First off, we need to add Mojo the Sock Monkey to our list of blooks from Kevin Cornell. Cornell says, "The character originated on my blog - but the blook contains comics that don't appear on my blog." Which fits exactly with the definition of blook that I use here at Blooking Central. I know you're curious so here's the scoop on Mojo: "It's Mojo the Sock Monkey in his first narrative tale — The Story of Eh! Follow him through the crushing desperation of joblessness, to the laugh-a-minute fun of unemployment" (Lulu Description).
I did ask about The Wippins Campaign, which has also been published, but did not appear to be a blook. I was correct. Cornell wrote, "Well, I never posted any of the panels online. So it's not really an online comic." [So not a blook]
Second, since Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics) was kind enough to share his thoughts about the expense of printing comics in color, I thought I'd include this from Cornell's blog:
Webcomics in Print
"Although in colour, the comics are indeed just plain black and white (with an added red scarf thrown in). I think it saves it well to have it just black and white with fantastic colour for the titles, because sometimes adding colour makes the comic feel less what you want it to be, and Mojo is definitely what I want it to be."
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Q & A with Cornell
BC: Why did you create the blooks?
KC: Well, for years I worked as a web designer. So naturally I set up a blog before I started dabbling in publishing :D
BC: Did someone suggest publishing?
KC: A couple people suggested I put a book together -- though it wasn't cost-feasible really until I found an on-demand publisher.
BC: Was blooking just a natural extension of what you were doing? I already wrote [see previous post] that you had always wanted to do a book -- does having a book somehow validate what you do?
KC: Hmmm -- I think for some people it does. People tend to take you more seriously when they see you've been published. Of course, with an on-demand publisher, ANYONE can be published, so it loses some of it's
legitimacy. But, for my own satisfaction, I try to produce every book with the care and attention to detail that I'd put into something I was trying to get published through traditional channels.
There's also something satisfying about having your work exist in the REAL world. I often get a bit panicked when I think that the majority of my life's work only exists as electronic signals on an expensive box. The fact that I have a respectable amount of worked preserved in print makes me feel a little better :D
BC: What can you tell me about the Blooker competition? How did you hear about it? What was it like to be a finalist? - I'm guessing that you are still reaping benefits from all the articles carrying your name and
other info as well as all the links.
KC: Well, there's been some residual benefits. Apparently, I missed this year's competition, which I was a little frustrated about - I would have submitted SOMETHING. Initially, one of the Lulu staff brought it to my attention. I thought - "What the hell? Why not?" and submitted Ambidextrous thusly. And luckily it got noticed, which was flattering.
BC: What advice would you have for an artist with a successful comic blog/site as far as producing a blook?
KC: I would advise them to take a look at already published books, and try and learn how to work in that different format. I think many online artists don't understand the inherent difference in designing for print vs. designing for web, and in the end it can make their final piece appear less-than-professional. I'd also advise them to make sure their currently creating their comics to be posted online at a print resolution (300 dpi) so that down the line they CAN translate those comics to print and have them still look good.
BC: What kinds of things should they take into consideration, how to market it, etc.?
KC: Luckily, for someone who's already got a website in place, it's much easier to market the book than it would be for someone who creates a book and then needs to market it. My own site was already a pretty
established selling tool, with enough of an audience that there was a demand for a book.
Other channels that authors can traditionally try and go down would be getting reviews in local papers, or perhaps even setting up some kind of consignment deal with local book shops. These routes require much
more footwork than building a website, but you're going to definitely reach an audience you may not been able to previously.
BC: The
Ambidextrous blooks are both black and white. What about
Mojo and
Wippins?
KC: Mojo is in color, and The Wippins Campaign is black & white (though in a comic format).
BC: I ask because I posted about Ryan North and he said the only way he could afford color was that the publisher cut him a deal. How big a factor is color?
KC: It's MUCH more expensive, even though the perceived value of the books is pretty much the same to most consumers. On
Mojo books, I make very little profit, since so much of it's cost goes into production.
Ambidextrous has a much higher profit margin - yet if I were to charge less for
Ambidextrous, it would probably scare off a lot of consumers, thinking that if it was so "cheap" it must be bad. And if I charged more for
Mojo, consumers would think that it costs WAY too much. It's an unfortunate situation, but it makes sense that color should be more expensive.
The most viable option for having color, yet keeping costs down would probably be to find a traditional printer who can do a two-color, or three-color run - but then you have to purchase a bulk shipment, and
you lose the convenience of going through an on-demand printer.
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My thanks to Cornell for his candid comments. And good luck in this year's Blooker Competition!
