Self-Publishing: An Art and a Challenge

Cartoonist and screenwriter Albert Monteys has some advice for those who want to publish their own work independently

Albert Monteys (@albertmonteys) is a cartoonist and comic scriptwriter with more than 25 years of experience. He was trained in fanzines and spent almost two decades at the weekly illustrated satirical El Jueves, which he also directed for four years. He then embarked on digital comic projects such as Orgullo y Satisfacción and "Universo!", the latter being nominated for an Eisner Award, and winner of the Best National Comic Award at the Barcelona Comic Fair (2019).

For this illustrator, comic strips are a natural means of expression (even more powerful than words themselves). He is not only an expert in telling original stories in this format, but he also excels at extracting all the potential from digital platforms and developing self-publishing strategies that amplify the reach of his work worldwide.

Today, Albert shares with you some of his experiences and the advice that will help you bring your creations to the hands and eyes of many more people.

The basics

Where should any self-publishing process start?

My first tip is to sit down for five minutes and make a list of why you want to self-publish. This is not an easy question, and one you will have to ask yourself several times along the process. It is advisable to be clear about your motives and ask yourself: "Do I want a higher percentage of sales? More creative freedom? The right people to see me? Is it my only possibility of being published?"

Editing and marketing your own work, especially in digital form, is not particularly difficult. But if you are like me and everything that is not part of the creative process sounds alien, what you will need to do is surround yourself with good collaborators.

In addition to being a draftsman, an author-editor must be a designer, community manager, marketing manager, computer scientist, shopkeeper, customer service, and accountant. If you are not ready for any of these jobs, find someone who will do it for you, and please offer them a fair deal. We are in this to change things, not perpetuate the old work systems in exchange for visibility.

For those who are finally encouraged to do it, what are the most common difficulties faced? Where do you think most creatives tend to stagnate?

Having a solid product is, of course, essential. Easy and intuitive access to it in your virtual store or some platform is also necessary. But none of this will be of any use if people do not know that your work exists, so the most relevant job you are going to do is promote your publication. Social media have become an unavoidable channel for this. Still I'm saying from experience that an email newsletter for your followers has an infinitely higher response rate than a very similar publication on Instagram. Also, look for help in blogs and trade press. Be proactive: let them see you!

Create a community, naturally build links with readers. I use mini-cartoons to communicate with them, and they usually work very well. Spend time answering questions from readers. With that and interesting work, you have the most challenging part solved.

What are the common mistakes of someone embarking on the adventure of self-publishing?

If I have learned anything after five years of publishing digitally, it is that, although social media are inescapable when promoting your work, getting someone to act on them is challenging. When I say "act," I mean to leave the social media, go to your store, and make a payment in exchange for your work. The number of steps that must take place for this to happen is so staggering that a publication with thousands of likes ends up giving you just two or three sales in the store.

Do not be in a hurry. As I’ve already said, making yourself known is the -essential thing in this process, and that will happen by being methodic, having a presence on social media, and trying, again and again. True, every once in a while, a viral post will multiply someone's visibility by a hundred, but don't count on it.

Be careful with patronage and crowdfunding platforms. They are great ways to finance your project. Still I know of several cases of authors who have caught their fingers offering too many rewards (a classic mistake is not being well informed about shipping costs) and have ended up losing money precisely because the campaign has been a success. They had promised to send five hundred thank you gifts that they had misquoted. As I said, you are no longer just a cartoonist, take out the calculator.

Tips from an expert

What are the basic considerations to keep in mind for those who want to share their work independently?

- Explain to your audience why you self-publish, what you get out of it, and what the reader gets. Readers like to support just causes, and because of the way the publishing world treats authors today, there is nothing fairer than getting out of this system. They will buy your comics because they like them, of course, but let them know that they are supporting you, and the future work you'll do.

- The most important thing is your work. If you see that the responsibilities added to the editor's role are detrimental to the time and energy that you dedicate to your comics, stop and rethink everything. Do you need more time? More people?

- Have fun. No one has become rich by self-publishing, the most we can ask for is sufficient funds to continue dedicating ourselves to what we like so much. Keep in mind that you started this to be happy, and everything will be fine.

If you want to learn more from Monteys' experience, sign up for the course Introduction to Digital Comic, where he will teach you how to create, publish and promote a graphic novel on digital platforms and get the world to know your work.

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