How to promote and self-publish your own manga
There’s a lot of content being generated right now and thanks to the internet you could potentially reach millions of people through your work.
Here are a few things that could help you do just that.
Step 1: Promote it through other forms of content
Let’s say you’ve got your characters already established or even some physical scenes and backgrounds that are going to be used in your manga. Chances are that you’ve spent a solid amount of time coming up with and drawing these things, so why not create tutorials out of these to be posted on social media? People love quick art hacks and tips, because a lot of anime and manga fans dream of being creators themselves.
Help others realise their dreams like you are, and you could have loyal fans that love to see how you create and manifest your ideas and fall in love with the characters and places they can see come to life. Someone that does this to incredible effect is the super talented @jeyodin. We can highly recommend giving his pages a look.
Step 2: Post chapters for free
If you’ve already got a few chapters written, or you’re sitting with a completed edition, a great way to get fresh eyes to your work is to post it for free. People are super inundated with purchasing options nowadays, so why not make their choice a little easier by showing them what they’re in for before they click buy?
You can add a link to a free PDF in your Instagram or Twitter bios, or create a free e-reader from a variety of apps available via the App and Play Stores.
Step 3: Network with other artists
Seeing how other artists create and go about their practice can be really helpful in defining and developing your own. You can meet people online, form groups to help each other out and give advice or just stick to the tried and tested formula and use conventions and collaborations as a networking opportunity.
Step 4: Participate in challenges
While this might not always allow you to directly promote your manga or comic book, participating in challenges is a huge activity amongst the online drawing communities and can help you gain followers and reach new people with your art.
Inktober is a massive annual challenge series that is super fun to do and has loads of participants and fans. A lesser-known but equally impressive one is the monthly Character Design Challenge which has featured tasks or briefs that you can then execute in your style.
If you have built up a solid fan base for your art or manga why not also try doing a Draw This in Your Style Challenge (or #DTIYS) of one of your characters and let people get creative on their own accord.
Step 5: Try to get spotted!
Sometimes to get ahead you need a little help. While certain publishers like to stick to tried and tested formulas that are guaranteed at least a certain level of success with their existing readers, some are eager to try new things and experiment to create awesome new things that resonate with people unexpectedly. Think Webtoon and Saturday AM, and try and see if you can’t make use of tone these amazing platforms to rocket your manga to the big leagues.
