By: Scott Johnson on March 6, 2013
ComiXology is the world’s biggest digital comic portal, offering titles from major comic book publishers like Marvel and DC. However, as part of an initiative that they are launching to coordinate with SXSW Interactive, independent comic book creators will now be able to self-publish their own digital comics.
ComiXology Submit will allow anyone to publish their own digital comics for free and get 50% of the net sales. The new service is being launched with 34 indie comic creators already on board. Works from Shannon Wheeler (“Too Much Coffee Man” cartoons), Jake Parker (“The Antler Boy and Other Stories”), Becky Cloonan (“Wolves,” ”The Mire”), Richard Stevens (“Diesel Sweeties”) are part of the initial launch.
For new indie comic creators, they simply need to upload their comic book and graphic novels for approval at no cost. Once the comic is approved ComiXology will tranform the work with comiXology’s Guided View™ reading technology, to making it available on comiXology’s digital comics platform. Creators will maintain full ownership of their work.
“While we continue to push ourselves to innovate the digital comic experience, comiXology Submit provides an incredible opportunity for creators to sell their work to a highly targeted and global audience of comic book and graphic novel fans,” said David Steinberger, comiXology co-founder and CEO. “The next generation of creators will reap great benefit alongside more well known creators selling books that are no longer available in print.”
“This is also about making sure we always have the best, most diverse content available, the best reading and buying experience, and at the same time, supporting comic book creators around the globe,” said John D. Roberts, comiXology co-founder.
“ComiXology Submit opens it up for independent comic books artists, creating the chance to digitally publish comics that one can sell everywhere,” said Shannon Wheeler, creator of the critically hailed “Too Much Coffee Man” series and a contributing cartoonist to The New Yorker. “When I created ‘Too Much Coffee Man’ 20 years ago in Austin, I spent many late nights making the stupid comics. Then I spent long days bugging shop owners to sell my stuff. Then I spent minutes losing the invoices, ensuring I never got paid. With comiXology Submit, I could have spent all that time creating my comics and I’d have gotten paid twice as often too.”
More details about comiXology Submit will be unveiled on Saturday at 5:45 PM CST at SXSW Interactive, as comiXology co-founder and CEO Steinberger will appear on stage with fellow co-founder Roberts and Wheeler on the SXSW GEEK Stage at the Palmer Auditorium in Austin, TX.
Creators interested in submitting works for approval can visit http://submit.comixology.com. Comic book fans interested in finding works by independent creators now available on comiXology can visit http://www.comixology.com/submit.
