On the Art of Promoting One's Art

I'm so far behind this weekend I'm still on the pet thread. But I can say that because there are kittehs in the pic up top. Right?

-=dangling conversationalitis again=-

Pardon more musing on the art of promoting one's art.

@votermom made a good point last week I didn't get back to answer, about web-based self-publication versus material which one can download or otherwise peruse offline (as in, e.g. ebooks or print).

Most of my webworks are one-page items, but there are some multi-page series, and while there are ways to save web pages, either individually or in a zipped file, saving and reading such would take a level of techspertise above the average kindler.

I was in high school when I first started collecting rejection slips from magazines and syndicates for my stories and comics. I came to the conclusion that my work was either too amateurish (could be improved) or eclectic (could be but wouldn't be improved) for the top 10, top 40, broader masses public market.

That conclusion was doubled down upon when, during and after college, I started composing my "cartoon music" - where the only possible market might be Dr Demento.

I did do some self-publication, photocopied stuff sent out to (annoy) friends and relatives. I especially appreciated the "mini-comic" format popularized by Matt "Cynicalman" Feazell, and the mini-comic remain the only material which I ever sold.

Matt's site
http://www.mattfeazell.com/

When the web came along, I first put up a page advertising my mini-comics. (Even had a VRML - anyone remember that? - 3D comics spinner rack.)

I then put up a sample web-ized comic ("It's All in Your Mind") which was fully in color, and, moments after this "sample comic" was online, I realized, the web is the way to publish. No photocopying, folding, cutting, or stapling - full color and essentially costless distribution. I soon gave up printing mini-comics and began adapting utterly to webwork format. (And consequently quit having any sales.)

I have considered collections of cartoons, and other webworks, in print, but I'm always deterred by the amount of work stupidity of the idea - some third parties get a slice of a pie that's already freely available (donations welcomed) online - yet, people actually pay for e-books and i-tunes and don't hit the donation buttons on a free web page. *scratches head*

Clearly, I not only have an idiot for an editor, but a fool for a publisher and promoter. But, for now anyway, even if it will never garner me an Amazon review star, I'm sticking with the resolution I made 20 years ago, to devote myself to the no-paywall freebie format and let the "free market" decide if I'm to be financially recompensed for my webworks. So far, "so what."

It's All in Your Mind
http://mindfulwebworks.com/best-of-spirits/its-all-in-your-mind

Mind Fuel (long ago attempt at a daily web comicstrip which considers monetizing self-published webworks)
http://mindfulwebworks.com/art-of/mind-fuel

Invulnerable - a short story in multi-genre format of passive superpowers and galactic conflict
http://mindfulwebworks.com/invulnerable