ComixLaunch: Crowdfunding for Writers, Artists & Self-Publishers on Kickstarter... and Beyond!

Tyler James hosts an enlightening panel of esteemed comics creators—Rob Multari (Lone Wolf Comics), Allan Liska (Green Archer Comics), and Christian Douglas (Unpopular Comics) —alongside Sam Kusek, the Comics Outreach Lead at Kickstarter. The discussion delves into the current state of crowdfunding for comic creators, focusing on Kickstarter's new pledge manager, the challenges of growing economic pressures, and market saturation.

Tyler hosts a dynamic discussion on comics crowdfunding with a panel that includes prolific illustrators, an experienced writer and a literary agent! This one is loaded with knowledge bombs from Patrick Lugo & Janna Morishima of Kids Comics Unite and the "Let's Go! Comics Anthology for Kids", "The Road to Oz" creator Amin Amat, and writer Grant Lankard (League of Cryptids).

Jesse Judy joins Tyler for a discussion about lessons learned from his first successful crowdfunding launch and how he's applying them to his upcoming sophomore launch, and why he's so excited about the upcoming ComixLaunch Planner!

Tyler James leads an awesome discussion featuring first-time crowdfunders Justin Dunn & Eric Tomeo, first-time crowdfunders of Ballad of Dust & Blood, along with veteran crowdfunders Karl Kerschl, creator of Death Transit Magpie, and Clay Adams - Creator of Blazing Blade of Frankenstein, as they dive deep into the world of Kickstarter campaigns for comic books.

Ray Chou and Mythworks have developed a stellar reputation in the comics and RPG game crowdfunding space, with massive hits such as the comic Skies of Fire and RPG The Wildsea. In this conversation, Ray and Tyler discuss how the tariff situation is hitting the gaming side of Kickstarter and the challenges of serializing comics on Kickstarter.

Prolific comics writer Caleb Palmquist returns to ComixLaunch! Caleb has successfully launched over 30 Kickstarter campaigns, including popular series like 'Dragon Grit,' 'Swords of Arthur,' 'Modern Mythology,' and 'Unicorn Vampire Hunter,' which is now returning with its eighth issue. Caleb shares insights into his journey, the challenges of maintaining an ambitious release schedule while also holding down a day job, the importance of project management, and strategies to increase efficiency in fulfillment and promotion. Whether you're a seasoned creator or new to the world of Kickstarter, this conversation is packed with tips and inspiration for you. Don't miss it!

In this session, Tyler shares some of the key info he assembles prior to launching a new series. This Comic Series "Sell Sheet" is a section included in the upcoming ComixLaunch Comic Book Crowdfunding Planner. If you're looking to launch something new or trying to hone the marketing of your current series, this is a great one to listen to.

Clay Adams shines the spotlight on George O'Connor, a prolific writer and creator active in the Boston film and comics community. George discusses his works, including 'Vampires on Mars,' 'Charlie's Spot,' 'Healed,' and shares his journey from music and theater to short films and eventually comics. The conversation delves into the impact of ComixLaunch, the importance of marketing, and the role of a supportive home life in maintaining creative productivity.

Tyler James discusses a significant update from Kickstarter regarding pre-launch pages. Previously, creators had to wait for Kickstarter's approval to activate pre-launch pages, but now they can go live immediately, simplifying the process for building a following before launching. Additionally, Tyler covers updates from BackerKit and shares strategies for optimizing Kickstarter campaigns, including using multiple pre-launch pages and best practices for project approvals. A valuable listen for anyone involved in comics crowdfunding.

For years, Backerkit Launch has been a hugely powerful tool for driving funding for veteran crowdfunders. But is the effectiveness of this premium messaging tool waning? Tyler shares some feedback from comics crowdfunding pros and looks at his own metrics to answer this question.

James Ferguson is in the ComixLaunch spotlight this week. After spending over a decade reviewing comics at Horror DNA and Comicon, James has made the transition to writing them himself! In an awesome conversation with Clay Adams, James shares a range of experiences and protips launching successful Kickstarters, leveraging LinkedIn for promoting comics, and his deep dive into the indie comic community.

Join Tyler as he fills out Kickstarter's latest product roadmap survey and analyzes it for clues about new tools and features that may be coming to the top crowdfunding platform.

Surprise! Kickstarter rolled out another new set of features to optimize your rewards. In this session, we'll unpack secret and featured rewards into your crowdfunding strategy. It covers the benefits and limitations of these new features, how to set them up, and strategies for using them effectively.

Adriano Ariganello, creator of Naked Kaiju Woman, From Parts Unknown and Crazy Latte Thing Called Love, is in the ComixLaunch Pro spotlight, talking about his crowdfunding journey.

In this session, Tyler shares a scam that several ComixLaunch Pros have brought his attention to, that involves the impersonation of a popular comic writer and shady marketing tactics.

We made it to ComixLaunch 500! In this special session, Tyler takes it all the way back to the very first episode of the ComixLaunch Podcast and reacts and reflects on the humble start for this show nearly 10 years later. Then, Tyler delves into Kickstarter's newly announced 2025 Product Roadmap, featuring a number of significant updates to the platform and new tools for creators and backers. From new pledge management tools working with their enhanced backer surveys, to new sales tax and shipping collection approaches, Kickstarter continues its march to become an all-in-one crowdfunding and launch platform.

In this session, Clay Adams shines the spotlight on M. Sorcier, a dedicated self-taught artist and writer from the Bronx, New York. They discuss M. Sorcier's journey in the comic world, from her early inspirations such as 'Sandman' to the creation of her fantasy drama series 'Sacrimony'. M. Sorcier shares her experiences with Kickstarter campaigns, the challenges of burnout, and the importance of tenacity in the creative process.

Join Tyler James and a panel of experienced comic creators, including Cici Affini & Mark Romero from Attic Door Media, Rob Multari of Lonewolf Comics, and Frank Martin of Grimm Space, as they discuss their participation in the BackerKit Pintopia event. In this episode, the group dives deep into the dynamics of the event, the reasons behind their participation, and their reactions to this unique collaborative crowdfunding experience. Don't miss this comprehensive look into crowdfunding with BackerKit and the exciting Pintopia event!

Portland-based writer, artist, and self-publisher Ross Radke shares insights into his journey from studying film to creating comics. Ross discusses his works including the webtoon series Spandex, the bounty hunter series Build a Platypus, and the Kaiju anthology series Stomped. He dives into his experiences with crowdfunding, launching multiple successful Kickstarters, and the recent transition to the Zoop platform. Ross provides valuable advice on balancing creative work with a full-time job, the decision-making process behind his projects, and building connections within the indie comics community. Listeners will also learn about Ross's future plans and his approach to storytelling in the shared universe of Stomped.

Get ready for an awesome conversation about The State of Comics on Kickstarter in 2025, as Tyler is joined by Sam Kusek, Kickstarter's Senior Outreach Lead for the Comics category.

Last month, The World's Greatest Illustrated Magazine of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror Heavy Metal relaunched with a brand new #1 issue on the Kickstarter platform. This smash hit launch was supported by over 10,000 backers marking a triumphant return for the legendary brand. In this interview Tyler talks to Executive Editor Dave Kelly and Editorial Manager Chris Thompson about this massive launch and the exciting future of Heavy Metal Magazine.

To kick off the new year, Tyler answers a Kickstarter newcomers burning questions around launching a new comic book project in 2025, including insights that will also be relevant to Kickstarter veterans!

In this session, Tyler looks at Kickstarter's latest game-changing feature: the import add-ons from past campaign button. This new tool allows creators to import add-ons from previous campaigns, saving significant setup time and making campaign set-up more efficient for returning creators. In this podcast, we'll look at how this feature works, its benefits for repeat creators, and areas where it can still be improved. Learn how this update can boost your campaign's success and streamline your workflow.

