How to Self-Publish Comics

Not Just Create Them

By: Josh Blaylock

Narrated by: Kevin Kollins

Josh Blaylock's now classic how-to prose book about the business of comic book publishing, after selling out of its updated 2012 edition, is now being rereleased to include Tim Seeley's companion writings on the behind-the-scenes realities of being a comic book artist.

©2015 Josh Blaylock & Devil's Due Entertainment (P)2015 Josh Blaylock & Devil's Due Entertainment

A bit dated, not much to glean.

I don't like to give lower reviews, but I think the buyer needs to be aware that this book is a bit dated (crazy! it's only about 6 years old!) and it's more about the business end of self publishing. Now some people may need exactly that- I was looking for insight on how to gather a creative team and make a comic. That's not what this is. A couple chapters near the end are an artist telling you the pitfalls of trying to be a comic artist, and it's helpful.

I will say I appreciated the author mentioning several times that you won't get rich creating comics. We seem to think these guys are rock stars who live in excessive mansions and spend their time in hotel hot tubs. Comic creators make a living and are constantly competing and scrambling for their next jobs.

Despite my low voltage review, the book could be very helpful for some folks. It's a good dose of reality. Josh Blaylock surely must've been hosed by quite a few people in his time. He's risen above it and graced us with this book. I hope you have a better experience with it.

Extremely useful and informative! Must have!

What made the experience of listening to How to Self-Publish Comics the most enjoyable?

Thorough, detailed, and worth taking notes on while listening. This book covers self-publishing from a very practical and professional standpoint. It doesn't meander around the topic, it gets to the facts and the reality of the situation, and assumes the reader wants to make a legitimate business out of comics. This is not for the faint of heart. The book itself even suggests that if you, the creator, is not business-minded yourself, that it may be in your best interest to hire someone to help you who is. As I mentioned, this is a serious book for serious creators who want to make it in the business of comics. I believe every aspiring creator who is in this business for the long-haul, and not just fulfilling a one-off childhood fantasy, needs this book (or audio book) in their library. The bonus section specifically for artists is a wonderful resource as well, and an encouraging reality check for artists who aspire to work for the big publishers.

What aspect of Kevin Kollins’s performance would you have changed?

As for the overall quality of presentation, I'm not a big fan of the narrator. He sounds a lot like a news anchor reading from a teleprompter. Therefore, his cadence often feels like he's about to inform you that no witnesses have come forward with any new information, but the local authorities have assured they're doing everything they can to apprehend the suspect, believed to have been last seen at a Carl's Jr. just outside of Fresno. He also emphasizes some points unnecessarily, and fails to emphasize points that were clearly meant to be. This is mostly due to the very reporter-like cadence. It's not terrible, and I was able to follow along, but the lack of personality and variation made it difficult for much of the information to stick with me. I found myself needing to re-listen and take notes, because it was easy to loose concentration after listening for long periods of an hour or more. Very professional, and clear to understand, but not fun or engaging to listen to.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Why do so few creators know about this book? The information is so valuable!