I recently got a chance to chat with Howard Taylor in my virtual office.
Chris:
You've been doing Schlock for around 8 years now, right? What convinced you to jump into webcomics to start with?
Howard Tayler:
Webcomics seemed like a good way to tell a story. Also, I figured I needed a hobby. I'd only been doing it for about two weeks, though, when I realized this was what I wanted to do with my life. It's very satisfying work.
Chris:
Has it turned out much like you thought it would?
Howard Tayler:
I'm ahead of schedule, and working harder than I ever thought possible. Originally I figured it would take ten years to build enough audience to support me through book sales. I was five years too conservative with that figuring. BUT... that's because I self-published, and that's been a huge effort. Maybe in two years I'll be able to hand all this off to a big publisher, and get my basement back. Oh, and my wife. I'd like to have my wife back, too.
Chris:
That's usually a good thing to have!
Howard Tayler:
Sandra handles all the shipping, and lately she spends about half an hour to an hour every day packaging things up for customers.
Chris:
Do you think things would have turned out differently if you hadn't self-published, or was there not much of a choice in the matter at the time?
Howard Tayler:
It was self-publish or quit. Had "Under New Management" not sold as well as it did, we would have been forced to abandon the dream in favor of paying work. As it was, however, that book paid the bills for six months, which was just long enough to put out "The Blackness Between," which paid another six months of bills... and now I live book-to-book, with other merchandise filling in the gaps. Hopefully I can start building wealth (you know, saving money and stuff) rather than just paying the bills here in a year or two.
Chris:
At the Con, there was a panel run by Phil Foglio that discussed how best to start up a web comic. Two things that were mentioned as keys in being successful was meeting update deadlines and building a community. Do you feel that they've influenced your success with your comic? They being the two things, not Phil and his panel.
Howard Tayler:
Yes on both counts. I get lots of email from readers who tell me that Schlock Mercenary is now the only comic they still read. All the others went on hiatus, started updating spottily, or otherwise lost them. Building a community is a trickier thing, and it's important if you want to make a living off the strip. To summarize: Regular updates build an audience. A community builds revenue.
Chris:
You've managed more than regular updates, however. Is it true that you've never missed one?
Howard Tayler:
Chris:
Howard Tayler:
There have been server outtages, but even then there's always been a strip posted somewhere. Even that time nobody believed me.
Chris:
That was actually how I realized it was April Fools day. It was the first thing I did when I woke up. No joke.
Howard Tayler:
My regularity is something of a legend. Or maybe a running joke. Or perhaps an embarrassment. Okay, THAT's funny. "Howard missed a day? Hmmm... either Hell has frozen over, or it's April Fool's."
Chris:
I live just outside of Phoenix, so I realized it wasn't the former. What would you say is the most important aspect of building the Schlock Community? How do you go about doing that?
Howard Tayler:
Well, the way I did it and the way I'd do it if I were starting today are completely different.
Chris:
Howard Tayler:
Today I'd stuff an RSS feed into LiveJournal, Myspace, and Facebook, and then make sure I post things into those communities to seed them. Those things didn't exist in 2000. We had the Keenspot forums, and I made sure I posted responses to the things fans posted in the Schlock-specific forum. I still have similar forums on Keenspot (legacy), Nightstar, and Blank Label. The Nightstar forum community is the most active. There's an LJ community and a Facebook community, but I don't spend enough time with them. Oh, and I blog under the comic. That's the big one for calling attention to new merchandise.
Chris:
Let's talk for a moment about RSS feeds. They were discussing that a bit at the web comics panel, and the creators were actually a bit split on that as being beneficial towards the comic. What makes you lean more towards being interested in distributing your comic that way? Or would it be more of a blog feed?
Howard Tayler:
RSS is a disruptive technology. Those words, "disruptive technology," are HUGELY laden with context and meaning that readers of this interview may not have. To summarize: disruptive technologies upset the order of things, and often turn profitable businesses into bankruptcy cases, while bringing new businesses to the fore. So... RSS takes the advertising model that most of us have been using, and says "you can't make money that way anymore." This is terrifying to anybody who has a significant portion of their revenue tied up in ads. I don't. I mean, I love ad revenue, but I'm creating a long-form story that will sell books for decades. I'm not making current events references. My comic will age very, very well. So... RSS will let me attract new fans, and eventually sell more books. If I have to sacrifice my ad revenue to do that, so be it.