It's time to spotlight another outstanding member of the ComixLaunch Pro community! This month, Clay Adams turns the spotlight on British writer Sam Johnson. Best known for his creations Cabracini: Voodoo Junkie Hitwoman and Geek Girl. They discuss Johnson's continued success with Kickstarter, having raised £60,000 through 15 campaigns, including his latest crossover event, Cabracini Geek Girl Exodus. Johnson shares his journey from being inspired by comics in his youth, to his detailed planning and extensive drafts for each project. He reveals insights on the benefits of Kickstarter for comic distribution and marketing, and the importance of building an audience through consistent engagement.

In this session, Tyler interviews Big Tim, an award-winning writer from Australia, known for his comic series 'Gorilla My Dreams,' short films, and contributions to the indie comics scene. They discuss Tim's current Kickstarter campaign for the second issue of his team-up series, creative challenges, and the evolution of comic book crowdfunding.

In this month's ComixLaunch Pro Spotlight, Clay Adams interviews comic book creator Gerald von Stoddard, who splits his time between Tivoli, New York, and Florence, Italy. Gerald shares insights from his journey in the comics industry, as he emphasizes the value of asking for help and being an active part of the comics community.

Elections have consequences, and the new US administration has promised tariffs or new taxes on imported products, which may include things like comic book paper, ink, enamel pins, plush toys and more. In this session, Tyler shares his take on the coming tariffs, the uncertainty they're creating, and the challenges for creators.

In this session, Tyler will shares numerous strategies and a bunch of real-world examples creators like us can use to enhance sales and make compelling offers to their fans too good to refuse.

Veteran comic book creator crowdfunders Kevin Joseph (Tart) and Mike Shea (Miskatonic High) join Tyler for a discussion about collaborative cross-over Kickstarter launches. Recently, Mike and Kevin launched a project two years in the making, crossing their characters over in an innovative trading card series.

Comic writer John Burke joins ComixLaunch's Tyler James to discuss the power of biting off more than you think you can chew, and why getting comfortable with getting uncomfortable is a part of becoming a comic creator. This session is a deep dive into navigating uncertainty, facing awkwardness, and maintaining perseverance for something truly important.

Creating is hard, even in the most ideal conditions. But how do we do it when conditions aren't ideal? When the world around us is stressful and the demands upon our time and talents, how do we keep our mental health in tip-top shape so we can do our best work? Tyler is a work-in-progress on this, just as you are, but he'll share some of his strategies to keep sane in a crazy world!

Bestselling illustrator and art direct Amri Birdi is in the ComixLaunch Pro Spotlight, as he chats with Clay Adams about his crowdfunding journey, balancing his day-to-day art director duties with pursuing his own self-publishing creations.

Tyler shares some good news and productive updates to a number of Kickstarter related topics, including steps the popular crowdfunding platform is taking to crack down on AI spam projects, a fix to the biggest problem to their new survey tool, and an update for creators looking to launch back-to-back projects.

When building a Kickstarter campaign, creators often face the challenge of deciding how many reward tiers to offer. Comic creators especially often have lots of variant covers and extras that could easily lead to dozens of reward tiers... but is that overwhelming to prospective backers? In this session, Tyler shares his thoughts on reward tier volume and crunches some live Kickstarter data to back his insights!

For the last five years, comic creators, artists and fans have been celebrating their love of indie comics with 31 days of art centered on indie comic characters! In this session, Tyler chats with Indietober architect Travis Gibb about running the annual event every October, the state of indie comics and how organizing online challenges can impact your creative career.

In this session, Clay Adams from ComixLaunch interviews Ryan Claytor, a cartoonist and professor at Michigan State University, who shares his journey in comics. Claytor has been self-publishing for 20 years and recently launched a successful Kickstarter for an oversized hardcover art book, 'One Bite at a Time', celebrating his two-decade career. They discuss the creative process, the challenges of Kickstarter, and Ryan's passion for physical book design, and the importance of perseverance and community in achieving success.

Anthology projects draw on the creativity and talent of many different creators contributing to one shared project. With a long-gestating anthology finally launched, ComixLaunch host Tyler James is on the hotseat for a change, as a roundtable of creators brainstorm ideas for ways to encourage and empower the contributing creators to promote the project during the Kickstarter. Note, this episode is a clip from "Of Mice and Wolves: A Comics Workshop Show" hosted by JD Calderon and Rob Multari on JD's YouTube Channel. Watch the full workshop episode and more of JD's streams at https://www.youtube.com/@JDCalderon

In this month's ComixLaunch Pro spotlight, two-time Harvey Award Nominated cartoonist Craig Taillerfer, shares insight from his creative journey. An early member of ComixLaunch Pro, Craig took a long five year hiatus after his first successful launch... but that didn't stop him from having his best launch ever!

Comic book collector's are a major part of the crowdfunding and direct market ecosystem. In this session, Tyler chats with Josh Eggebeen, a life long collector and one of the authors of After Action Report: An Unofficial Collector Guide Book for G.I. Joe & Transformers Comics. They'll discuss the current state of the comic collecting, how crowdfunding changed the game for collectors and creators alike, and what creators can do to make their offerings more attractive to the collector class!

Creator Matthew Schofield is in the ComixLaunch Pro spotlight this month. Matt is an animator, storyboard artist and director who has worked on films such as Cats Don't Dance, Prince of Egypt and The Iron Giant. In this interview with Clay Adams, Matt shares his creator owned journey bringing his superhero comedy webcomic, Steamroller Man to Kickstarter.

A ComixLaunch listener alerted Tyler to a sudden and suspicious proliferation of seemingly AI-Generated Comic Book Kickstarter projects that have appeared on the platform recently. After taking a look, it does indeed seem like something fishy is going on, and one or more actors have been able to get obviously soulless, fraudulent projects past the Kickstarter project screeners. In this session, Tyler shares signs of obviously fraudulent comic book Kickstarter projects, discuss the ramifications should projects like this proliferate on Kickstarter, and offer advice on what legitimate creators should do now.

Commonwealth Comix co-founders Ryan Kroboth and John Endingfield II join Tyler for a discussion about their new partnership and collaboration on Wurst & Mayhem, a D&D style adventure comic. We'll talk about the evolution from friendship to creative partnership, the challenges and best practices for getting a new joint venture off the ground, and how much fun they're having on the new project!

Join us for a special panel on ComicTopia, the inaugural crowdfunding event hosted on BackerKit this month. The discussion features Lafayette Morrow from BackerKit, as well as creators including James Mascia of Dren Productions, writer Frank Martin, Joel Rodriguez of Metal Ninja Studios, and Eric Erdek, known for Espresso Detective. Lafayette provides an overview of BackerKit's evolution from a crowdfunding support tool to a full-featured platform, emphasizing community engagement tools and their successful transition to hosting events like Pintopia and ComicTopia. Creators involved share insights on their current projects, their experiences with BackerKit's platform, and unique event features such as cross-collaborations and the backer train feature. The discussion also touches on issues like handling mature content and strategies for successful crowdfunding.

In this episode of ComixLaunch, Tyler James interviews Christian Douglas, a Dublin-based writer and founder of Unpopular Comics. They discuss Christian's creative journey, his new Kickstarter campaign for 'Unpopular Tales 2: Pinochia, a cyberpunk retelling of the classic fairy tale, and the broader mission of Unpopular Comics to revitalize classic stories with modern twists.

For the past decade, illustrator Dave Swartz has moved from self-publishing, to pencil-for-hire, and back again. His current project, Confederate Monster is back on Kickstarter. In this conversation, he and Tyler will discuss the challenges and opportunities for comic book illustrators working in comics today.

In this session, Tyler will share his top insights from attending a presentation by Andrew Marks, director of Kickstarter's new Kickstarter Performance team, outlining what this new crowdfunding marketing service can do for creators, and answering questions from Kickstarter users.