hudsonwrites.com

I have an addiction. And that addiction is podcasts. I’m not a TV guy. I’m not a video game guy. I love a good book, but I find myself on walks and in the car where a book isn’t feasible (and believe me, I’ve tried.) And, I love music as much as the next guy, but there is a part of me that feels lazy when all I do with my time is listen to music. So, I discovered the world of podcasts, an AM dial with infinate talk radio shows, where I can find shows that I feel were tailor-made just for me. It’s a beautiful thing.

Now, as a disclaimer, I have never created a podcast. I’d love to, but the amount of time and energy it would take, I’d rather put towards higher callings in my life, such as writing. But I’ve listened to a lot of them, and, to be honest… most of them suck. So, here are my 5 Steps to Creating a Great Podcast:

1. HAVE A PERSONALITY.

Let’s face it. You’re boring. It’s nothing to be ashamed of… most people are. So unless you’re the one in a thousand with that charming, witty, winning personality, then you’ll need some help. I have yet to find a podcast where just one person talking has won me over. Because the truth is, even if you can charm the pants off of me, I won’t know it unless you have someone to interact with. It’s an important storytelling principle: our personalities come out through our interactions.

So, don’t go it alone. But… don’t find someone just like you. You don’t want to agree on everything. The reason Ebert & Roeper works is because they don’t agree. You want to see the two sides of every coin. Maybe you’re funny… find a straight guy… maybe you’re cynical, find someone who sees the cup as half-full… maybe you’re left-brained, find someone who’s right.

This also includes not just your personality, but the personality of the podcast itself. This podcast personality is created by the artwork you choose, the intro song, the format… all the little things you can do to make it stand out and make it your own.

2. HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.

All the personality in the world won’t do a thing unless you have something UNIQUE to say. What does your personality & experience bring to the subject you’re discussing? Play that up. There are a million “review” shows out there… if that’s what you want to do, what can you bring to it that’s new? Maybe you do a video game podcast from the perspective of a house-wife… Maybe you do a comics podcast where you look at the realistic possibilities of the science fiction & fantasy in the books… Maybe you do a movie podcast where you come up with a new ending of each movie… the possibilities are endless.

Before you start your podcast, really sit down and ask the question “What am I bringing to this?” If it’s nothing new, then quit and start over.

3. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

This is my biggest pet peeve. I don’t care how good your show is, if it’s 2 hours long, I’m not even going to give it a try. Because I know that it’s not going to be packed from beginning to end with unique content. It’s going to be a lot of babbling and conversational things that I could get by eavesdropping on any conversation anywhere in the world. Get in there, give us what you got, and then get out.

If it’s good, I can handle an hour. But most podcasts, I would say stick with 30 minutes or less. Especially if you are starting off. I really think people are more willing to give something a chance if they can sample it in small bites.

4. MAKE IT EASY TO NAVIGATE.

This is especially true if you have a longer podcast. Maybe I don’t want to hear the whole thing. Give us “show notes.” That is, in the notes of the show, tell us the timing points where you change the subject. 3:08 - recipe for jalapeno cheese fries, 8:42 - recommended heartburn medication, 13:29 - tips for unclogging a toilet. That kind of thing. Make it easy for the listener to find what they want to hear and skip the parts they don’t.

Another fantastic way to do this (if you really want to impress people, use both) is to create “chapter headings.” I’ve been told that this is pretty easy to do with podcast recording software, so figure it out. With chapter headings, you can skip ahead to certain points that you set ahead of time. You can also change out the picture with each chapter to make it more of an interactive experience.

5. KEEP IT CONSISTENT.

The most important rule off all - make sure you consistently release an episode at the same time every day, week, month, quarter… whenever you update. Nothing will make an avid listener fall off the map quicker than lack of updates. There is so much competition out there that listeners will lose interest very quickly if you are not meeting their needs.

So make sure you’re committed. It might seem like a good idea to do a podcast on the political views of Green Day, but are you going to have enough material to fill an episode week after week (and will you want to?)

Set a schedule and stick to it. This might mean that you record a half-dozen episodes up front so that you’re sure you have a stockpile if you get off track, or simply creating a realistic schedule of bi-weekly instead of every single day.

That’s it. Now go create. Make my world a better place.

The WonderCon 2008 Podcast Panel featured personalities from the podcasts “iFanboy”, “Around Comics”, “Comic Geek Speak”, and “I Read Comics” discussing the state of comics podcasting and comics in general.

