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Links referenced in this episode
Brad Guigar’s website
FYI: some of the content here is risqué.
Comic Lab Podcast
This podcast does offer good content for writers, but it’s primarily focused on helping web comic creators. I’m not sure I can recommend it to fiction writers as an ongoing, never-miss-an-episode show, but there are still great moments on insight in almost every episode, but on an episode by episode basis you’re talking about two or three sentences.
That being said, there are several good episodes that I feel could help writers. Some of these are talking about making web comics, but the principles can be easily applied to writing. Here are just a few links to some recent episodes that I have found personally helpful:
Make It Work, Make It Right, Make It Fast
How to Get Subscribers on Substack
How to Build an Audience on Substack
Building Traffic vs. Building Audience
Social Media is Dead… Now what?
Comic Lab Patreon
Supporters of the Comic Lab Patreon receive an extra podcast episode that is full of deep dives on various technical issues. Additionally, they have access to a dedicated Discord server for backers.
This Discord is mostly for people interested in or who are currently creative webcomics. There are some big names in there, but the part that may be of interest to writers is that it contains a channel called Substack Bootcamp. Users in that channel post their questions and receive answers from other members. It’s a great resource if you’re just starting out.
The Webcomics Handbook on Substack
All of the posts to this Substack are paywalled, but it’s still worth subscribing to even at the free level. I say that because that way you’ll get a list of his posts and the intro text. Once you’ve built up a backlog of things you want to read, subscribe for a month, binge all of the posts, and cancel.
Brad’s Patreon
FYI: some of the content here is risqué.
The Internet is Tokyo
This article talks about the tremendous opportunity the internet offers, but also points out that it also brings a lot of competition.
Writer Beware
One of the best resources for writers. It’s maintained by SFWA (the Science Fiction Writers of America) and should be your first stop any time you are evaluating a publisher.
Further reading
In the episode, I say that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Marvel universe. And while that’s true, there’s actually a lot of controversy and arguing over who did what and how much each man contributed. I didn’t go into details in my explainer, but if you’re curious this is a nice summary.
If you know someone who would enjoy this episode, please send it their way. So many writers on Substack are trying to figure things out and I believe this episode really does have a lot of wisdom and insight that can give people a jumpstart on their journeys. Thanks for helping to spread the word!
My Brad Backstory
I first discovered Brad Guigar in the late 90’s. I’d just gotten married and was working my first serious job at Cisco Systems. Computers back then took a while to get up and running and so while Oracle loaded I’d check the news and a few other sites. One morning while I was going through my routine, the guy in the cube next to me started cackling over something.
I asked him what was so funny and he sent me a link to a webcomic that he’d found. It was called PvP. The comic was made by Scott Kurtz (who is also on Substack).
I started following the comic and it wasn’t long before he linked to another strip named Sheldon by Dave Kellett. And then, a few days later, he linked to another comic by Brad. I started following them all.
And that’s how things were for a few years, but eventually they started a podcast which was hilarious, but also full of so much good thinking about running a creative business. I’ve continued to keep tabs on all of them over the years and have always loved when they shared their insights into the unique struggles faced by creatives.
They have helped me so much over the years that it felt completely natural to try to pass on their ideas to all of you. I hope you find this episode helpful and that you take some of their great philosophies and approaches to creativity with you to guide you in your own endeavors.
If you have thoughts or suggestions about the show, I hope you’ll take a moment to share them. I would love to hear from you. You can just click the link below to leave a comment.
Formats
Everyone has a preferred method for consuming shows like this. Some prefer reading. Others enjoy listening. And still others are happiest when they can watch the show. Whatever your preference, there are options here for you.
I have gone through the transcription. It’s accurate and should make for a pleasant reading experience. If you prefer audio, click on the button labeled podcast and you can choose to open it in the player of your choice or stream it directly through the Substack app.
One Last Word
I always like to keep my show safe for work because I know some people might be listening at work or in the car with small children or be in situations where cursing would make them uncomfortable. This episode does have two swear words in it that are back-to-back. They happen at the end of the episode. Normally, I would edit them out, but Brad said (during the episode) that he used them deliberately. I understand the point he’s making about his word choice. It does provide a certain degree of shock value which does serve to drive the idea home in ways that polite language can not. For that reason, I have kept his words as he said them in the show.
Interview with Brad Guigar