When you first start out in the world of webcomics, you might have ideas about how you want your launch and subsequent updates to go. You might look at the popular webcomics you follow, see their engagement, comments, and even fandoms and think to yourself “I want that too”, only to realize that your expectations don’t quite match what you’re receiving. The results can be disappointment, resentment and burn-out, so today we want to discuss how we manage our own expectations and find healthy ways to cope with setbacks!

What are your own personal expectations for your work? How have they changed?

Our hosts discuss the expectations they had going into their webcomic.

Did you ever have difficulty adjusting your expectations?

Listen to our hosts share their experiences.

When you are preparing to launch your comic, it is important to build up hype for you and your audience. How do you create a good balance between this and the expectations it creates, and the reality that a comic might need time to reel in an audience?

Reframe and rebalance. Webcomics are a marathon, not a race. You made the webcomic because YOU loved the story and wanted to share it, and it’s okay if not everyone feels the same way about an update. Try to take a break from the grind when you feel yourself getting overwhelmed or disappointed. Remember the reason you started a webcomic and try to get back to that!

Sometimes we see creators turn bitter when their works don’t gather the attention they have hoped for, and even burn out while working on their webcomic. How do you personally avoid this?

Be genuine about your interactions. Don’t treat everyone like a customer and don’t treat people as investments that are supposed to create returns for you. Focus on things you can control. If something doesn’t seem to be working, try something new!

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Release Date: May 17, 2023

Featuring

Phineas Klier (@tentacledeity) - they/them, heirsoftheveil.fervorcraft.de

Kristen Lee (@feathernotes) - she/they, ghostjunksickness.com lunarblight.com

Renie Jesanis (@renieplayerone) - she/they, kateblast.com

Christina Major (@delphina2k) - she/her, sombulus.com

Ally Rom Colthoff (@varethane) - she/they, chirault.sevensmith.net wychwoodcomic.com

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The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.