The SHADOWBINDERS webcomic | steampunk, fantasy, magic and mecha!

I think I’m going to start a series of “what-not-to-dos” to offer free advice, help and whatever words of wisdom I can for folks interested in working in comics, making a webcomic, or for those thinking of entering the fray as a freelancer of any kind.

Why?

Well, there’s been a lot of chatter about “marketing webcomics” on Twitter and elsewhere, and as someone with 15 years of professional experience in print comics, webcomics, graphic design, editing newspapers and magazines, and (most recently) managing a marketing department… well… I feel that maybe I might have some words of wisdom for folks just starting out.

These are opinions and anecdotes, and as such you can take it or leave it. But being good at marketing yourself often comes down to “horse sense” as my grandpa used to say, and that comes from experience.

And, oh, all my advice is 100% free. There’s plenty of valuable free information on breaking in and marketing yourself in comics out there, and there’s no “one-size-fits-all” formula for success or everybody would be successful.

I may come across as a bit gruff sometimes, but that’s not to be “negative.” Rather, I’m a realist, and I’d be doing you a huge disservice by telling you a comics or freelance career is all sunshine ‘n kittens, and that the dream “work-from-home” opportunity is just a few tutorials away.

It’s a tough business, and you’ve got your work cut out for you, make no mistake! But if you want to do this badly enough — you can find success. Good luck!

The School of Hard Knocks for Aspiring Freelancers

Now, for Part 1 I’m going to repost a series of tweets addressing the subject of freelancing. These are from about two years ago, but I still feel they’re pretty applicable today. I’d started posting this advice for would-be freelancers because a friend of mine had a question about a billing issue he was having.

