Money, Money, Money, Money*

OpenDoor Comics

Jon Maki, President and Publisher
Jon Maki, President and Publisher

(As part of the migration to the new hosting platform, I’m manually adding back in the posts that were made to The Threshold on the other platform.  If there were comments made on the posts, I have no way of carrying them over to the new site as actual comments, so I will append them at the end of their respective posts.)

Moolah.  Clams.  Benjamins. Filthy lucre.

Let’s talk about money.

The guiding principle for the founding of OpenDoor Comics was a combination of a love of comics and a desire to make the world of comics more open and inviting as possible.

That said, I have to admit that the prospect of bringing in some money also factored into it.

“Aha!” You might say.  “This stuff about being open and inclusive is just a cynical ploy to make money!”

To which I would say no, working at my actual job is a just a cynical ploy to make money.  And as far as cynical ploys go, it’s working out rather well in terms of achieving that end, all things considered.

“Still,” you might go on to say, “You’re only doing this for the money.”
I would argue that my bank account says otherwise, because, “What money?”

But more seriously, I would answer that I’m only doing this for the money so that I can do it.

Because honestly, my little joke about my job being a cynical ploy to make money isn’t really a joke.  There are things I like about what I do, beyond merely getting a paycheck, and I do my job well because I care about doing a job – any job that I’m called upon to do – well, but it’s not really what I’d consider my calling or my passion.

This endeavor, though…well, this I care about.  So yes, I want to make money doing it, because I want it to be more than just a hobby, or something I do on the side.  I want this, and more to the point, the future iterations of this, to be my calling.

If you’re someone who also loves comics and has something to share with the world, I also want it to be your calling.

And I want you to make money from it.

But, again, being honest, the “calling” part is going to have to come first, and as we first get started anyone who steps through the OpenDoor will need to do so for love, not money.  Because, again, “What money?”

There is a minimal amount of advertising on the site right now, and with an increased audience, which first requires content, that will begin to generate some revenue.  Further, as the amount of content grows and the number of page views increase, that will open up options for better, more lucrative advertising opportunities, which will bring in even more revenue.

With more revenue comes additional investment in the site and in the operations of OpenDoor Comics, which means more services – some of which will generate new streams or revenue – to offer in support of hopeful creators, which in turn will help to build the audience further, and many of those services will be provided by you in exchange for additional compensation.

As the expansion continues, opportunities for selling collected editions of comics in traditional and digital formats will open up, and then, well, then we move on to Phase 2…

But yeah.  Love first, then, hopefully, money.

So the obvious question you’re asking yourself – certainly, it’s a question that you should be asking yourself – is “Why should I bother?”

There are plenty of other options available to you.  Domain registration and hosting plans aren’t terribly expensive, so you can always just put your work out there on your own site.  If you don’t want to go that route, there’s always self-publishing via Amazon, and there are places like Tumblr, or Deviant Art, or any number of blogging services to choose from, where you can quickly and easily post your content and have your own advertising accounts and online stores and not have to share any revenue with anyone.

Sure, I have some vague and enigmatic pronouncements about future plans and phases, and how, based on your feedback, I’ll make posting and sharing your content as easy as possible, and how there will be an ever-expanding list of services to choose from but…so what?  Why here, and not literally anywhere else?

Love.

Passion.

A calling.

The Mission and Vision.

The chance to  make this your space as much as or even more than it is mine.

Because you’re welcome here, no matter who you are.  More than that, you’re wanted here.

Why here?  Well, the door is open.  Why not come in?

***

Okay, I guess we talked a little bit more about love than we did money.  In my next post, we’ll get into specifics about some of the revenue opportunities that are available to creators currently, as well as those that are still to come.

*…money!

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