The Big Bad Book Blog

Publishing, Avant-Garde continues with topic number two: BLOGS & ONLINE JOURNALS.

Assuming that you read any manner of blog or online journal—including this one—then you are more likely than not familiar with the concept. However, for the less initiated, we’ll turn to the trustworthy Wikipedia for a complete definition:

A blog (a contraction of the term “web log”) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.

Popular hosts and providers of blogs and online journals include Blogger, WordPress, Typepad, LiveJournal, Movable Type and Blogware. Some are free, some paid, and each offers a different mixture of features, applications, widgets and communities. It’s a matter of preference that determines which provider you use.

The reason I want to spotlight blogs and online journals for writers is their twofold function: a place from which to build a platform as a writer, and a place in which to showcase your work.

As to platform—it has become expected, if not an unwritten rule, that a writer should continuously develop a web presence. This is an extremely important aspect of platform-building, especially as more and more people every year begin to rely upon the Internet as a source of information for all things, including entertainment. Which means books. Which means you. (more…)

The big bad book blog is proud to present a new series by blogger Auburn Rutledge: Publishing, Avant-Garde. To explain the concept, I’ll begin with a couple of brief definitions:

From our much-beloved and oft-maligned Wikipedia: “Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available for public view.”

From my brethren at Wise Geek: “avant-garde refers to any trailblazing movement—usually artistic or social—led by a small group of people to open new doors within their realm of interest. Specifically, avant-garde refers to a moment within the art world which encompasses many schools and sub-movements.”

Publishing, Avant-Garde encompasses the many unique alternatives to what we have traditionally considered publishing—that is, the production and distribution of a book by a large, well-known house for reading by the general public, who may purchase said book in a bookstore or online. The purpose of this series is to explore how writers and artists of all types can share their work with the world through option that have been conventionally underground, unexplored, unknown or simply did not exist before contemporary times.

TOPIC ONE: WEBCOMICS.

“Let me set the stage. I read comics. And not just traditional comic books, of which I have (too) many. But comic strips.” — Greenleaf Consultant and fellow geek, Matt Donnelley

I admit, I could have started with any number of alternatives. But because I am a geek, I’m starting with webcomics. The simple definition of a webcomic is all about the semantics: a comic (or illustrated story) published on the Internet (or web, for us hipsters), usually in the form of comic strips. Unlike traditional comics, including those published in newspapers, magazines, etc., most webcomics are not-for-profit works with small followings—though there are exceptions, which I will discuss later.

Webcomics are usually rather diminuative operations, generally one or two people at most. If one, s/he may act as both writer and illustrator, while two people usually comprise a team of a writer and an illustrator. The comics vary in subject and genre, from humorous, slice-of-life segments, to fantastical worlds featuring inhuman creatures, to pop-culture-inundated diatribes on TV, movies, video games, and more. Their audiences can vary from wide to extremely niche, though most develop a small fanbase connected to their theme. In his article “Webcomics are profane, explicit, humorous—and influencing trends,” Steven Lacy of Weekly Geekly suggests that “because they’re not trying to appeal to the masses, they can appeal to a select few in a way that will resonate with them in a positive way, and keep them coming back for more.” (more…)