Our biggest readers are ourselves...

[Kris X]

Ever notice that the people who tend to read your comic, on occassion, are also webcomic creators? It's almost a society who makes and reads in a circle. I'm not saying everyone is a webcomic creator, but it appears to be our biggest fanbase at times.

[Mr. Caravaggio]

For smaller comics that doesn't surprise me. You have to figure all the people who order "cat fancy" probably own cats too. Though they may not contribute. Let's see. Restaurants, people who eat there eat at the businesses of others, quite a few people who go to small gallery openings are also artists themselves who may later have an opening.

It's just the base level of business. I imagine breaking out of that and atracting otherwise unrelated parties is the 2nd step where the 1st is getting started in the first place.

Of course that's just the obvious, public answer. The real reason for this is that you're all spying on eachother, waiting for someone to have an original idea so it can be stolen and marketed by others. The cold war's got nothing on webcomics. mwahaha, he said.

[Corgan_dane]

(Makes a comic about a french dog who hates blenders.)

[Jim North]

*makes a comic about a German dog who hates microwaves*

[Vorticus]

Why yes I have. At least ever since this comic http://cortland.keenspace.com/d/20051019.html

[MixedMyth]

I think it's a matter of exposure. The reason a lot of our fanbases are comic creators is because we frequent places where comic creators hang out....such as these forums. ;}

Word of mouth has a lot to do with it, too. If your initial base is comic creators that found your comic through these forums, DD, Buzzcomix,comixpedia, etc....then they're liable to tell other comic creators about it, too. I mean, how many 'what do you read' threads have we had?

But word of mouth can also breach the gap to none comic creators...that's when your readership really starts to increase, because you're reaching a broader audience.

[Dr Legostar]

I know for a fact that my biggest fan isn't a comic creator, but many of my readers are.

[RemusShepherd]

Ever notice that the people who tend to read your comic, on occassion, are also webcomic creators? It's almost a society who makes and reads in a circle. I'm not saying everyone is a webcomic creator, but it appears to be our biggest fanbase at times.

Eh. I'd alter your statement to say, 'Our biggest readers are our friends'.

I have about 20-30 readers, and I sincerely doubt that many webcomic authors here are reading my comic. Most of my readers are friends of mine that I've told about the comic.

The people who are your first readers are your friends. If most of your friends are on ComicGen, then yes, they're all webcomic creators. That's not true for everyone.

[War]

Certainly most people's fanart comes from other webcomic artists. Out of all the fanart I've got, only three or four are by someone who doesn't have a comic.
As for readers, once you pass a certain size you can be pretty sure you have readers who you don't know. I clocked up around 6000 readers, so the people I know only made up 1% of my readership at most.

[PieceOfSkunk]

My parents are my biggest readers. That's kinda sad.

[Dr Legostar]

My parents are my biggest readers. That's kinda sad.

why? how big are you parents?

[Keffria]

*rimshot*

I can't be sure about the anonymous visitors who didn't bother to comment on the tagboard, but of the people who gave feedback, probably 3/4 were people who had webcomics, and most of them were friends from this forum.

[Terotrous]

I'm quite sure Comic Creatorz's biggest readers are webcomic authors, but that really makes a lot of sense.

[Keffria]

I'm quite sure Comic Creatorz's biggest readers are webcomic authors, but that really makes a lot of sense.

Well, yeah, I've told people before as an "interesting thing about myself" that I draw webcomics, and most of them say "Huh..." which I assume means that they neither know nor particularly care what a webcomic might be. The audience for webcomics about webcomics must therefore be rather small.

[Blackaby]

I think a lot of us were non-comicking readers before we had comics. Viger & I have been fans of webcomics since Way Back When (we're PA & Buttlord fans, for a start), and it's only now we've made one.

[Pylon]

Eh. I'd alter your statement to say, 'Our biggest readers are our friends'.

I have about 20-30 readers, and I sincerely doubt that many webcomic authors here are reading my comic. Most of my readers are friends of mine that I've told about the comic.

Same here. Most of my readers are either from Finland or people I've met who've wanted to see all of my strips, so I direct them to my site. I'd say most of my traffic is from my friends, maybe a couple of random hits since it is on the internet and all, and maybe one or two people here that have visited my site.

[LibertyCabbage]

I think most comic readers are homeless people cuz what else do they have to do except read webcomics?

[Dr Legostar]

I think a lot of us were non-comicking readers before we had comics. Viger & I have been fans of webcomics since Way Back When (we're PA & Buttlord fans, for a start), and it's only now we've made one.

I know I was reading webcomics long before I started one.

[Wishmaster]

I don't think my friends read my webcomics. If it comes up in conversation they might take down the address as a courtesy, but usually when I later ask them what they think they give me a blank look and say, "About what?" I can probably thank posting on boards and fellow creators of various comics for what few readers I do have.

I started putting my own comics online before I started reading other webcomics. Both Doc Hyperion and Girl from BOLT, originally intended as print comics, appeared elsewhere before I set up comicgen acocunts for them. The first comic I ever put online was a 24 Hour Comic so it could be verified for the list over at Scott McCloud's website. Wish In One hand is the first comic I have created that was made with webcomics specifically in mind.

[Odd1]

I don't think many of the people who read my comic read other webcomics, let alone create them. From what I have gathered my readerbase is more the concert-hopping type. As for me, I would like to, but I don't have much time to read other webcomics.

Most of my friends do keep up with my comics. They are often the first people to call up and complain when I'm late updating. This could also be because they are the only people in possession of my phone number. (Thank God)