Hi Shannan, I’m so sorry, I know some people are missing the old format. Unfortunately, newspapers will not accept the old format and if I can’t get the comic into newspapers, I will have to give it up. Working on ‘Breaking Cat News’ these past two years has been an amazing experience, but if I can’t find a way to earn steady income from the comic I will have to put it to the side and get another job. I’ve been able to work on it so long because I have been home with my young children, but very soon I would have had to return to work–originally I worked in banks, so probably at a bank. I have a chance to pitch the comic to newspapers, and I would really love to be able to continue to write ‘Breaking Cat News.’ I love these characters and these stories so much, not to mention everyone who reads the comic here and on GoComics. My hope is that enough newspapers will pick up the comic that I can make this my full time job and write BCN for many years to come. If that does not happen, the comic will have to end. I am grateful to everyone who has stuck through the change, and I promise, I did not change the format lightly. I am trying to do all I can to get the comic ready for newspapers, so that it can continue for a long, long time.
Not here. That was a big reason why I syndicated the strip, I do get ad revenue on GoComics! 🙂 I don’t have the time to research how to handle ad revenue on my own or what it would mean for taxes or whatnot. I also would do not trust an ad service on a small “Mom & Pop” site scale not to run something inappropriate. And with my kids and the comic, I just don’t have the time to offer spaces directly or collect “rent” on those spaces. It would be a lot for me to add ads, and I hope to have my syndicate deal with the business end of things more and more. The less I have to try and figure out beyond writing the comic, the more I can just concentrate on writing the comic. 🙂
I click on the new comic link on Facebook every time, but then after that I go to my GoComics BCN bookmark. Does that count as a click on your GoComics pages, or do only manual look-ups count? Let me know and I shall do! (I like the dailies, I love the Sundays, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you do each week with the ‘title panel’.) 🙂
Oh Georgia I pray God will give you favor with the newspapers and open that opportunity for you. You are very talented and Im sure this is God’s plan and will for you!! you dont belong in a bank.
Don’t worry about it Georgia, I’m super glad to have little bcn strips every day. I really hope you get into enough papers (and keep making them in color for us anyway, your newspaper fans will get so excited about full color books!)
Hi Georgia. I would hate to lose my (now daily!) fix of cat adorableness! Have you considered a patreon sponsorship? Several of the comics that I read use a patreon.com site to solicit and manage sponsorships from readers. Like most fundraisers, there are different levels of sponsorship with different “rewards” at each level. I have no information on how well it works or how well it is received, but it is an idea…
Oh my cat! Now I know what my furry companions think of my piano! Of course, the piano keyboard is a shelf, a very unusual shelf! Thank you, Georgia, for giving me a new perspective.
Well, of course, Lupin! You don’t hear the loud shelf. You just feel a nice vibration through your paws which is very satisfying, no doubt. But look at poor Puck’s face and how traumatized he is with his cute little fangs showing. And Elvis! Even if he’d make a great Phantom of the Living Room, we’d never want him to develop a hunch, would we?
Good morning, Georgia. I love having a daily ‘fix’ of BCN. And I wish you good luck in getting BCN in the newspapers. I will keep my paws crossed. This one kind of reminds me of Nora the cat playing the piano on Utube. Blessings on you and yours.
I liked the long form, and I also like the new format. Yup, they’re different. But I will enjoy the new form as much as the old. AND get a comic each day instead of the wait.
Chef Hom, you have guessed it! That is what I am trying to do for the Sundays! 😀 Each Sunday will be a full story, much in the same size/number of panels as the original 25 or so BCN strips.
Oh my cat! Our sweet little Pucky is too adorable for words! I love when his little fangs make an appearance. I have a black cat who has his little “vam-purr” moments and I always have to restrain myself from trying to touch his teeth. Tee hee hee!
And this seems like it would so be Elvis too; I don’t like it, but I’m on it anyway.
Lupin in the second-to-last panelreminds me of the day Beatrix brought him regular coffee rather than decaf. His expression reminds me of his “The ceiling is a floor too if you believe in yourself” moment. <3
So happy to see Buzzy Mouse in the title panel. Him sitting there like that makes me think Pucky was reading his paper with his little friend when he was urgently called out to cover this breaking development.
Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful gift of yours with us, Georgia. It's such a joy to see each day. Fingers (and paws) crossed that enough papers are smart enough to pick it up. I truly hope to be following the adventures of our intrepid reporters for a long, long time!
Thank you so much, Mrs. Dearhouse! And you read the first panel perfectly, that was the precise feeling of Pucky being called away that inspired me to create that scene!
Love the “Sunday newspaper title block” with Buzzy Mouse. I also either wonder what I’m not getting in the latte foam art on that coffee cup, (a little bit like an eighth note, which would fit today’s theme) or if there’s room for some additional foam art wow factor there (could be that and whether it’s Buzzy Mouse or a Robber Mouse (and which one) might be one of those “subtle variations in the title block” for the Sunday comic that some artists do without having a whole different one each week.
We shall all bug our local papers to begin carrying it. Let us know when you are ready to start pitching it. A daily dose of BCN is my morning sunshine.
Breaking Cat News is amazing, no matter the format. I love all the strips, and having them daily is a wonderful treat! Today’s strip reminded me of a scene in Dinsey’s “The AristoCats”, so cute. The boys are adorable, as usual. Thank you so much!
Amazing, as always! The “Phantom of the Living Room”–oooh–that’s perfect! Poor Pucky–we have two that don’t like to be startled, either–they both shy away under the nearest bed or to the basement…same result when I start playing guitar–obviously some cats are just not music lovers! Don’t be discouraged by those who still prefer the old format–they’ll get used to it. They should have realized that it’s the way you HAVE to do it in order to keep the strip going. A labor of love, yes…but a labor of profit, too. Ya gotta have both to make it work. I so hope for your family sake that you can get the newspaper syndication setup–the rewards are worth it–for ALL of us, but especially for you! Stay the course, lovely lady–you WILL succeed!
Hopefully the newspapers are in shape to carry your work. You have proven your market. If you couldn’t create the strip regularly, but still wanted to do it when you had the chance, well, Go Comics is flexible about that with several artists, and you have your website and your next book. 🙂
I can relate to cats and pianos. I still have my late wife’s upright piano, even though I never learned to play. Her parents got it for her when she was taking lessons as a child, and it was already used when they bought it, so I’m guessing it’s got to be at least 60-70 years old. It is basically serving as shelving for me, too. In the interest of uninterrupted sleep, I keep the keys covered with the fold-down cover over them. =^..^=
What can readers specifically do to help you get into newspapers? Other than encouraging posts, it seems like using social media to spread a syndicate Breaking Cat News message might help. For example, if everyone who read this strip shared a specific message you wanted target newspapers to see, would that help? Or would you prefer people to message their newpapers? Do you want people hashtagging breaking cat news? Is there a timeline that would be ideal? Is it too early just yet but would be great to see a blast in October? Is it better to have people posting regularly about Breaking Cat News? How can we help?
Tabitha this is all wonderful, thank you! Very soon, this autumn, I will be asking readers to do these very things! That is when we will be finalizing the pitch and getting ready to launch the comic to newspapers. The more newspapers that pick it up, the better, and it would be so helpful to me if readers contacted their papers and let them know that ‘Breaking Cat News’ is a new comic they should run! 🙂 I will have more information once I know when the timing would be just right for this, thank you so much for asking here and giving me a chance to tell you and the other readers!
What can we, your devoted readers, do to help your efforts to get your strip picked up by newspapers? Contact our local papers and ask them carry it? Click multiple times on the BCN link on GoComics? Start a campaign on social media? BCN is a daily dose of sunshine. No matter what else is going on in the world, I can count on your strip to give me a lift.
Thank you so much, Kay! And yes, anything readers can do to encourage their local papers to pick up BCN would be much appreciated! I am still working on getting the pitch ready right now, but there will come a time very soon when I will ask readers to write, email, or call their local papers to request the comic! 🙂 That will help me tremendously!
I miss the old format too but I understand that you need to change to get in the papers. At least we have 2 years worth of archives of the long strips. And there’s the calendar to look forward to! I don’t want BCN to end and hope you get picked up by enough papers to keep going!
I, for one, like having a new strip every day. I know no matter what the day has in store for me, there will be a smile or laugh waiting for me at Breaking Cat News. And at the end of the day, no matter how hectic it’s been, I know I can relax with the boys and read a lot of good comments. And if I need a bigger fix, I can go back and read the last few comics all at once.