One of the highlights was when the moderator asked the panelists what they thought were the most encouraging trends in comics today. Here are their answers, (along with my comments in italics):

1) “More Collected Editions.” Brian Deemer (Comic Geek Speak)

“Books in bookstores, because they reach a much huger audience than the comic book stores ever will. Original graphic novels, cheap trade paperbacks, all of that stuff is very, very, important. I think that’s the future of comics. I think the floppies’ days are numbered. It’s all going to be books in a bookstore.”

Ron Richards (iFanboy): “I love single issues, but we look at success by the number of comics sold on single issues in the top 300, but we don’t see any reporting on how many Amazon is selling or how many Barnes & Noble is selling or how many borders is selling and that’s going to be the real key.”

HP - If the floppies do disappear, this would be a major shift in the financial model of comic book companies… and it would shut down all the “mom & pop” comic book stores. It would make it harder on publishers because it would be more money up front to pay the creators for 144 pages instead of just 22.

And you would reduce two financial models into one - these companies make money twice from the same story - once from the floppies, then again from the collected editions. If this shifts, it’d be like television shows being released straight to DVD in entire seasons. You find that many readers buy the same story twice, much like television viewers will watch it on TV and then buy the DVD.

Most companies offer original graphic novels (OGNs) already, that is, they aren’t collected single comics, but a story meant to be printed all together… Except for (as far as I know) the big two (Marvel & DC). Some companies, like TokyoPop release only OGNs and their sales are through the roof.

I’m not sure this shift will ever take place, but it could be heading that way. I suppose it all depends on if the chain bookstores are ready to embrace the floppies. History has shown they aren’t. It’s a very small profit margin for a large amount of in-and-out inventory and floor space.

2. “The best trend in the past 5 years is the return to quality.” Ron Richards (iFanboy):

“You can put as much as you want out there, but if it’s crap, no one is going to buy it. You can have 17 “X” titles and if only one of them is worth reading, then the whole line is not worth anything. It’s got to be really good creators writing, drawing, & making good comics.”

HP - This, of course, is everything. There are some great comic books out there. And there is some crap out there. I wish that comic readers would be harsher with their purchases. Many readers will buy a book just because of the character or to have a complete set, even if the story sucks. This creates a model where publishers can put out any so-so story and readers will buy it. Money talks and if readers stop buying crappy books, then publishers will stop making them. I find that the more willing you are to explore smaller publishers, Top Shelf, Oni, Image, TokyoPop, the better stories you’ll find.

3. “Borders is doing the comic book store inside a store, folks, that’s the future.” Christopher Neseman (Around Comics)

“The Local Comic Book Store’s I love them, I go every week, but that business does not have a real bright future to it. It comes down to foot traffic. Plain and simple. The internet is cutting into that. Other entertainment forms is cutting into it. The bookstores are really looking like they will be the future of mass market sequential art. I firmly believe that’s where it’s going. And that’s a good thing.”

Ron Richards (iFanboy): “We all just lived through the music revolution of the late 90’s to early 00’s and it’s going to be the same thing. You’re going to see the mom & pop stores go under, unfortunately, which I hate because there’s stores like Isotope here in San Francisco, Meltdown in L.A., Rocketship in Brooklyn, that are just awesome stores , but as soon as the big boxes get involved you’re going to see the small stores go and you’ll see the internet cut in.”

HP - I’ve talked about this on numerous occasions and I completely agree. It is time that comics moved past the geeky little subculture it is and become a media in the forefront. The main reason I got into writing this blog is for this very reason. I want to see the comics I love be loved by millions. In order to break past that stereotypical subculture (whether it lives up to that stereotype or not) the industry needs to prominately settle itself where the majority of people already are - the chain bookstores.

4. “Digital Comics.” Ron Richards (iFanboy)

“I know the digital comics thing is a hot topic and we don’t know how that will play out but you can’t avoid that. The moment someone figures out how to read a cood comic on the iPhone, you’re going to watch it explode”

HP - This is a big “wait and see.” I personally can’t imagine reading comics on an iPhone, or Kindle or any device. But if the quality grows and the size, it may be a very natural transition. I’m excited about those that are experimenting with this. It will be fun to follow.

