Bootlegs Part 14
Next up, the big reveal… at least I hope so. I don’t usually keep you guys informed of the behind-the-scenes details at Space: The Comic, but this is one of those times that I’m a bit concerned and feel I need to express myself. Back before I had my own website, the comic got it’s start on another hosting site. That was nice because it was free, had its own community, was easy to use and was free, but using it came with consequences. Namely, you signed over certain rights to your comic when you joined. It was there in the fine print. While I am still the comic’s author and writer, that site is like a silent partner with a controlling stake. It rarely happens, but they technically can exert their control if there’s something they don’t like about any particular comic. I mean, maybe I’m being paranoid, but I sense there are certain grumblings about me from my former host, and it’s causing my anxiety level to go up. There was that terse email about me not posting a comic all week until today. I explained that I worked an unusual amount of hours this week at my day job, but they said it was no excuse and that the comic needs to maintain at least two updates a week to be viable. There were no threats or anything, but the tone just seemed, I don’t know, more impatient than usual. Coming on the heels of one of the site’s mods posting a comment in the forums about how some of my readers have better ideas in the comments section than I usually include in the comic, it worries me. Of course, she used a smiley face after the comment, so maybe she was joking. I’m sure I’m just being a Nervous Nestor. But let me tell you, this constant dark cloud hanging over my head is so tiresome. I’d give anything to be free of my Evil Overlords!!! Ha ha ha!!! Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have called them that, but you know where I’m coming from, right? Sure you do. Okay, see you next week!
– This is not an official LEGO comic. This is a tribute. This also has nothing to do with Best-Lock.
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Kevin — how about you post the Drunk Duck issues as a discussion over on the Author forums of the Brick Comic Network? I reckon a few of our regulars (some of whom use various freebie comic sites) will have a thing or two to say, plus some advice. If nothing else, the venting will make you feel better and maybe less nervous.
I don’t know, I might have said too much already.
Wow! I had been thinking about looking into Drunk Duck or one of the other free comic services rather than continuing to pay for hosting, but the phrase “sign over certain rights to your comic” as well as the overall impression I get of your experience has swiftly dissuaded me. I mean any host is likely going to have rules as far as what content you can and can’t post (like my host’s “hide the bare boobies and butts OR store them on a different image host” clause), but he sure doesn’t tell me how to run my schedule and he certainly doesn’t make snarky comments on forums about my content. I know from experience that if you don’t have at least 1 or 2 updates a week, your traffic will start to flatten out, but unless the Duck is paying you to stay home from work to do more comics, they don’t have much room to complain.
Do you know anywhere that agreement is posted (where non-members can see it) and to what extent you surrender rights to the comic? I’d hate to worry about my host having (or even wanting) veto power over the little world I create. Or standing there with their hand out for a share if I ever made it big and made a movie or action figure/merchandising deal or something. (I doubt I will, but if I didn’t think there was at least a CHANCE of success, I’d save a lot of time, money, and effort and go back to Ye Olde 3-Ring Binder publishing.) I mean my ideas and the work I put into them are really all I got and I don’t blame you for being a “Nervous Nestor”. Potentially scary stuff. Thanks for the info!