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Chapter 1 of the graphic noiz manga “Nobody’s Business” is available at: graphic noiz manga: chapter 1

Finding a hosting site for your manga/comics

So I am a member of a Facebook group called Mangaka Masters which is a group for mangaka who are working on their own manga and have published a volume. So, they run you through a test when you join to make sure you are serious and have published something. I have 3 manga to date under my name with graphic noiz: the manga just having been published in ebook earlier this week. So I guess I passed the test.

I had another hosting site a few years back which used to crash on me all the time but the FB group I am in seems to be using the Global Manga Initiative so I thought that I might try it. It is easy to set up the chapters in the manga and post them for the world to see. So I dove right in and put chapter 1 of graphic noiz: the manga up.

There are 7 chapters in the manga and I think I will post every other week and link the chapters back to the blog so you can read them for free. I plan to have additional volumes of the graphic noiz manga available as I get the novella series done. We are currently working on graphic noiz: book 3 and we have reached the Novellete word count. Not yet a Novella, but we are working on that. The graphic noiz novella series each book is about 30K words.

Finding your manga head space

So since the graphic noiz: manga will have multiple volumes which are about 50 pages each I am trying to wrap my head around the storyline for book 2. the first volume of the manga took place between book 2 and 3 ending at the gallery scene. The manga sets you up to continue the storyline. I am hesitating a little on starting because I am going to have to get used to a new paper size for the next go around. I used 10×14 for graphic noiz book 1 and book 2 will be on 11×17 so I have to get used to a whole new dynamic which may screw me up initially until I get the handle of it.

Colouring your manga

I am not good at digital colouring. Sure I have done a few colour images in that fashion but it takes so very long. My facebook banner is of Faid from grydscaen which was coloured digitally with all the layers. Unfortunately I do not have the layered digital file any longer. I accomplished it none the less but I have pretty much for the graphic noiz manga kept to colouring with copic markers. All the pages were coloured with neutral greys and then scanned back into the computer so that I could add dialogue. This required multiple processes as the original 10×14 pages had to be copied down to 8.511 to colour so that I could scan them.

Since the manga was black and white except for the cover I opted to colour the manga in grey tones. This is also how it was printed with the cover in colour and the interior black and white.

Fighting with the paperback on Amazon

The process of getting the manga ebook on Amazon was a nightmare. The formatting requires a PDF without facing pages and a new cover with trim size and book size correct. Still fighting with Amazon to get the format right. Got everything setup just need to get past the reviewers and hopefully we can get this done after trying to a week.

Getting Print Versions made

So I use a printer for my manga not Amazon usually. This has been a successful process after formatting in InDesign and resizing the manga to the right comic book size. The printer will do a proof and a printer spread which requires you to save each page individually. They format the printer spread for me and I provide a reader spread for their reference. Usually the printing takes about a week but once they have the file setup it is easy to restock.

My printer is slightly expensive but they do all the work so I don’t worry about the cost. They do what I need them to do. I have a lot o books out, 19 to be exact with 3 manga. I have a day job so I am not worried about starving to death if I had to live off what I make from my books. The printer does what it needs to do and I have copies for con. I don’t hawk my stuff in the back of my car and don’t go to a large number of conventions since I am not really cosplaying anymore. I used to go to an anime convention each month travelling around to various places. Just came from a con 2 weeks ago and sold out of all my stock so it was a successful trip.

I hear you can sell 1000 copies at a con. I don’t have that many but that is good to hear.

Being Indie Me Myself and I

So I am an author first and a manga artist second. Personally I think my art is not that stellar. I think it is passable but I will say I am a writer first. This may be shooting myself in the foot but I tell a good story. I don’t make a living with my creations and I need a mailing list but I am working on that. Also I need to learn how to market myself better. I am an introvert so I am not about praising myself. I am usually quiet and don’t like to make a stink. And I don’t write romance, I want you to think when you read my works. This fact may hurt me from a review standpoint since I want the reader to get something out of the work and think. But well, that is how it is.

Since I don’t whore myself out I get sales and reviews when they come. I have great professional reviews but I could use more reader reviews and I am trying to learn how to get them without kissing up to bloggers. I want people to find me not whore myself out to get stuff. That may end up hurting me but I do what I do because that is who I am.

Making Manga

Making manga was a passion of mine since I was a kid. I have much more to learn in the process. I have seen my craft grow as I progress and create more works in this medium. I hope you will stick around with graphic noiz as we get ready to work on the manga book 2. We will have another chapter up next week from book 1. For now enjoy chapter 1 and I hope you like it and decide to follow the story.

The Global Manga Initiative is copyright its respective owner.