5. “There’s a lot more diversity in the comics you’re reading.” Josh Flannigan (iFanboy)

“Most comics are still superhero comics, but there’s stories about other things than super heroes. Y: The Last Man was a huge book, and having stories like that and having places like Vertigo and Oni and Image. They’re doing all sort of different things. I love that there are books that you can give to people or recommend to people that can challenge all the expectations of what it is. “Read this comic book.” “Well I don’t like superheroes.” This is a story, it moves you like any movie or any book you’ve ever read. I think that when you wanna talk about growing the whole base of everything like like putting them in bookstores and having collected editions, that’s really important.”

HP - This also plays a huge part in marketing comics to a larger audience. Comics need to be easy to find, easy to access, high quality, and of a diverse amount of genres. A lot of people still consider comics books Superhero-only. But this hasn’t be the case… well, ever. But that still sits at the forefront (in public opinion, and sales). But Josh is right, there are graphic novels out there that rival anything in movies, TV, or books. And more and more publishers & creators are embracing other genre’s, from romantic comedy, to horror, to drama, to action.

6. “I think in mainstream comics, the move to other media has been huge.” Lene Taylor (I Read Comics)

“Especially DC doing the direct to DVD stuff that they finally figured out that they should be making animated movies that aren’t shit.”

HP - This, of course, includes comic book movies on the big screen, not just with the big superhero movies (Spiderman, X-men, Batman) but also the smaller graphic novels being adapted well (V for Vendetta, 300, 30 Days of Night, Stardust, Sin City, A History of Violence) This could also be said of books that cross over into superhero territory & television shows like Heroes. I’m not sure how much these works bring in new readers, but I know with movies like Sin City & 300, where you can pick up the stories easily in collected editions, sales have sky-rocketed.

You can view the entire panel at iFanboy.com.

In my recent bit on how to save comic books, I suggested that 50 years in the future, you’d be able to get all your comic books digitally, download them to an iPod-like device and read through your collection of thousands of comic books at once.

I suggested that this was 50 years in the future as people aren’t ready to get rid of paper comics.

Well, I think I was probably about… 48 years off.

The pieces are very much already falling in place. Here are 3 new developments that take great strides in that direction:

1) Zuda -

DC Comics was the first major comic company to jump into digital comics. Zuda is a new comics start-up that features original comic creations delivered strictly through the Zuda website.

I think the coolest part of this website is that they have created a new format that is “postcard” sized to make for easy viewing on your computer. I’ve tried to check out some comics, but the site ran too slow and I lost interest.

2) Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited -

Then Marvel announced the creation of Digital Comics Unlimited, where, for a subscription rate, you can view a back catalog of thousands of Marvel titles on your computer. In addition, certain books that have been out for 6 months, will then become available for viewing through the subscription.

I haven’t really checked this out, because, I don’t really enjoy reading comics on my computer screen. I like to hold a book in my hands and sit anywhere I’d like and engulf myself into it. There is something about a computer screen which separates me from whatever I’m reading or watching. Like I’m looking through a window instead of seeing it live, in front of me.

3) Amazon Kindle -

Welcome to the iPod of books. Amazon just released this beautiful device last week. With it, you can store and read books, magazines, newspapers all on a simple and high-quality portable device. You can subscribe to your favorite newspaper or magazine and they will automatically update to your Kindle wirelessly. Currently the screen is black and white, but just like the iPod, I’m sure there are already plans for a next gen, cost-effective color device.

Currently the device is in such high demand, it is sold out at Amazon.

What does this mean for comics?

Comic books need to be the innovators here. Comic books companies need to immediately start talks with Amazon to offer subscriptions to their best-selling comic books. Zuda needs to create new comics made directly for the Kindle. It’s a black and white screen, but a third of the comics I read are black and white anyway. Marvel needs to figure out how to get their back catalog on a device like this. Start up comic companies need to design comics specifically for the Kindle.

In order to take advantage of the Kindle, or similar device, we would need a “iTunes-type” store to bring you all your Marvel, DC, & independent comics. Even better, let’s sell them through Amazon. I think Amazon does a lot to represent comics on their site, right next to books and CD’s & DVD’s. If the comic companies act quick, they could be on the cutting edge of this technology.

Wouldn’t it be great for someone to see a Kindle and say “oh, that’s the comic book device.” You could bring it over to a friends house, and as they are checking out the device, they could have access to hundreds of comics… with something to surely catch their interest.

A device like this could single-handedly “re-brand” comics within a few years… in the same way that the iPod has “re-branded” portable music.

Back in the early 90’s, the best-selling comic book was selling in the millions. Today, it runs about 150,000. Why the drop-off? Well the early 90’s were part of the “speculation market,” where companies would print comics with 10 different covers and collector’s would buy 10 of each cover thinking it would be worth something eventually. But it turned out that they weren’t worth much of anything and the bottom dropped out.