And if it’s been one of “those” days, I can head to the archives and read one of the sagas.
I do hope you’ll find a way to do some of the long elaborate stories now and then. The ones you’ve done already ought to be put in book form and published. And maybe make some $$$$ from royalties.
Georgia, do you really have a piano and do they do this? We had one cat when I was little who would come running from any part of the house and sit on the keys if my mother sang “let there be peace on earth”. No other song; just that one. Personally, I don’t blame Fluffy one but. It was hysterical though. Nice job on the comics. Love your work as always and hope lots of papers pick it up. JoAnn
Thank you, JoAnn! I do not, but this piano is based on one my Nana had that was central to our family. 🙂 I have seen cats do this though, and it felt like a fun thing to give the boys in the comic!
Is the strip available for syndication now? If it is, or whenever it is, I will write to my local newspaper right away to ask that they add it to theirs comics page.
One thing I’m a little concerned about. A lot of newspapers don’t or cannot print their comic strips in color. Have you looked into what your strips will look like converted to black and white?
Yes, my editor has been helping me with that! The newspaper strips will look a little different from this, (the Sundays will look very close to this, actually, but the dailies will look a little different).
I have loved this comic from the beginning and I adore the daily format! Especially if we continue to get longer ones like today as a a bonus.
Keep up the comic, you are too talented to quit and it is quite honestly a daily dose of sunshine for me, I reread them all and still smile like its the first time.
I have 2 kitties of my my own and 2 rescue dogs and it amuses me that my dogs have twinned with Pucky (my Angel also is missing his back leg due to trauma) and Phoebe is deaf and very poor sighted so reacts quite like Lupin to situations.
My book is on order and I tell every cat lover I know about your comic.
I hope the comic gets syndicated; that would be so cool! Of course, I also like the daily strips since it gives my my fix seven days a week instead of only two. That being said, have you ever considered having a “Tip Jar” like some comics do? Just an unobtrusive graphic on the bottom of the page which links to a Paypal account where those of us who want to help out can send money? You could reassure people that the comic is free and that you’ll never have ads, but please let us help out!
Thank you for suggesting this, Cat! I may do something like that in the future. The only reason I have not yet is the time it takes to learn what it means tax wise, or just how it works. The daily format gives me a little room to breathe and think, and so hopefully I will be able to research this better soon.
I second or third or fourth Cat’s suggestion. I do not want to contemplate a world without BCN. When it’s time, I will barrage the Seattle Times about picking up BCN.
Hi Georgia. While my initial reaction to the daylies is similar to Shannon’s, what’s more important is that you are able to continue to do something that is your passion. If the survival of BCN means daily “vignettes”, then that’s the way it should be. Writing a daily probably demands a different approach. I’m sure that as you progress with the daily strips, we’ll all grow to appreciate the new format. Change can be difficult, but in the end, it’s good. Given the choice between working in a bank and writing and drawing BCN, I’d certainly choose BCN! Clearly you have talent and imagination and I’m happy you can parlay that into writing this clever and entertaining comic. So, good luck with pitching it to newspapers and thanks for being so communicative with your audience! We all want you to succeed!
New format is very professional, clear & direct & should attract many new people as they get to know all the characters. I speak from my own experience as close friend of cartoonists who struggled to get syndicated way back in the 60s. Some were in the Hallmark Contemporary Design Studio where I worked 23 years. Eventually their syndicated strips became “properties” Hallmark & other greeting card companies used on their products. Big time income potential beyond news papers. Your first format seemed more suited to book presentations, like the marvelous one you had published. I have enjoyed & followed you since you began. Your stories, imagination, & characters remind me of the books I enjoyed as youngster back in the 30s & 40s. Glad you have a back door to steady income in banking, however you have an exceptional story telling talent as well as illustration style of animals I hope you can continue to develop. Wishing you all the luck in achieving your creative goal.
I just love when you show the cats’ gangs!
This reminds me of the older Disney movie, The Aristocats, which I have always adored.
Good luck getting into papers. I hope BCN will continue for a very long time. I will take it any way I can get it!
Yes, the old format was awesome, but this way I like too, as I am already used to reading all of the other comics I enjoy in this format. 😸
I can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of the furry friends we have met in Breaking Cat News. You have such a fresh way of showing what we cat lovers know to be normal cat behavior in a fun way.
We are 100% behind you Georgia. Praying that doors will be opened and BCN will be in every paper in the country soon!! BCN in any format is waaaaay better than any other comic out there.
i love your strip, Georgia, and would not mind ads on the page. Another option is Patreon. Newspapers are struggling to keep their heads above water and are actually moving more into the digital world to stay afloat. I worked as a newspaper reporter for 20 years and was forced out 15 years ago due to budget cuts. So please consider other types of revenue streams as well. I can see your month-long specials doing well as books.
Thank you, Cindy! Thankfully, the comic would stay syndicated as it is too, which would keep it online. Ads I never want to have to worry about, only because that would be one more thing for me to try and manage on the site and the less extras I have to try and keep up with the better. I may look into a Patreon one day! Finding the time to research these things is tough, between taking care of the kids and writing the comic time is very thin, sadly.
Well, we got through a full cycle, and it is magnificent! Love the extended strips on Sunday, and the daily strips make me happy every single day. I am picturing you like Sophie on a Sunday, reading through this. I am so glad to see that most of the comments are overwhelmingly positive. This morning I am reading this BEFORE my Sunday newspaper comics, a first for me-usually nothing is safe getting between me, coffee and the comics on Sunday.
I think you have a team of folks at the ready to promote the strip. I know I will join the fray here in Portland, Oregon. I already preach the Gospel According To BCN by wearing the t-shirts, giving the books and prints as gifts, etc. I wonder about something: How would you feel about a little guerilla marketing ? Like, leaving a copy of a few strips in a strategic location such as a dental office, medical office, a pet products store, vet office ? I would not want to create any problems, violate any copyrights, etc. but it seems to me that if people are sitting around waiting, the more eyes on the strip the better.
I would heartily support a patron account, and I suspect that many others out here would, too. To date you have been giving us a wonderful gift, and in my view you deserve to be supported. I suspect that many others would feel the same way, and I would not mind pitching in a bit extra for others who have more limited means. Now that I realize you get a bit of revenue from the GoComics site I will be diligent about going there as well.
Thank you, Martha! <3 It makes me so happy that you and others appreciate my work and are looking for ways to support it even more--that is an incredible compliment, and makes me feel grateful to be doing this!
Good luck with everything, Georgia! Whichever format, I still like reading BCN. 🙂 Seems to me the stories can be more-or-less the same, just played out over a week or more instead of all at once. I actually find it easier to keep track of characters in daily strips rather than once a week. Which are easier for you to write and draw?
Just curious.. Do the boys like bubble-wrap? My aging tabby, Chanur, now sleeps on bubble-wrap at the foot of my dresser, but he pops all the bubbles! (He prefers the marshmallow-sized bubbles, not the tiny ones.) 🙂
Lupin does, but cannot hear it! He must like the feel of the pop? (That is a headline I have planned in the future, actually!)
The dailies are much easier to write, I have cut my workload by about half crazy enough! And I am using that time to try and get ahead, so that I can build a healthy back log of strips. The older strips were so much fun to write, but they were very long and I feel so fortunate that I never burnt out.
Yes; the novels by CJ Cherryh! 🙂 I have read all five ‘Chanur’ novels many times. 🙂 When I got my kittens (17 years ago!) I had wanted a gray male and an orange female. The plan was to name them “Clueless Morgan” and “Chur”. Ended up with two brothers; a gray tabby and a brown tabby. So, changing name plans, the second kitten became Chanur instead of Chur.
For those who don’t know the books; Chur was a female cousin to the Chanur clan. Chur is a ‘first name’ and Chanur is a ‘last name/family name’.
I love the strips, both old and new format! I love waking up knowing there’s a strip waiting for me, so thank you for the new format! I work in a very good, local pet supply store and I wondered if you would mind if I put a comic up at the register with the website for people to read while they’re checking out? I haven’t because I didn’t want to overstep, but it would garner a lot of attention in my town and potential fans to write our newspaper… Thank you so much for the joy you provide my family!!
I mentioned this at gocomics, but I’ll say the same here because I think it’s important. I adore this comic in any format it comes in because it is the comic itself—its colourful characters, its wit and charm, and the brilliant illustrations that describe so much even with a single panel or phrase. No matter what, when Georgia’s brush hits the page it’s like we get an eye-view into the world of cats and all the characters that come alive on the page. That’s her magic. Nothing can diminish it, not a different format or anything short of her discontinuing to write it. Keep on writing this comic Georgia—it’s a life-saver and a tonic to the desperation of this life. I hope with all my heart that BCN finds it way to the newspapers and continues to be published for decades upon decades, and that there will be book after book published because the world needs this comic. <3
You betcha! 😉 There’s always going to be people who don’t get how special this comic is no matter what format it’s in, but those who do get it far out-number those who don’t get it. We love BCN and will stand by you no matter what direction you choose to go in with this comic. <3
Ohhh Georgia. I have everything crossed for you, this is my (and Iam sure loads of others’) favourite comic, we all love you and all the kitty antics xxx
Looks very much like what our cats have done. But once they’ve figured out that pressing the keys results in the sound, they start trying to play “something” whilst sitting on the bench. It’s completely unintelligible “something”, but they play it none the less!
I know that you can’t afford a paid staff (right now, but that day will come!), but what about a staff of volunteers to research these things or to do what ever you need so you can stay focused on your family and BCN. I live in NJ but would be willing to help long distance.
I love the idea of leaving strips around, but what if we all bought 1 more book and left it in an office or donate it to the local library, or somewhere else, that would be revenue as well as marketing.
Thank you, Gloria–Alas, that is a good idea, but on a previous website I did have a friend help with coding and things went haywire for a couple of weeks when a site glitch coincided with them taking an online break of a few weeks. I just don’t want to manage *anyone*, that’s why I worked so hard to get syndicated, so a company could pay me to write the comic and handling posting and mailing it out. All of this web stuff is difficult and stressful; I’m glad that GoComics has web people and I can depend on their site if things go wrong and I can’t get the strip loaded here in time and such.
Georgia,
Regarding ad revenue, you might want to look into https://www.projectwonderful.com — it is used on a bunch of webcomic sites and presumably takes care of a lot of the time-consuming, tedious stuff for you. (I say “presumably” because I don’t know much about it — I only know about it through some other webcomics I visit.)
Hello Susan! Currently GoComics is the only site we receive any revenue from. This site does not make us anything, it operates without creating any revenue for us.
Exactly. Do what you need to do and I love this too much to be crabby about the change – seeing it everyday is very nice for us, hard work for you! <3! Would it be better for us to go to GoComics! to read the strip and add to your ad revenue? Or both here and there?
We only see benefit from GoComics, this site is completely free. I’m happy to run it, but I do so at a loss for the few small costs we pay for monthly, such as the email service for the notifications and such.
Georgia, is it better for you, financially, if we get BCN through GoComics? Do clicks there generate income for you? I have BCN in my list of comics emailed to me from GoComics daily, but I would gladly go to their site directly every day for my *fix* if that impacts you. Can’t (and don’t want to!) imagine a world without BCN!
I believe the clicks do help! I’m not particularly good with the digital end of things, but I know that the more people who visit the GoComics site, the more helpful it is!
I’m with Martha Georgia! All of us need to start bugging our local papers to pick up BCN! To The Editor of the paper you read: Sir or Madam, I am writing to promote the comic Breaking Cat News that has been in production and carried on Go Comics for the past two years. The original work by Georgia Dunn is lovely, the story line appeals to young and old. Those individuals who are “news junkies” will see any number of TV national reporters in these adorable cats. The strips are very family friendly, but slyly take jabs at the puffiness or “over the topness” of certain members of the media. Lets get a campaign going!
Don’t know how Her Rotundity would react to a piano (we don’t have one) but she stands her ground against the vacuum. She did flee when I dropped a pot on the kitchen floor but came right back to see WHAT WAS THAT??? We have just introduced her to “The Red Dot”. Had been looking at office supply stores but laser pointers run $20.00 or more. Finally found a small “Kitty Laser” at Pet Smart for about $6.00. Our tubby torbie has been tearing around in circles and running up the wall after THE RED DOT. My hubby teases her–when she slaps her paw on the dot he quickly turns it off and says, “Oh, you killed it!” Then she lifts her paw and the dot runs away again… Wish I could get video!
Jingle Bell Katz just walked across the desk and stepped on my index finger just as I was clicking the mouse to post my earlier comment! The computer flashed an error message saying I may have posted twice but going back it looks like I have only the one copy awaiting moderation. Next thing you know Her Rotundity will be shopping for kitty toys on Amazon.Com and charging them to my account!
I once knew of a cat who used speed-dial to phone his owner at work. (No telling what other calls he made. ;-))
My own Clueless Morgan would erase my answering machine and remove the cd from my PlayStation mid-game. 🙂
I too love both formats and will do everything I can to help you continue. I dumped PayPal so I hope there would be alternatives. You so DO NOT belong in a bank. Artists need freedom from the 9 to 5 world plus you have young ones to care for.
I have a dumb newspaper here on the top of CA. (The Triplicate) that only comes out 3 times a week & is thin even then. But I like to get subscriptions to REAL newspapers. I have lived in a 4 or 5 places so I want to get a few subscriptions to “keep up”. The Atlantic City Press for sure, because that’s where I grew up. Maybe the Boston Globe and/or the Bergen Record. Or the Nashua Telegraph. I assume they will listen only to subscribers? If not, heck, I will inundate the whole print universe to enlighten them! 😸 It would be such a crime to lose a wonderful talent such as yourself to something as mundane as real life concerns. Please allow us to help you in whatever way we can.
I’m curious whether any of the old strip can be adapted to the new format, either cut up into dailies or in some cases cut up into Sunday size. (It would be redrawn for consistency I suppose.) There’s a lot of good material there; naturally you covered a lot of ground early on as far as obvious places the comic’s premise leadsleads. I for one wouldn’t mind seeing those things again.
As far as ads for this site goes, you’re probably right that there’s not a good effort-free option. But I imagine Amazon ads might not need policing, or, text-only ads are a safer option too. Patreon, as someone else mentioned, is a good way of getting monthly revenue without ads.
That could be possible! And yes, I’ve been going through many of the strips and putting them into the new formats for newspapers. 🙂 I plan to share the comic through papers again, with a lot of new and extra stories/jokes/headlines in there, such as Lupin’s job interview with the studio!
Awww, poor Pucky, he looks so unhappy at the new, noisy shelf! That’s exactly how my Thumper would look in that situation, except she wouldn’t be staying to report from the site, she’d’ve run off and hidden and would be doing her report from somewhere safe. And I would’ve thought Elvis would LIKE the whole world knowing when he’s sunning himself…
I really hope you can get your strips into papers! I always go “YAY!” when I realize there’s a new BCN up, and I’m loving being able to go “YAY!” everyday *g*
Also, I love your title panel… although it’s very amusing that TV anchors are in the paper *g*
One thing I thought I’d mention: I’ve noticed some papers will print the entire Sunday comic, and others will cut out the entire first row. After noticing that, I realised that the first panel after the title block is usually something unimportant to the setup. For example, Garfield usually has the first panel with something/someone just sitting around, with no dialogue. It seems to have a good feel, pacing-wise (you get the impression that they’re just having a quiet moment before stuff happens). But if it’s cut out, the reader can still understand the full joke.
I noticed you mentioned planning on publishing to a newspaper (if I read correctly). Though I also noticed you didn’t have any ‘filler/standalone’ panels today, so I wasn’t sure if you were aware of this. It might be possible to always land a spot where the full comic would be shown, but trying for it might also limit your options.
Anyway, sorry if you already took this into consideration. Just thought it would be good to know. ^_^
Thank you, Scia! These online strips are still only examples. The official strips we’re working on for papers are a little different and will be taking these things into consideration.
Georgia,
Losing BCN would be a devastating loss, too hard to bear. We mourned Calvin and Hobbes and Pogo and very few others. . We would be happy to contact the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post about picking up the strips. Are there options to support you? We are willing to do whatever we can. Memberships? Subscribers? Regular donations of support? A BCN site similar to what Digital Blaphemy does for members? Whatever it takes so that we never lose you and the boys and girls and the other wonderful animals that have populated your drawings.
Thank you!! Very soon I would love if readers would contact their newspapers about BCN! Sometime in the autumn, I believe–I will DEFINITELY keep everyone posted! I don’t have anything set up for regular support yet, but I am warmly and happily overwhelmed by so many readers wanting something like that in place. I will look into it!
Georgia, do you have a Patreon? I love BCN and tune into Twitch whenever I can to watch and donate. I am hesitant about the new format, new look, and new Pucky, but you have a fantastic audience to support you.
