Some tips for comics creators in Corona times

These are hard times for everyone, not least self-publishing comics creators. But there are some ways for fans to support your work, both for physical books and for digital works online. Here are a few:

Fosfor
Fosfor is our very own non-profit zine distro, and a part of the Hybriden webshop. Our goal is to be a platform for comics creators who normally find it difficult to reach larger audiences and to strengthen the general culture of comics self-publishing. In the webshop, buyers can easily get an overview of a wide variety of comics. Sellers only need to fill out our form for their works to be posted on the site within a short while. After the first orders come in, we’ll ask you to send the first batch of actual products.
One important point is that Fosfor should not be seen as a service where you hand your stuff over to someone else who then sells it for profit. Rather see it as a place for shared exchange that everyone benefits from. When other creators share the link to Hybriden and Fosfor, it means that customers who go to the site for other reasons may also find your stuff while they’re there. Customers also don’t need to pay for postage from several different sources, but can get all their comics in one package, which means they’ll also save money.
All profits go back to the creators themselves, we only add a small sum to cover packaging and similar costs.

Digital Seriefestival
Mostly relevant if you’re a comics creator in Sweden. They’re allowing artists to post a ‘virtual table’ in a facebook group and for facebook users to browse their work and links. It goes live on the 10th April.

Patreon
Patreon is a great way for people so support you through a subscription service to your work. They can make monthly donations, and in return, you can offer exclusive rewards or perks for different price tiers. For instance, for $5 a month, someone could get access to blog posts about your artistic processes, $15 a month could give people access to a twitch stream of your work, maybe even tutorials etc.
There are lots of different approaches to it, and it’s a nice way to get consistent support from fans. Small monthly donations from multiple people can add up to helpful amounts.
Patreon takes 5% of your earnings.

Ko-Fi
Not all the supporters of your work will be able to pitch in a monthly amount – and ko-fi is a bit like a tip jar where people can give you a one-off payment of $3 to show their support. It’s worth mentioning that Ko-Fi does also feature a monthly-tip system like Patreon, and for paid membership ($6 a month) you can sell commissions on your page.
Ko-fi takes 0% of your donations, but only registers payments through PayPal (which takes 2.9% + $0.30) or Stripe (which takes 2.75%).

Big Cartel
Is an online shop which allows you to have 5 items up at any time for free. These don’t necessarily have to be physical items – you could put digital commissions up on here.
Big Cartel does not charge any commission – but like Ko-Fi it only registers payments through either PayPal (which takes 2.9% + $0.30) or Stripe (which takes 2.75%).

Gumroad
Gumroad is quite a popular way of distributing E-comics, for people to buy and download as PDFs.
For a free account, Gumroad charges 8.5% + $0.30 per sale.

Setting all of these up can be a bit daunting, but most of them offer helpful advice on setting up your pages – and it’s always worth doing some quick research of your own on what kind of ways other artists are using them. Cross-referencing these can be useful when figuring out how you can best use them to your own advantage.

Some ideas for information helpful to convey:
-Pricing tiers based on sketch, inks, and coloured works.
-Charging extra for drawing a background.
-Pricing based on how much of a character you draw – the head, a bust, the torso, or the full figure.
-Remember to charge per character you draw per piece!
-It’s also worth putting your own terms and conditions for your commissions so that people know what to expect and to filter out any requests that you don’t feel comfortable with.

Digital Commissions
When selling digital commissions – it can be helpful to create a clear graphic illustrating the different pricings you have. Having an image (or up to four) to show this means you can post it on multiple platforms (instagram, twitter, facebook, mastodon, tumblr, etc).

Good luck, and stay healthy!

Call for submissions: CBA vol 49

Call for submissions: comics and text articles for
CBA vol 49: Origin of life

Where were you born? Where are you from? When these questions are asked really what the person means often is, who are you?

In the new volume of CBA we want you to ask yourselves some questions. Who are humanity as a collective consciousness? Where do we come from? All these little specks of life in this big dark space of nothing, and for what?

The theme Origin of life means vast possibilities to explore in art and comics, from religious interpretations to philosophy to strict scientific research. Challenge our current beliefs, make something fun and interesting, or something entirely else. We’re looking forward to seeing your comics!