So here are a bunch of my (older) tweets dealing with the subject…

• Freelancer advice: Be a dick. Don’t be ashamed to be one. At the end of the day, you’re the only one who has your best interests in mind.
• Freelancer advice: Pro bono projects are OK every once in awhile, but you can’t eat gratitude (if you even get that!)
• Freelancer advice: Dealing with people is harder than any Photoshop class. You’ll only learn this through real world experience.
• Freelancer advice: Desperation leads to destitution. Don’t attract bottom rung clients who often skip the bill. If you’re good, ppl will pay
• Freelancer advice: In the eyes of most employers, freelancers are treated as easily disposable employees. Go into a gig with your eyes open.
• Not trying to sound like an old sourpuss with my “freelancer advice” tweets, just a 12 yr freelance vet looking to keep the kids safe.
• @StudioXIII The good outweighs the bad with freelancing, but there are a LOT of sleazos out there looking for cheap (free) labor, too.
• Freelance advice: How to not get taken advantage of > http://bit.ly/q1o99
• “I hate to see freelancers fall under the mercy of their clients (…) After all, the point is to earn a living, right?” http://bit.ly/q1o99
• Freelancers: If you have any free time, you’re doing something wrong! When you’re not working, you should look for work or promote yourself.
• @Linktm Thanks. Sorry if I sound curmudgeon-y. Freelancing is not glamorous. Honestly, a “real job” is usually much easier! Sad but true.
• Successful freelancers seldom have time for movies, TV, video games and anything resembling a social life. Only so many hours in a day…
• A *GOOD* credit card can be a freelancer’s best friend. Use it to pay expenses between invoices (sometimes 45 days or so!) but PAY IT OFF.
• Freelancers: Even the best clients with an excellent payment history can flake out. There’s a first time for everything. Always have Plan B!
• @dgriff13 You should get a deposit. Don’t feel guilty — you’re not a charity! If you don’t meet your end of the deal, they can get it back.
• @JoshGorfain Heh. A contract should avoid any… issues. But some clients spend more resources avoiding bills than it would take to pay them
• Pro bono work is good to hone your skills and get your name out there. But watch out — some people will come to expect everything for free!
• If YOU don’t think your time and talent is worth money, why should anyone else? Even low end fast food or retail jobs pay. #FreelanceAdvice
• Some freelancers fall into the trap of thinking they should be lucky to have anyone want to pay them and work too cheaply. Horse manure!
• Freelance advice: At the end of the day, it’s all just business. And no one has your best interests in mind except you. So take care of YOU.
• Freelance advice: If you feel guilted into free work, help out a soup kitchen. Once you offer your services for free, many will expect it.
• Not trying to sound bitter ‘n old with the freelance advice, just speaking from experience. Want to make a living? Treat it as a BUSINESS.
• You may get sob stories from your freelance clients, but I guarantee that YOUR creditors won’t be as sympathetic as they expect you to be!
• Freelance advice: The best way to avoid the bad stuff I’ve talked about is to prescreen clients. Be up front with fees. They balk? You run.
• Freelance advice: Any serious client will sign a reasonable contract, which may include a deposit to cover time. No contract, no work. EVER.
• Freelance advice: Let me repeat that last one for effect: No contract, no work. EVER. No exceptions for friends & family, as those can sour.
• Freelance advice: If you want to turn your best friend into your worst enemy, go into business with them. Or do a job without a contract.
• Honestly, you’re better off NOT working with friends or family as personal ties can cloud judgment. Again, this is a BUSINESS first.
• Posted a bunch of “freelance advice” over the past few days. Can be applied to graphic & web design, writing, illustration etc.
• @Th0r4z1n3 Yeah I’d agree with that one. Keep your friends and work relationships separate if possible.
• So if you’re wondering what gives me the right to spout off, I’ve spent more than half of my 14-year design career freelancing full-time.
• If I can get through to even a fraction of starry-eyed would be freelancers with my grouchiness, then it’s worth it.
• Freelancing is not glamorous. It’s hard, hard work. There are definite perks, but you’re often not as “free” as you think you’d be.
• My Freelance Advice tweets may sound harsh, but get burnt a time or five and you’ll come around to seeing things my way. I guarantee it.
• @davisac1 @eric_merced @ShivaeStudios Thanks for reading my spew! Not trying to discourage freelancers, just want to be real with them.
• Freelance advice: Having only one client means you’re actually an employee without the perks/protection of full-time employment. Watch out!
• There were times when I only had one or two clients. When I was tossed aside (which happens to all freelancers eventually) I had no recourse
• Freelance advice: Your clients will eventually tire of you, and you’re much easier to get rid of than an in-house employee. Don’t get comfy!
• True freelance horror story: I had a client try and have me HELP them pick my replacement because they thought I was too expensive!
• Freelance advice: Working in-house means you’re a temp in the eyes of your employer… er… client. There’s a difference.
• Expecting a freelancer to be at your beck and call 24/7 makes as much sense as expecting every business to keep those hours just for you.
• Freelance advice: YOU set your own hours and YOU tell the client when a project will be done. You’re your own business, not their employee.
• Freelance advice: Work crazy hours to please a client once, and they’ll expect you to be a miracle worker every time.
• True freelance horror story: I once took a project over the weekend to help out a client. They gave me work Friday afternoon from then on.
• Freelance advice: Don’t be afraid to lose a client if you won’t work insane hours for them. Do it once, it’ll be expected from then on.
• Freelance advice: You can take the occasional weekend project if you’re a masochist… just charge a premium. Like a 25% surcharge for OT.
• Freelance advice: If you charge more for your time after hours, you’d be surprised how many projects can wait until Monday morning.
• Posted more “freelance advice” tweets today dealing with client relationships and sane working conditions. If anyone is interested.
• I have tons of advice tweets for would be #freelancers going back several days if anyone is interested.
• True freelance horror story: Confronted a client who was past due on a small bill. Said he “couldn’t believe I treated clients this rudely!”
• (cont’d) Client only owed me like $80 yet & I’d bent over backwards time and again. Months before, asked if I’d be OK with waiting 3 months.
• (cont’d) Same client also had very large government accounts and was billing 10s of thousands of dollars per month, but balked at paying me.
• (cont’d) It’s just insane how far people will go to skip out on a bill, and it shows you where the freelancer often is in the pecking order.
• True freelance horror story: Made the mistake of doing work for a guy I knew from high school. Got stuck with business cards. (cont’d >>)
• (cont’d) Had to stop by his business to pretty much demand the money he owed me, but his attitude was like “Duuuuude, we’re buddies, right?”
• So I can’t stress enough how awkward/damaging mingling work with friendship can be when it comes down to brass tacks. #FreelanceAdvice
• I’m not saying NEVER work with friends or family, just be able to separate business from relationship. Things go wrong, something WILL give.
• I think spouses can work together easier than friends because they’re playing for the same team: their own family.
• Friends are often playing for themselves and their families, ultimately. And toes can get stepped on more easily.

