an idea of putting together my own online comic book and monetizing it with advertising. Another business idea put on my to do list for this summer.
Why is it we all (me included) put our business ideas on the list for “summer”? Let’s face it we’re far less likely to work on them then, when it’s hot and sunny
Thanks for the thoughts, John.
We should be launching this new cartoon website this Fall. You’re right: too bloody hot now. Ha!
Dawn,
Please let me know when you do, I’d love to have a look and do a followup post.