Big Announcement... Biteworld!

[trevor]

When the voting is unlimited, it becomes less about talent and what readers want to see and more about whose friends can click a button more times during a day....

[Bizarro_Joe]

I'm so sorry you didn't make it into the Top 3, guys. I know this will sound bitter, but I don't trust Platinum's voting mechanism. Allowing people to vote over and over again, even with bot prevention measures in place, is just undemocratic. What's to prevent someone from just paying a bunch of kids to spend all day voting for hours on-end? It makes the purpose of the vote meaningless. It didn't stop me from plugging away, though... I must have put in around 300 votes this weekend alone (oh, the monotony!). I also wonder, therefore, whether the voting mechanism is even meaningful to the Platinum judges; I suspect that they'll choose whoever they want as the winner based on their opinions of which property will make them the most money.

[joerules]

Congrats to the top 3. It's a shame we couldn't advance but that's the way the cookie crumbles. And even though our cookie was too brittle to make it to the next round, I think it's tasty enough that someone will swoop in and pick up the crumbs to enjoy them latter on.

METAPHOR!! (high five)

Seriosuly, it's sad that it didn't work out, especially after everythign all of you did to support the efforts. We're so greatful even if it was all for nothing. Hopefully the taste we've given you of Biteworld is enough to make you want more. I think the three of us have grown to love the idea enough where we're not quit willing to let it go, even if it didn't win.

[Tom Brazelton]

Any hint as to what the distribution channel for Biteworld might be?

I think it would be awesome if you released the whole thing as a trade paperback right out of the gate.

That book would do gangbusters at conventions.

[Bizarro_Joe]

I think it would be awesome if you released the whole thing as a trade paperback right out of the gate.

That book would do gangbusters at conventions.

YES! Death to serialization! Vive le TPB!

[Tom Brazelton]

Serialization would be good for the website, maybe. But who is going to buy five or six issues of a book they've never read off a guy on artist's alley? You're more likely to snag 'em with the trade.

[joerules]

We ahven't talked much about this. it's come up but nothing has been decided. There are benifits to both. I think either way the book will be done in chapters.

[chamber715]

Seriosuly, it's sad that it didn't work out, especially after everythign all of you did to support the efforts. We're so greatful even if it was all for nothing.

Yeah, it stings a little that we didn't make it into the top 3, but I don't think that it was all for nothing. I know all of you guys did everything you could to help us win and for that we are eternally greatful.

We didn't get notice of where we fell within the top 10, but I'm currently in contact with Platinum to see if they'll release that information to us.

[Samuel]

Bummer it didn't make it to the top 3. As a comic reader, that was a brilliant, untouched angle for a comic. The cure is the threat to the monster world...totally turned around a conventional story line.

However, you all were in a battle of more clicks. Popularity and quality, sadly, rarely go hand in hand. I think if this book gets worked out, printed and released it would do really well. I could see it gaining a quality readership. I love the TPB idea Tom had.

I was talking to a friend this weekend about the rise in popularity of manga and how it could affect comic sales. $8-10 for 200-400 pages of story instead of the $4 for 20 pages is a pretty easy sell to get someone over to the manga side. Even now, I buy the kids TBPs since it's a whole story for $10-15, instead of 8 issues at $4 each. I miss my old comics that were $1 an issue.

Sorry, didn't mean to pull away from the point...just saying, you have a killer story and a TBP would fly off the table at conventions and whatnot. Either way, I got my money in hand.

[logosmonkey]

Seriosuly, it's sad that it didn't work out, especially after everythign all of you did to support the efforts. We're so greatful even if it was all for nothing. Hopefully the taste we've given you of Biteworld is enough to make you want more. I think the three of us have grown to love the idea enough where we're not quit willing to let it go, even if it didn't win.

This may end up being the best for you. Put together a pitch package for it and start shopping it around. It will now be very likely you'll keep your rights, which is a good thing.
Sucks you didn't win the Cintiq though

[Silv3r]

I don't know how chummy the whole webcomics scene is, but its been swimming in my head that maybe you guys should see if the ole Clemster (man, that is a terrible nickname) could get your foot in the door at least over at Dark Horse. What with his NN2S book finally coming out through them, and the whole Coffee Achievers team up between Joe and Mitch (plus, all those comics we see of you and the other boxcar dudes hanging out) could be a good link to capitalise on.

I could see them putting out something like this.

[Tom Brazelton]

I don't think it hurts to ask, but back when I learned about his book deal, I asked Mitch if he could float me a name. He was reluctant to do so because he didn't want to sour the deal with Dark Horse. He wasn't making a statement about the quality of my work. He just didn't want to be the guy who'se like "Thanks for inviting me to your party! I hope it's okay that I brought 50 friends!" I totally understood where he was coming from.

[Silv3r]

Yeah I can definitely see the perspective of "I just got this gig!"

Still, even without help, I would definitely put together a pitch for someone like Dark Horse. While they would be close to the top in terms of distributors and producers, this is definitely something I could see fitting into their line, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to aim high.

If you put out a graphic novel I'll buy it straight up, no doubt, but really I don't think you should let a loss hold you back, even if you're not intending for it to. A loss can put your mindset back a little "Yeah I love it, but maybe we're just better off doing it ourselves. They'd probably just want to screw with our plans anyway" is an easy thought pattern to slip into. While you still love the work, you just keep making excuses to keep it at a personal level.

Instead of letting the loss bring you down, let it lift you up! This gives you the freedom to aim even higher!

[batsofchaos]

I wish the best to you guys on finding a publisher for this. It's really awesome-looking and I'd love to see more.

[joerules]

I wouldn't want to bother Mitch with it for the same reasons. Let him have his moment without being bothered by everyone he knows.