Hi. I'm the writer of Squarriors.

[Ash]

Hi, I'm Ash Maczko.
I am the writer of an indie comic called Squarriors.

Although the world is much smaller, due to social networks and such, it can be still difficult to reach out and connect with new readers -- especially for small print-run books.
I thought I'd take a chance on the CBR forums to see if I could reach a few new readers or get an open dialog with current ones. And hopefully get some better insight on the comic book community.

Has anyone heard of the book?
Has anyone read it?
Does your local shop carry it?
Do you have any suggestions for finding readers who are open to small(er) titles?

Thanks for your consideration! =)

[Scott M Davis]

Has anyone heard of the book? Yes, I have.
Has anyone read it? Nope.
Does your local shop carry it? Not that I recall seeing.
Do you have any suggestions for finding readers who are open to small(er) titles? Social media really is the best (use the hashtag #comicmarket), try hitting up smaller new sites.

[Ash]

Has anyone heard of the book? Yes, I have.
Has anyone read it? Nope.
Does your local shop carry it? Not that I recall seeing.
Do you have any suggestions for finding readers who are open to small(er) titles? Social media really is the best (use the hashtag #comicmarket), try hitting up smaller new sites.

May I ask where you are located?
Or even, specifically the name of your local shop?

Thanks for responding!

[Ragdoll]

I'll be honest, even if it may upset you. I have read the comic via piracy. So sorry that I'm a thief and that may invalidate my opinion.
I understand the reliance on print media, but for small time titles, it seems the easiest way to gain an audience is via the webcomic format, and getting money through advertisers over fans. Or only offering the first for free online, to give newer and tentative readers a taste, and then paying to get the rest. It doesn't need to be your long term life plan, doing webcomics. But it is a move to gain more fans so that when you make your triumphant return to an actual print book, you have a small following ready to come with you.

Sorry for the piracy, but I am one broke mf-er and comics are my one pleasure. My life trajectory has me set to start paying for all my comics and buying trades for all the best of what I have read by mid 2016, maybe I'll pay you back then. Keep up the good work.
Hopefully I don't get banned for mentioning piracy. I checked the rules and it said just not to post links to illegal downloads. But I don't like even mentioning it here usually, it seems rude to do, as well as embarrassing. But this guy sounds like people like me are the cause of his problem, so I might just be the best source of info on countering it. People like me, who can't afford to pay full price for all our entertainment, will still donate to things that matter enough to us. Brian K Vaughn had a "pay what you feel like" deal for The Private Eye, so I sent him a couple bucks, and I've donated to a website I love when it was close to having its server closed down. People like us are tricky to get $$$ from, but if you go webcomic and leave a donation line open, people are bound to send whatever little they can to support the arts.

And if I didn't mention it, the first issue was very impressive, I hope to see where it goes from here. But if you reply that you think piracy is evil no matter what, even if it could yield a paying fan down the line, I will respectfully not read #2 and always be curious what was even happening in that world I read about.

[Ash]

I certainly don't want this thread to turn into a piracy debate (not that there is enough replies to really be concerned), but I will give you my opinion on it, since it came up.

I'd like my book to reach as many people as possible. I'd prefer people to pay for it, as it's my job. My job is to write comic books. If people don't pay for them, I can't live and will have to do something else and, most likely, stop making the book.
That being said, if I had the choice of either people reading the book for free, or never reading it, I'd pick the former.

Also, there's really nothing we can do about it, people are going to pirate the book. The best thing that could happen for us is that if people like you, that LIKED the book, at least posted a review somewhere. Even if it was only seen by a few people, positive reviews really help the survival of a project. At $3 an issue, there is enough people that will drop the money if they see that their buddy, or someone they otherwise respect, is pushing the book.

Thanks for the reply and the insight!

[Fiyrhouse]

Hi Ash. I just finished reading Squarriors #2 and coincidently saw your post here. Your comic is outstanding. Great story and the art is mind blowing. I first saw your comic last year when it was in Previews for solicitation. I immediately put it on my pull list at my comic shop- Jokers Child in Fair Lawn, NJ. They had copies when issue 1 was released as well as for #2. I always let them know when I see something under the radar that looks interesting so they'll carry it. Networking on FB goes a long way. I'm friends with s few Indy artists and writers who self publish and they network like crazy. Just type in the Facebook search bar Indy or Indie comics and there's quite a few. There are many writer/creater groups as well. I'm a huge fan of Watership Down which is why I was so drawn to your comic. Keep up the great work and I can't wIt for issue 3. I'll share your comic in groups I'm in. Mike