• True freelance horror story: Started my studio at 22. I went to a Chamber mixer and the old folks handed me their coats. I left humiliated.
• True freelance horror story: I was once brought in to pinch hit for an Art Director who was fired for masturbating at work.
• @Linktm Actually the people in his dept. let me know they scrubbed his desk down with Lysol before I arrived. I kid you not!
• @Linktm The head of the company had no intention of telling me WHY he was fired, but found out on Day 1 from one of his female coworkers!
• True freelance horror story: One of the most difficult clients I ever had is wanted for felony and fled the country > http://bit.ly/ICrUb
• (cont’d) Felon Client used to keep me separated from his in-house employees because he didn’t want them to “poison” me against him.
• (cont’d) Turns out he didn’t have to worry about his people poisoning the well — he did a dandy job of making a jackass out of himself.
• (cont’d) Now he’s a wanted felon. I should have been shocked, but I remember thinking “How typical” when I heard the news.
• Freelance advice: Watch your back if you are working someplace that also has in-house designers. If they feel threatened, it could get ugly.
• Back to Felon Client: He let his asst. take the rap for him while he fled to France and took another high paying job >http://bit.ly/1DeVzM
• Nice to see Felon Client is having fun on Facebook when he should be behind bars > http://bit.ly/oIR5W
• @David_wc Even weirder — the company who fired the art director for spanking it at work was run by Christians: a pastor and his wife.
• Freelance advice: Give yourself breathing room. Estimate extra time into your due date. Things happen — take that into consideration.
• Freelance advice: Make sure you put a due date on invoices. And expect clients to wait until the last minute to pay. Late fees are OK too.
• Freelance advice: You’re not just a designer, but a salesman and business manager as well. Allow time for everything as it’s all important.
• Freelance advice; Make sure friends and family understand that just because you’re “home” doesn’t mean you’re really home. Set a schedule.
• (cont’d) I used to have friends hang out at my studio and play Playstation when I was working, not understanding that I was still “at work”
• (cont’d) They also thought I didn’t have a “job” when I worked more than they did. How else do I pay for the food you guys are eating?!
• (cont’d) Family members would call me on the phone and ask me to run errands on “work time.” They didn’t think I was “doing anything.”
• Freelance advice: Make it crystal clear to family and clients that the hours of whatever O’clock to whatever O’clock are your office hours.
• Freelance advice: Don’t jump into freelancing. Cut your teeth at a full-time job. Let them pay you to learn — like college in reverse!
• @tudorlewis I’d agree with that. My wife @desert_starr_57 and I work very well together.
• Freelance advice: Don’t let ignorant clients bully you into an impossible date of completion at an impossible price. Good design takes time!
• Freelance advice: I said before to ‘be a dick.’ This is in regards to getting paid. Nobody likes to work with a jerk. But don’t be a doormat
• True freelance horror story: Jumped into freelance at 22. Bought a $10K Mac. Was laid off from my day job because I was now “competition.”
• (cont’d) My day job at the time was for a commercial printer. I didn’t print anything, and was doing more web design than print. Insane!
• Freelance advice: Watch those non-compete agreements! I signed one with Clear Channel and was virtually unable to freelance for a year!
• (cont’d) The Clear Channel contract stated I couldn’t perform design duties within 100 miles of a CC owned station — i.e. EVERYWHERE!
• (cont’d) You may cut your nose off to spite your face to land just one client with a non-compete. Read very, very carefully before signing!
• True freelance horror story: I once had an interview with an ad agency. It consisted of them trying to wrangle client contact info out of ME
• True freelance horror story: Once had a lunch meeting with a prospective client. He tried to sell ME on his pyramid scheme. Yes, I ran!

While I culled this tweets from years of experience as a freelance designer and marketing consultant, I think many of these lil’ tidbits could be applicable to careers in comics and webcomics, as 99% of the time you’ll be working freelance or running your site. Either way, you’re self-employed and the wolves are always on the prowl. Beware!