So now Walking Wounded #2 is finished, has returned from the printers and goes on sale in 48 hours time:

For the first issue I actually had two editions published, one from a print-on-demand service in the US and the other from a traditional printers who specialise in comics here in the UK. Steve and I were unanimous in our preference for the former. It was miles better on grounds of price (thanks in part to the weak dollar) but also had the edge in term of quality.

Therefore when we came to do a follow-up there was only one choice and we went with

ComiXpress

Now those guys aren't perfect because they do tend to take their time and you sometimes need to push for a response. However they are extremely good value for money and the finished product is nice quality, so it's got to be worth it.

If you are interested in producing your own comic you could do a lot worse, and if you want an extra discount list "Chris Denton" as the guy who referred them to you.

As we're launching at a comic show we also needed something to handout to non-paying customers. I decided on a business card bearing just a suitably striking example of Steve's art and our web address. It wasn't actually that easy to arrange this as Google led me down a few garden paths before I eventually found

Goodprint

They've done me a hundred nice custom cards for just over fifteen quid, which I reckon is pretty reasonable and I'd use them again.

So now we've got our comics and promo material, but there's still the thorny issue of distribution. This is a black art as far as the small press goes and I have some real problems in the past with retailers who will take your comics then never give you the monies owed or indeed let you know if they've sold any.

Therefore these days I tend to favour selling from our own website, which I designed and administer myself. It's hosted by

Easily

Who I have previously used in my day job and can vouch for as a good all-round web service provider.

You can't do everything yourself, though, and I have also entered into a very promising arrangement with a startup etailer called

Apocalypse Comics

This company have got a real commitment to small press endeavours, but they also sell the mainstrem DC and Marvel offerings that most comic fans are really interested in. If we are to reach a wide audience it's basically eseential that companies like this support us, but it has to be on fair terms and that is why I salute these guys.

Of course, as with any self-publisher our primary method for achieving sales is to attend comic shows. That's why this Saturday we'll be at the

2008 UK Web and Mini Comix Thing

This will be our second year and we can guarantee a good time with plenty of willing punters eager to hear our speil. If you do decide to come along then please make sure you pick up the outrageously cheap Anthology. Over a 100 pages of comics (including 5 full colour pages from us) for just 50p. The Anthology is one of the highlights of the Thing, although now you can see what goes into producing an issue of Walking Wounded I'm sure you'll want to buy them all

PS Apologies if this post comes across as one big advert! I promise I haven't sold out, but if I was just getting into comics now I reckon info like this would have made things a darn sight easier...