Now, comic books today seem to have it together. They are written and drawn a thousand times better than they were then. There are more independent comics infiltrating the market place. There are some amazing books being put out right now.

So, how do we get more people reading these great stories in comic books? I think a lot of the problem lies with the industry itself.

The comic book industry is very unique. The way it works is basically monthly comic books are sold almost exclusively at Direct Market Stores aka Comic Book Stores. Nearly all the monthly comic books are ordered through one distribution company called Diamond.

The Big Two comic book companies, Marvel & DC, keep these book stores alive as they create the vast majority of monthly comic books.

Comic books are also collected every 6 or so issues into Trade Paperbacks (TPB) or created originally in long-form books called Graphic Novels. Some of the terminology switches all around, but this is how I think of it, so this is how I’m referring to it. TPBs & Graphic Novels are also available at most major bookstores such as BN or Borders.

You can compare it to Television. If you wanna watch the Office, you can watch it weekly on NBC or purchase the DVD at the end of the year. NBC is the only place you can watch the Office weekly. The Comic Book Store is the only place you can read comics weekly. But you can still buy the Office DVDs at Wal-Mart. And you can still buy TPBs at Borders.

But, if no one watched the Office weekly, then it would never be released on DVD. In the same way, if no one read the monthly comics, they would never be released in TPB format. So, the Comic Book Stores are, in many ways, the life-blood of the comic market. Without them, the industry would be much more limited, as it’s more difficult for writer’s and artists to take off a year to create a Graphic Novel. With the monthly comics, it creates a source of revenue to keep them going.

Now, the problem is that a lot of times people are turned off to Comic Book Stores. Many of the stereotypes unfortunately turn out to be true. The snooty “comic-book guy” behind the counter. The disorganized floor. The fact that they are hard to find.

So, are there some ways to improve the Comic Book Store to better bring in new customers? Here are my suggestions:

A) Starbucks-ing Comics

As far as I know, there are no franchised comic bookstores. A guy may own one or two, but for the most part, they are individually owned and operated (funny that they all seem to look like though…)

What if someone had some capital and they took the initiative to start a comic book store franchise? As a franchise, they could negotiate a deal with Diamond for more of a discount since they would be ordering more books. Or better yet, Diamond should start their own stores, offering books at a massive discount to get people in the door.

More than just price though, a franchised store could set themselves up as non-’comic book guy’ friendly. Where an average Joe (and especially average Jane) could walk into the store, be greeted by the friendly, knowledgeable, and hip staff who ask them if they need help finding anything. The staff could ask what other media they are into… “What’s your favorite movie?” Based on their answer, they find them the book that best suits them.

Maybe they have a Barne’s & Noble-style open policy, where the books aren’t bagged, but someone can come in and sit and read a comic if they want without the staff hounding them.

Basically we need stores that are all over the country where a normal person wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen in them.

B) Selling Out to Corporate America

As I mentioned before, BN & Borders both have sections for Graphic Novels & TPBs, but their monthly comic sections is VERY limited. What if these stores created a section for monthly comics that carried everything from the hottest Marvel book, to the most out-there indie.

Many of these stores, from what I understand, order through a variety of distribution companies, so by starting a good monthly comics section, they most certainly would rise up some competition to (near monopoly) Diamond, thereby dropping prices.

Not only that, but these are stores that are already accepted. If someone is walking through looking for the latest Stephen King novel and runs across his Dark Tower series put out by Marvel, then they might pick it up. Whereas, this King fan would never be caught dead inside a comic book store.

C) 50 Years in the Future

Digital comics are coming our way, just not very soon. One day, you’ll be able to get online, order a comic book, be able to download it immediately, copy it to your “digital book” device, and read it right there. This will, of course, change the way people receive and read their comics.

The problem is, right now, no one wants to read a comic on their computer screen. There is nothing that can replace the touch and smell and sight of reading a new printed comic.

But one day, as technology grows, we’ll have devices that will take the place of books and no one will be complaining. Comic books could very well herald this technology in, as I would assume, pictures with words will look better on these things than just words.

I, for one, will hang onto the physical books as long as possible. But, if one day, it would be this easy to receive comic books, it is possible that the industry could grow enormously as we take out any obstacle one might face of buying a comic, whether that be embarrassment or just not being able to find a place.

I do think that something needs to change in order for this industry to grow. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.