How to Start a Comic Publishing Company

Starting a comic book publishing business can be a long and arduous process.

With the rising popularity of comic book based movies, comics are enjoying a big resurgence of interest in this coutnry. If you have a fresh comic book idea of your own and you want to start a publishing company to print and distribute it, you must be willing to invest substantial time and money in the effort.

Instructions

Creating a Comic Book Publishing Company

1. Develop your comic book. You need to have the first issue of your comic book finished and at least a plan for future issues before you approach any potential investors. Your comic is your product and you will need to convince investors that your product will sell. Without the comic book itself, all you have is an idea and nothing tangible behind it.

2. Seek investors and cash. Creating a comic book publishing company takes money and lots of it. You will need to seek out investors and convince them to invest or seek a small business loan. You should develop a plan for how much money you will need for items such as printing, advertising, and employee salaries.

3. Complete local licensing and permits. Any new business must comply with state and local laws and permits. You can talk to your city or county clerk to discover all the permit and licensing requirements. You should also look into worker's compensation insurance if you plan to have employees. You may also need a lawyer if you decide to make your comic publishing company a limited liability company or corporation. You must also decide whether to work from your home or rent a building to house your business.

4. Promote your comic book. Before the comic book goes to print, you should advertise it in major comic book publications such as "Wizard" and "Gemstone." You also should contact local newspapers and magazines and suggest a possible business feature. You can even go as far as to hold a special event for the grand opening, and mail or hand out fliers about the new company and comic book.

5. Develop production contracts. A comic book publishing company will need to develop contracts with printers and advertisers. The printer's contract insures they will be available to print a set number of comic books according to your printing schedule. For example, the contract would stipulate the printer will print 50,000 copies on a certain date of issue one and another 50,000 copies on a set date for issue two, and so on. You will pay the printer for its services. While many advertisers may only commit to the first issue until they see how the public reacts, you will want to set up contracts as soon as they are agreeable. The contracts will commit the advertisers to a fixed number of ads per issue over a set time frame. This will give you guaranteed ad revenue over several issues and save you the trouble of having to resolicit them for new ads for each upcoming issue.

6. Create a long-term business plan. With your company established, your first comic book in print and the second issue in the works, it is time to develop a long-term business plan. This plan will establish your goals and objectives for the next several years and may include developing new titles and authors, creating an advertising department, expanding the company, even purchasing your own printing facilities.

References

• Hoboes.com: Publishing Your Own Comic
• Comic Book Bin: Business Plan 101