[quinnzel]

Has anyone heard of the book? I have! I believe I saw an ad for it either on a comic website or maybe even in another comic.
Has anyone read it? I haven't, only because I haven't found it anywhere.
Does your local shop carry it? Unfortunately, they don't!
Do you have any suggestions for finding readers who are open to small(er) titles? I would say definitely try and promote through social media, as has already been suggested, but I'd also recommend contacting local comic shops and asking if you could come and do a promotion or a comic signing. I know my local comic shop loves to support indie creators and there have been several indie comic book writers/artists who have come to the shop, set up a little table, and have promoted their books that way. I think it's a great way to get the word out there and also connect with potential readers up close and personally.

I'll have to get my hands on a copy of your book soon. I know when I saw the ad I wanted to read it.

Good luck to you, sir!!

[Ash]

Hi Ash. I just finished reading Squarriors #2 and coincidently saw your post here. Your comic is outstanding. Great story and the art is mind blowing. I first saw your comic last year when it was in Previews for solicitation. I immediately put it on my pull list at my comic shop- Jokers Child in Fair Lawn, NJ. They had copies when issue 1 was released as well as for #2. I always let them know when I see something under the radar that looks interesting so they'll carry it. Networking on FB goes a long way. I'm friends with s few Indy artists and writers who self publish and they network like crazy. Just type in the Facebook search bar Indy or Indie comics and there's quite a few. There are many writer/creater groups as well. I'm a huge fan of Watership Down which is why I was so drawn to your comic. Keep up the great work and I can't wIt for issue 3. I'll share your comic in groups I'm in. Mike

I really appreciate you checking out the book! I am glad that you enjoyed it and will do my best at keeping the story engaging.
We do a lot of social media promoting/networking. It is certainly a "rabbit hole" of sorts, you could could endlessly post on forums/groups etc. and never cover everything.
I focus on Facebook and Twitter. We also have an email list. We do as many cons as we can. That's usually dependent on being invited as guests, as travel expenses make the cons really difficult us.

Of course, nothing is as good as other people pushing your book.
Again, I really appreciate the feedback and support!

[Ash]

Has anyone heard of the book? I have! I believe I saw an ad for it either on a comic website or maybe even in another comic.
Has anyone read it? I haven't, only because I haven't found it anywhere.
Does your local shop carry it? Unfortunately, they don't!
Do you have any suggestions for finding readers who are open to small(er) titles? I would say definitely try and promote through social media, as has already been suggested, but I'd also recommend contacting local comic shops and asking if you could come and do a promotion or a comic signing. I know my local comic shop loves to support indie creators and there have been several indie comic book writers/artists who have come to the shop, set up a little table, and have promoted their books that way. I think it's a great way to get the word out there and also connect with potential readers up close and personally.

I'll have to get my hands on a copy of your book soon. I know when I saw the ad I wanted to read it.

Good luck to you, sir!!

As I mentioned in the previous post, we do try and do as many appearances as possible. Unfortunately, the ones that would really benefit us would be out of our area. Most people in the Chicago area are already aware of the book.
That puts us in the same problem as cons. In order to travel to do signings, we need to have a way to cover expenses. We have done signings when our travel was covered. As a matter of fact, we went out to the Dallas area to sign in 4 shops for the Collected Comics group. It was a blast and we generated a lot of interest in the book.
I completely agree with getting out there and meeting people in person. It's just usually not feasible.

I hope you are able to get the book. Any retailer can order it. It's in Diamond. Though first prints of #1 are sold out, and as I understand it, first prints of #2 are low.
If you get a copy, please let me know what you think!

[AutumnMelody]

Hello Ash! I hope this reaches you, because I made an account on this website just for this

There aren't any comic book stores in my area, at least not for a good few miles (they aren't common at all in the UK, and I'm totally new to comics) so I got my first copy from Google play books. However issue #2 isn't up there, so I have no way of reading it. I tried to find other online methods of purchase, but the squarriors website (and devils due, to a lesser extent) I find incredibly hard to navigate, much of it still advertising the kickstarter campaign, so no help there either. (If the website was updated with a monthly/quarterly news feed, that would be helpful!)

Will you still be continuing this series on google play, or is this a paper-only thing from now on?

[Ash]

Hello Ash! I hope this reaches you, because I made an account on this website just for this

There aren't any comic book stores in my area, at least not for a good few miles (they aren't common at all in the UK, and I'm totally new to comics) so I got my first copy from Google play books. However issue #2 isn't up there, so I have no way of reading it. I tried to find other online methods of purchase, but the squarriors website (and devils due, to a lesser extent) I find incredibly hard to navigate, much of it still advertising the kickstarter campaign, so no help there either. (If the website was updated with a monthly/quarterly news feed, that would be helpful!)

Will you still be continuing this series on google play, or is this a paper-only thing from now on?

Thanks for taking the time to make and account and respond!!
As we get closer to a trade paperback release for the first 4 issues of Squarriors, there will be more work on getting Squarriors over-seas. At least, that is my understanding.
The Squarriors website has a shop page that links directly to Devils Due's store where you can get #1 and #2. Also, there are some other links there that will direct you to places you can get the variant covers.
Here is a direct link to get Squarriors #2 from Devils Due.

I'm not sure about the digital releases. I haven't looked into that myself. If issue #1 was put up by Devils Due, I would assume issue #2 would be as well. You would think it would already be up there though...

[quinnzel]

As I mentioned in the previous post, we do try and do as many appearances as possible. Unfortunately, the ones that would really benefit us would be out of our area. Most people in the Chicago area are already aware of the book.
That puts us in the same problem as cons. In order to travel to do signings, we need to have a way to cover expenses. We have done signings when our travel was covered. As a matter of fact, we went out to the Dallas area to sign in 4 shops for the Collected Comics group. It was a blast and we generated a lot of interest in the book.
I completely agree with getting out there and meeting people in person. It's just usually not feasible.

I hope you are able to get the book. Any retailer can order it. It's in Diamond. Though first prints of #1 are sold out, and as I understand it, first prints of #2 are low.
If you get a copy, please let me know what you think!

Just wanted to let you know that I just looked on my comic shop's website, and they're getting the second issue of your book in Wednesday! So apparently they DO order it and I just missed out on the first issue! A shame! But I'll try to pick up the second one

[Ash]

Just wanted to let you know that I just looked on my comic shop's website, and they're getting the second issue of your book in Wednesday! So apparently they DO order it and I just missed out on the first issue! A shame! But I'll try to pick up the second one

I'm not exactly sure what the problem is, but both Squarriors #1 and #2 had some shipping problems from Diamond. In both instances half the country got it on one date and the rest the week later. It's frustrating. It's hard enough being a indie comic creator without distribution problems...
Happy to hear they'll have it in your area, though! Tell your shop THANKS! for me.

[Captain Craig]

Has anyone heard of the book? No
Has anyone read it? No
Does your local shop carry it? If they do it's only by request and they aren't ordering any for the shelf
Do you have any suggestions for finding readers who are open to small(er) titles? As someone said you should heavily promote on all social media outlets that you can; FB, Twitter, Instagram(panels/page shots with dialogue), Vine(if you get really creative).

Based on what I read on your link it doesn't sound like something I'd personally be drawn to reading. The initial summary feels like, in broad strokes, Animal Farm where you are likely going to use certain animal traits to tell a commentary on the human condition from our own ethnicity's, sects, heritage etc.
That is not a negative, just to be clear, just my 50k foot first blush take a way.
I'm more of a superhero, spy, sci-fi action reader in my comic reading. I don't even read Walking Dead but do like the show.

Best of luck to you though.

[Ash]

Has anyone heard of the book? No
Has anyone read it? No
Does your local shop carry it? If they do it's only by request and they aren't ordering any for the shelf
Do you have any suggestions for finding readers who are open to small(er) titles? As someone said you should heavily promote on all social media outlets that you can; FB, Twitter, Instagram(panels/page shots with dialogue), Vine(if you get really creative).

Based on what I read on your link it doesn't sound like something I'd personally be drawn to reading. The initial summary feels like, in broad strokes, Animal Farm where you are likely going to use certain animal traits to tell a commentary on the human condition from our own ethnicity's, sects, heritage etc.
That is not a negative, just to be clear, just my 50k foot first blush take a way.
I'm more of a superhero, spy, sci-fi action reader in my comic reading. I don't even read Walking Dead but do like the show.

Best of luck to you though.

Craig,
I think you may be surprised by what Squarriors is.
I'd be willing to send you a free digital copy of #1, and you can check it out with no obligation.

I'd be interested to see if it could catch your interest despite your predisposition.

If you want to give it a try, PM me. Or email me at Squarriors@gmail.com.