Main Editor: Lisa Örtlund
NEW DEADLINE: May 15

—SUBMISSION GUIDELINES—
Please read and follow these guidelines:
Number of pages: We prefer comics that are about 5-30 pages, but any number is welcome.
Format: 20x26cm
Color: Color / Black and white
Language: English
File format: .TIF
Resolution: 1200 dpi line art or 300 dpi CMYK
Length (texts): A good size for a text is ca 7500 characters (including spaces), but it can also be longer or shorter.
Bleed: 5mm. Think you know how to handle bleed? Read this to make sure you know what we mean.
Within this space, there are no limits.

Delivery: We prefer download links that do NOT require us to login anywhere (wetransfer usually works fine, for example).
Request: Please don’t use Comic Sans. We don’t like it and will ask you to change to another font.
And again; Please check our guidelines for bleed.

Please send us high-resolution files from the start.
Include a short presentation text about yourself, with one URL (if you have a website or similar).
Please ask us if you are unsure about formats, resolution, bleed, etc. We prefer stupid questions to bad files. And there are no stupid questions!

Unfortunately we cannot offer you any payment for participating. If we publish your submission you will receive 10 free copies of the issue. That’s all we can offer at this time. Hopefully you will find being in CBA an enjoyable experience. Naturally, copyright for your material stays with you.

–ARTICLES AND COMICS GENERAL GUIDELINES–
What we are looking for is comics which rely on artistic ambitions and a will to experiment rather than what has been done a thousand times before. We want to expand the boundaries of what is possible to achieve in the comics medium. We are looking for the same thing in texts; articles, essays, exploratory texts, etc. Use your imagination, and have fun! : – )

Send your comics to: submissions [at] cbkcomics [dot] com

Facebook event

Release exhibition for CBA vol 47: Science/Fiction

Release exhibition for: CBA vol 47: Science/Fiction
Place: Hybriden (Mitt Möllan, Bangatan 5, Malmö)
Opening: January 24, 17-22
Lasts until: February 19 (probably)
Opening hours: Tue-Fri: 11-16, Sat: 12-16

Welcome to the release event and exhibition for the latest issue of the international comics anthology!

Join us for an evening of comics and drunk in celebration of the Future and the ongoing fictionalization of our reality. Check out comic samples on the walls, featuring these great artists:
Danijel Žeželj [HR/US], Radovan Popović [RS], Korina Hunjak [HR], Ivana Filipović [RS/CA], Avi Heikkinen [FI], Francisco Sousa Lobo [PT], Oskar Aspman [SE], Kinga Dukaj [SE], Mattias Elftorp [SE].

About CBA vol 47:
Science/Fiction

Science and fiction rule our lives. The laws of physics seem set in stone while the laws of man are arbitrary mirrors of the morality of the times. Gods and spirits are creations of the mind but also the explanation when comprehension fails. What lies beyond our understanding? Is it more science or something else? What dark forces lurk outside our field of vision? What machineries of death and destruction are we yet to invent in the name of money (which used to be metal and paper but is now to a great extent nothing but speculation and expectations)? What (or who) else meet in the intersection between science fiction and real science? What came first? The egg or the hatching machine?

If you can’t make it to Hybriden, you can order the book at the Hybriden webshop.

Main editor of this issue: Mattias Elftorp
The exhibition is organized with support from Malmö Kulturnämnd, the anthology with support from Kulturrådet. Exhibition printed at Fanzineverkstaden.

Feel free to invite people to the Facebook event.

Photos from the exhibition:

WINTER SALE at the Hybriden webshop!

Nov 29 – Jan 1, we’ll have a huge sale at the Hybriden webshop. Titles from CBK, Tusen Serier and Wormgod will be sold extra cheap. Many titles at 50% off the regular price and several of the CBK books even more!

While you are there, you should also check out the zine section (Fosfor), and we’re just in the process of adding new prints to the shop, digital prints as well as linocut and silk screen!

And you can pre-order the upcoming CBA vol 47: Science/Fiction (to be released in Jan/Feb), also at a reduced price!
And we’ve finally added a bunch of our old back-issues (C’est Bon #1-11, CBA (pre-vol) #2-5, or at least what’s still available).

To the webshop.

Fosfor (zine distro)!

Many self-publishing comics creators still have very few opportunities to reach a market outside comics festivals. With Fosfor, we give these creators a platform to reach out to more readers. We want to be able to spread zine creators’ works and open up one of comics’ greatest cultures to more people!

Fosfor was started once upon a time by former CBK crew members Steve Nyberg and Christoffer Frostgård as Sweden’s first distro for comics zines. It was taken over by CBK and was reborn in June 2019 as part of Fanzineverkstaden and Hybriden in Malmö.

You’ll find it along with publications from CBK, Tusen Serier, Wormgod etc at the Hybriden webshop.

Want to sell your zines, prints or stickers via Fosfor? Go to the site for instructions…

Call for submissions: CBA vol 48 – Nedjem (comics and articles)

CBA vol 48 – Nedjem

In old times farmers left pans of milk out for Bygul and Trjegul, the two cats who pulled the goddess Freya’s chariot, to protect the crops in their fields. The cat Baiyun from russian folklore would lull you to sleep with his stories and once you were asleep, devour you, soul and all. The goddess Bastet took on the form of a lion as well as a cat and was the protector of the sun god Ra. The monstrous Cath Palug is said to haunt the Isle of Anglesey and once killed 180 soldiers that came ashore the island.

Cats have through all times been both feared and loved, despised and worshiped. Bad omens or signs of luck, depending on time and place they can be either a curse or a blessing. There’s a duality to these myths and superstitions, much like there is to human nature. Now we want you to send us your best comics about cats and the duality they represent!

Main Editor: Mattis Telin
Deadline: January 28

—SUBMISSION GUIDELINES—
Please read and follow these guidelines:
Number of pages: We prefer comics that are about 5-30 pages, but any number is welcome.
Format: 20x26cm
Color: Color / Black and white
Language: English
File format: .TIF
Resolution: 1200 dpi line art or 300 dpi CMYK
Length (texts): A good size for a text is ca 7500 characters (including spaces), but it can also be longer or shorter.
Bleed: 5mm. Think you know how to handle bleed? Read this to make sure you know what we mean.
Within this space, there are no limits.

Delivery: We prefer download links that do NOT require us to login anywhere (wetransfer usually works fine, for example).
Request: Please don’t use Comic Sans. We don’t like it and will ask you to change to another font.
And again; Please check our guidelines for bleed.

Please send us high-resolution files from the start.
Include a short presentation text about yourself, with one URL (if you have a website or similar).
Please ask us if you are unsure about formats, resolution, bleed, etc. We prefer stupid questions to bad files. And there are no stupid questions!

Unfortunately we cannot offer you any payment for participating. If we publish your submission you will receive 10 free copies of the issue. That’s all we can offer at this time. Hopefully you will find being in CBA an enjoyable experience. Naturally, copyright for your material stays with you.

–ARTICLES AND COMICS GENERAL GUIDELINES–
What we are looking for is comics which rely on artistic ambitions and a will to experiment rather than what has been done a thousand times before. We want to expand the boundaries of what is possible to achieve in the comics medium. We are looking for the same thing in texts; articles, essays, exploratory texts, etc. Use your imagination, and have fun! : – )

Send your comics to: submissions [at] cbkcomics [dot] com

Facebook event

Release event for CBA vol 46: Deep

Release exhibition for: CBA vol 46: Deep
Place: Hybriden (Mitt Möllan, Bangatan 5, Malmö)
Opening: October 18, 18-22
Lasts until: January 15
Opening hours from August: Wed-Fridays: 11-15, Sundays: 12-15

Welcome to the release party for our brand new volume of CBA: Deep!

We want to invite you to a fun evening with us, lots of cool art and comics! As usual we will serve snacks, wine and some non-alcoholic options as well.
Also, don’t forget to get your hands on the brand new volume for a reduced price! VERY SEXY!

There MIGHT be some treasure to be found in a fishing pond as well… Can you really afford to miss that oppurtunity?

Come party with us and find out!

About CBA vol 46: Deep:

What do we find in the depths? What lies in the depths in the oceans? What hides in the deep darkness of the corner of your room when you’re about to fall asleep? What thoughts trickle through your mind when looking deeply inwards, what do we find when we look where we can’t see?

Featuring
comics by:
Julia Nascimento [BR]
Lisa Örtlund [SE]
Sofia Ciente [PT]
Mikko Jylhä [FI]
Ivana Filipović [RS/CA]
Mattias Elftorp [SE]
Sajan Rai [UK/SE]
Francisco Sousa Lobo [PT]
Maria Stoian [RO]
Texts by:
Lisa Örtlund [SE]
Mattis Telin [SE]
Illustrations, cover & main editor:
Lisa Örtlund [SE]

Available at the Hybriden webshop.

Call for submissions: CBA vol 47 – Science/Fiction (comics and articles)

CBA vol 47 – Science/Fiction

Science and fiction rule our lives. The laws of physics seem set in stone while the laws of man are arbitrary mirrors of the morality of the times. Gods and spirits are creations of the mind but also the explanation when comprehension fails. What lies beyond our understanding? Is it more science or something else? What dark forces lurk outside our field of vision? What machineries of death and destruction are we yet to invent in the name of money (which used to be metal and paper but is now to a great extent nothing but speculation and expectations)? What (or who) else meet in the intersection between science fiction and real science? What came first? The egg or the hatching machine?

In CBA vol 47 – Science/Fiction, we explore the borderlands between science and fiction, in comics and text articles.

Main Editor: Mattias Elftorp
New deadline: November 20
—SUBMISSION GUIDELINES—
Please read and follow these guidelines:
Number of pages: We prefer comics that are about 5-30 pages, but any number is welcome.
Format: 20x26cm
Color: Color / Black and white
Language: English
File format: .TIF
Resolution: 1200 dpi line art or 300 dpi CMYK
Length (texts): A good size for a text is ca 7500 characters (including spaces), but it can also be longer or shorter.
Bleed: 5mm. Think you know how to handle bleed? Read this to make sure you know what we mean.
Within this space, there are no limits.

Delivery: We prefer download links that do NOT require us to login anywhere (wetransfer usually works fine, for example).
Request: Please don’t use Comic Sans. We don’t like it and will ask you to change to another font.
And again; Please check our guidelines for bleed.

Please send us high-resolution files from the start.
Include a short presentation text about yourself, with one URL (if you have a website or similar).
Please ask us if you are unsure about formats, resolution, bleed, etc. We prefer stupid questions to bad files. And there are no stupid questions!

Unfortunately we cannot offer you any payment for participating. If we publish your submission you will receive 10 free copies of the issue. That’s all we can offer at this time. Hopefully you will find being in CBA an enjoyable experience. Naturally, copyright for your material stays with you.

–ARTICLES AND COMICS GENERAL GUIDELINES–
What we are looking for is comics which rely on artistic ambitions and a will to experiment rather than what has been done a thousand times before. We want to expand the boundaries of what is possible to achieve in the comics medium. We are looking for the same thing in texts; articles, essays, exploratory texts, etc. Use your imagination, and have fun! : – )

Send your comics to: submissions [at] cbkcomics [dot] com

Facebook event

Qtopia release exhibition (CBA vol 45)

Release exhibition for: CBA vol 45: QTOPIA
Place: Hybriden (Mitt Möllan, Bangatan 5, Malmö)
Opening: July 19, 17-22
Lasts until: September (probably)
Opening hours from August: Wed-Fridays: 11-15, Sundays: 12-15

Release exhibition for the new volume of CBA, featuring visions of a world where stories about HBTQ+ characters don’t need to end in tragedy.

So many LGBTQ narratives end in tragedy as a consequence of the LGBTQ-hood of the characters. Those stories are important because LGBTQ people are still being targeted by prejudice, discrimination and violence, but in this volume of CBA we encouraged artists to do something different. To tell queer stories where the queerness isn’t a narrative catalyst for bad things, but rathera source for joy or love or just one characteristic among others.

Queer tales about situations involving LGBTQ characters. Utopian queer tales in the sense that everything might not be perfect, but at least the horrible things that happen don’t have anything to do with the characters’ sexual orientation.

The exhibition will feature selected pieces from the anthology, but also additional artworks by local artists such as Olivia Skoglund, newly examinated from the comic school in Malmö and working on her first book on experiences as a trans girl, Adrian Malmgren, trans/hbtq-activist and creator of the comic Wicked Hero, and Emmie Jansson, currently a student at textile arts&design at Östra Grevie. There will also be artworks by Ylva Oknelid, Mattis Telin and Lisa Örtlund on display!

CBA vol 45 features
Comics by:
Casco [SE]
Lisa Örtlund [SE]
Ylva Oknelid [SE]
Ivana Geček [HR]
Korina Hunjak [HR]
Aiden Kvarnström [SE]
Saskia Gullstrand [SE]
Henrik Rogowski [SE]
Adrian Malmgren [SE] (text)
Love Pascal Prelog [SE] (illustrations)
Cover by:
Kinga Dukaj [SE]
Luddvig Melin [SE]
Lisa Örtlund [SE]
Mattias Elftorp [SE]
Henrik Rogowski [SE]

Soon to be available at our webshop: hybriden.se

Facebook event

The exhibition is presented with support from Malmö Kulturnämnd. CBA is published with support from Kulturrådet (the Swedish Arts Council).