Satanic Hell signs with Alterna Comics: why I chose an indie publisher

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Grigoris

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My team of artists and I have been working on Satanic Hell for two years. I initially released a few issues to positive response but due to the time production was taking, I decided to wait until the seven-issue series was complete to release it again. During that time, the digital distributor I was using, Graphicly, folded. So I decided to try my hand with some of the established indie publishers. We redid the letters for the first two issues, added some new edits and a new cover. I was thrilled when the publisher Alterna Comics picked it up. Now, I'm happy to announce that Satanic Hell will be available monthly from Alterna Comics through Comixology starting November 19. More distribution channels are in the works.

So why did I switch from self-publishing? I have been and still am a big proponent of self-publishing, especially digitally. Everyone is doing it and many are having good success. Just look at all the funded Kickstarter comics. For me, the decision was about time and exposure. By going to an established indie with distribution channels in place, I am saved the time of having to deal with multiple formats and distributors and can focus on creation and promotion. That was my logic in going with Graphicly to begin with. I do lose some control over how the comic is sold (no Gumroad for example), but this is balanced by the plethora of channels that my comic will be released on. An established indie also has the potential to increase exposure of a comic. Exposure is a high priority for me. However each creator needs to determine their own goals. I run into many good comics that I've picked up where the creator is just selling from their website and I guess they're OK with that. I would recommend to at least explore Comixology submit, especially since they feature newly submitted self-published comics on their front page.

The cover preview:
SH-Cover-new-01-270x399.jpg
 
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dpaterso

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Congrats! The logic seems sound enough. Good luck with the comic.

Do us a favor, we have a 400px x 400px limit on graphics, can you shrink that cover pic down?

Please do not link to very large images; keep them to within about 400 x 400 pixels, and small files, please. Images from high resolution cameras (5 or more megapixels) may need to have their resolution (the dpi) changed to 72 dpi.

We have a lot of members who pay for Internet access based on how much data they use, and a lot who are still using dialup. Large images are really annoying to those members.

-Derek
 

Marta

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The increased number of distribution channels is a strong argument for going this route. It can be difficult to find out about self-published works if they're not in some of those popular storefronts, and then there's the challenge of finding them again to pick up later issues.

I'd run across Satanic Hell *somewhere*, but the title initially suggested a different type of story. Learned what it's really about by coincidentally working with the same artists on a short project! Picked up issue 1 via Graphic.ly a week or so before they folded. Glad this series will be more widely available via ComiXology.

Congratulations on the publishing deal! Hope to hear more about how that works out for you.
 

Grigoris

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Thanks, Marta. That's cool that you found the first issue. I thought some might mistake Satanic Hell as a horror story when I wrote it, but the name fits the metal band and the conflict in the series well, so I decided to keep it. I'd love to check out any projects you've worked on.
 

Marta

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I thought some might mistake Satanic Hell as a horror story when I wrote it, but the name fits the metal band and the conflict in the series well, so I decided to keep it.

Yep, that's exactly what I thought. The art looked great, but small doses of horror are all I can deal with. Didn't realize my mistake until later reading an issue summary. Metal bands also aren't a strong draw for me by themselves, but what you did with it makes it interesting.

Your team's art for my short is a ways from being released. Happy to let you know when it's out.
 
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