Counting my Pages

Right now, I should be thinking about the next Conny Van Ehlsing storyline – the plot idea I had fell apart when I tried to fixate it in writing -, but instead I find myself moving vector blocks around a layout file to simulate the book version.

All in all, Vol. 2 will probably be about 70-80 comics pages. 40-50 of which I’ve already got. (Having a regular webcomic really helps here!) I’m thinking of including sketches within the comics section to loosen the appearance, and there will be a making-of section as well as a small gallery, so I may end up with a 90+ page TPB. Which divides well into three 32pp singles.

Since those singles will be available as downloads more than not, I’m thinking about splitting them some more. (I don’t know about you, but I like my ebooks to be a little shorter than dead tree ones. And it wouldn’t be that short. Also, Terry Moore seems to get away with 20 page installments, doesn’t he?) I’ve fiddled about a bit, and I could make four singles just as well as three. While I’m at it, I can even split the trade and spread it over two 48pp albums, which is a pretty regular format here. Which would, of course, do away with all the Vol.2 spin I’ve built around this run of Conny. Oh well. Small cost.

I’m not aiming toward that, but it’s a good plan B. I remember the extra work I had to put in to make the 72 pages of Vol. 1 happen. It definitely beats not having an album at all for the next con.

So, when am I going to publish all that? AND the English versions? AND the 24 hour comic I made last month? All before June? Because I really want to get the album out in time for the Comic Salon in Erlangen, which is basically our version of SDCC.

Four books spread across six months? Easy. December – February – April – June. I don’t want book 4 to issue after the album. I had that the last time, and I still haven’t wrapped up all of Vol. 1. Which reminds me: Five downloads. November – January – March – May — July? Huh. Makes Plan B more realistic, though. Or the three book edition: November – January (because there’s some seasonal stuff in #1) – March – May. And the 24h comic? Whenever.

So I’ll have to weigh the different preferences against each other. Preferred page count vs. preferred story sequence vs. preferred publishing sequence. All before December because that would make me reschedule.

The next idea came as an afterthought to splitting the album. There’s no reason to split it into two equal parts! I can make a 72 page album now, as Vol.2, and start saving up for Vol. 3. Instead of ending Vol. 2 with Conny re-entering school, I’d wrap it up with Professional Perspective, which would work even if it’s a different focus than the one I intended. Then begin Vol. 3 in pretty much the same way as Vol. 1 – with Conny entering a new school.

Of course if I do that I won’t have the opportunity to advertise the volume’s conclusion because it’s already over. On the other hand, I’m thinking about joining more webcomics networks, and the beginning of Vol. 3 would be a good starting point.

I shouldn’t be thinking about these things now. What I should do is translate the next story for the German platforms and write the next adventure for the webcomic. But that’s just it. I want the next German story to be from the first single, so I’ll have to decide what’s in that issue. And the album plans make a difference for the webcomic, too – originally, the next story would have been the lead-in toward the finale. If the finale’s already done, there’s no point in that.