Chris:
So you look at it as a longer term solution?
Howard Tayler:
I can turn a new reader into a book-buyer in three days. There's nothing long-term about it. People look at the archives, love the story, and realize they have to have the books in order to read comfortably and quickly.
Chris:
Jumping back to community building for a moment, do you find that reader feedback has had an influence on your story?
Howard Tayler:
A little. For science-y things, absolutely. My readers are SMART. For character arc, not so much. My readers aren't privy to The Voices In My Head, so they don't know enough about what really drives these characters of mine.
Chris:
Were there any major inspirations for your story?
Howard Tayler:
All of the science-fiction I've ever read has served as inspiration. I draw heavily on that. The fact that I'm following a band of mercenaries around is probably the fault of Lois McMaster Bujold. I hope she doesn't ask for a cut. Stylistically, I suppose I'm influenced by Calvin & Hobbes and Bloom County. Though I suspect I'm not paying any compliments to Watterson or Breathed through the comparison.
Chris:
She wrote the Miles Vorkosigan stories?
Howard Tayler:
She did. I loved all of them.
Chris:
The Schlock story is one of the longest running ones on the web. Will there be a definite end to it, or do you foresee it continuing for as long as you're able?
Howard Tayler:
There will be endings, but I don't see myself ending the strip.
Chris:
Are there any other projects that you're working on at the moment?
Howard Tayler:
Well . . . I'm doing a bunch of single-panel comics for the daily newsletters at WorldCon. I'll be doing character-art badges for CONduit in Salt Lake City next May. I guess that means "no." These are just things I do as an artist to help promote myself at conventions. It's all part of the marketing budget.
Chris:
Do you do a lot of conventions?
Howard Tayler:
Too many this year. Three in six weeks. Bleargh.
Chris:
Comic Con always feels like three just by itself.
Howard Tayler:
Next year I'm going to pare it way back, and only do some local events and Comic-Con. Yeah, Comic-Con is hard work. It's not my favorite event, though it's always profitable. I love the little genre-cons a lot more.
Chris:
That makes sense, they're probably a lot more personal Ok, I'd like to wrap it up with a couple of more off-the-wall questions...
Howard Tayler:
Chris:
There's a big trend now to make movies based on comics. If this jumped to web comics, would you consider there being a Schlock movie? If so, who would you want to play Tagon?
Howard Tayler:
The only actor I can see in the role of Tagon is the Kurt Russell of ten years ago. Now that I think about it, though... with the right haircut maybe Brendan Fraser could pull it off five years from now.
Chris:
If you could spend a half hour with any of your characters in real life, which one would it be?
Howard Tayler:
Wow, that IS off-the-wall. Hmmm . . . If I could get a brain-dump from Petey, I'd take it. Knowledge is power, after all. I wouldn't dare spend half an hour with any of the women of the Schlockiverse. Their standards are too high, and I like my marriage too much.
Chris:
Howard Tayler:
Nope. I know how old she is.
I'm gonna have to go with my first answer. Petey.
Chris:
Ok, one last question, slightly less off the wall. Out of all of the strips that you've done, do you have one that's your favorite or that you're most proud of?
Howard Tayler:
Hmm . . . There are lots that I'm proud of. I don't know that I can pick just one.
Chris:
How about a story arc then?
Howard Tayler:
Ah. Much easier. My two favorite story arcs are "Mad Science Means Never Having To Ask What's The Worst Thing That Could Happen" and "The Sharp End of the Stick." That's the time-travel story, and the jungle story, respectively. Both of those will likely be displaced by "The Longshoreman of the Apocalypse." I'm really, really liking the way this one is shaping up.
Chris:
It's hard to beat that name, too.
Howard Tayler:
Yeah. And to think it originated as a throwaway gag. Some of my best stuff comes out that way.
Chris:
I was about to say something very similar. I'd like to thank you for your time.
Howard Tayler:
