There are generally two kinds of webcomic artists. Those that update irregularly and those that operate like clockwork. Maintaining an update schedule has many benefits both for you and your readers. Here are some of the positive reasons for putting in place a realistic update schedule.
Readers like reliability
Having an update schedule you stick to makes it easier for readers who want to follow your story. Reading your comic becomes part of their routine and is often one of the things they look forward to looking at on that day. They’re more likely to be invested as they know another update is coming. They’ll remain loyal to both you and the comic and that is always a good thing to nurture.
Update schedules can help you plan
An update deadline can help you plan the necessary time you need to create your comic, particularly if you have work and extra curriculars. Make sure that you’re able to maintain a healthy routine when it comes to your comic work. If you’re busy throughout the week, consider doing the artwork on the weekend and scheduling it for a weekday release. Or, if you like doing more art at once, or only have a day or so a fortnight to do it, consider releasing every second weekend. Whatever it is, pick a schedule that you can fit in around your life and plan around that for maximum results.
Update schedules can help you pace your work
If you want your readers to mull over a plot point or character developments, planning a certain number of days between updates can help with that. Plan a cliffhanger around a week’s break to make your readers wait, or consider updating a series of action pages in quick succession to maintain the pace. Updating can affect the pacing of your story so keep that aspect in mind, and, if you can, use it your advantage.
Do you maintain an update schedule? What is it? Let us know in the comment section below! And join us on Sunday evening for our Quackchat at 5:30PM(EST)!
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Maintaining an update schedule
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, April 17, 2020
8 likes!
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Kingy at 12:54PM, April 17, 2020
I used to do three updates a week on my main project, but I've dropped that in favor of posting an entire scene whenever said scene is finished. My comic is obnoxiously long, the original being over 1000 pages of an unfinished story that I'm starting over from scratch. So looking at the comic as one big picture kinda gives me anxiety. However looking at the comic scene by scene makes the process so much smoother and lets me focus on what I'm doing then and there. My readers may have to wait a month to see what happens next depending on the length of the scene. But I think it'll be worth the wait.
Avart at 11:11AM, April 17, 2020
I'm with @bravo. A weekly update is more fit for me. If for some reason I don't have any page to post on my schedule, I make an extra, some art or anything. A Q&A mini special works too ;)
agentny003 at 9:34AM, April 17, 2020
I’m so flexible with mines that I make sure I keep each page entertaining for my readers. I do take breaks after each set of chapters.
roma at 8:19AM, April 17, 2020
I have a schedule of once a week but depending on how busy life is it might be once a month. Although there are times I have taken hiatus' because I need to either take a break, build a buffer or work on another project.
Banes at 7:21AM, April 17, 2020
I think I'm going to settle in to a regular release schedule going forward. Probably twice a week if I can, otherwise once a week. I may go a little faster with the specific story I'm doing now though. With my long hiatuses, it's taken over a year to do this story. It would be neighborly to finish it up more quickly if I can.
Banes at 7:19AM, April 17, 2020
I really fell off the last two years or so. Stopped doing pages except rarely. So with some extra time now, I was able to get on it. I've been going hard with pages - but I hadn't had a release schedule in so long and I went crazy, sometimes posting pages as soon as they were finished (twice in a day at one point, haha).
bravo1102 at 5:34AM, April 17, 2020
One of the first things I got right. But I also learned NOT EVERY DAY. Give your readers something to look forward to. Leave them wanting more and tease them. You're doing a serialized story, let it sink in for the reader but not overwhelm them. Amazingly once a week can be so satisfying for the reader as well as giving the creator a reasonable schedule. I've done every day, three times a week, twice a week and once a week. I only recommend three times a week if you have a massive buffer, like a hundred pages. Anything less and you might find it's all gone way faster than you thought it would be. Doing a comic takes time and if you're all by yourself schedules will kill you. Some of you aren't as young as you used to be and others have enough anxiety without having all kinds of unreasonable and unrealistic self-imposed deadlines. Been doing this long enough keeping to scheduled updates to have learned a few things... the hard way.