Thank you, Jessica! I am going to try and look into Patreon very soon. It has been heavily requested today, which is such a nice thing for folks to request!
Bill Watterson famously pushed the boundaries of the newspaper format, especially the Sunday strips. BCN follows in the footsteps of comics like Calvin and Hobbes that stand out for the beautiful artwork. I think in the golden age of comics, strips like Little Nemo took up whole pages. Krazy Kat had some stunning art in its own way. Gasoline Alley. Bizarro. I can’t think of one that uses watercolor like yours though.
While real-life Lupin is deaf, I don’t think BCN Lupin is — how could he carry on a conversation with the other reporters, or know that the new shelf is too loud?
Some suggestions:
You might consider releasing three a week online: 1 on Wed, composed of the Mon, Tue, and Wed comics, one on Sat (Thu-Fri-Sat) and one on Sunday. That way, you’d be formatting for newspapers, but people coming to the website would see the whole story at once.
Look into Project Wonderful. It’s an ad. system in which specific people bid to place their ads on your site, and the day-to-day winner has ads showing for the day. I understand it pays less than Google, BUT you have control over the ads on your site, and I’ve *never* seen website-inappropriate or malware-spawning ads from project wonderful.
As far as the tax implications of ads go, you could ask around. A lot of people are doing this. I understand that Howard Taylor of Schlock Mercenary and Scott Kurtz of PvP are happy to give advice. I imagine (not a tax lawyer, though) that in the end, ad money is just income folded into the rest of the income you make from the webcomic. (Whether that’s filed under “self-employment,” or you have a business.)
My dear friend Georgia,
(We all feel like we are friends, I’m sure)
I was very surprised to find out how much I was liking the daily strips! Thanks so much. You certainly have enough material for your next book ……
My paper publishes colour comics every day. Will the black and white ones be done in watercolour first? (I would think so, as that would be better for your Books. 😄💖😄💖
Georgia, LOVE the Sunday format especially the title/teaser panel!! A trademark CN mug (full & ready), Buzzy Mouse, a pic of the Boys… it WORKS. It’s been a great week (had to get to work to catch up on BCN’s weekend.)
(Just be careful the papers/syndicates don’t ask you to force the Sunday strips into that hybrid panel format that can be reshuffled into 3 different layouts. I remember early Calvin & Hobbes — and some other, current strips in papers — that did/do that. Hard to write humor when the timing of the lines depends on some layout editor who doesn’t care and can’t change it every week. Frames/boundaries are fine for the comic as a whole, both for them to layout and you to focus your art, but inside the frame your art — and it IS art! — needs full freedom. I repeat: IT IS ART — you ARE an artist and what you make IS art, “comics” as a genre is art, and “illustration” as a style is art.)
— BigMal, Mr. Perfect Pica of the ol’ long-gone newspaper from high school (so I know a few things about layouts, but I’m no artist)
I really hope you can do this furever too! the quality of the art and the gentle quirky humor of the stories and characters (rather like the vibe of the excellent “Mutts”) is fabulous… we need more of this kind of storytelling in the world.
Oooooh, I just adore Pucky’s expression, his little ears back and fangs showing! I just want to pick him up and cuddle and comfort him!
I loved having the ‘whole story’ on the page rather than just one strip at a time!!! Love these kitties!
Hi Shannan, I’m so sorry, I know some people are missing the old format. Unfortunately, newspapers will not accept the old format and if I can’t get the comic into newspapers, I will have to give it up. Working on ‘Breaking Cat News’ these past two years has been an amazing experience, but if I can’t find a way to earn steady income from the comic I will have to put it to the side and get another job. I’ve been able to work on it so long because I have been home with my young children, but very soon I would have had to return to work–originally I worked in banks, so probably at a bank. I have a chance to pitch the comic to newspapers, and I would really love to be able to continue to write ‘Breaking Cat News.’ I love these characters and these stories so much, not to mention everyone who reads the comic here and on GoComics. My hope is that enough newspapers will pick up the comic that I can make this my full time job and write BCN for many years to come. If that does not happen, the comic will have to end. I am grateful to everyone who has stuck through the change, and I promise, I did not change the format lightly. I am trying to do all I can to get the comic ready for newspapers, so that it can continue for a long, long time.
Are you getting any ad revenue?
Not here. That was a big reason why I syndicated the strip, I do get ad revenue on GoComics! 🙂 I don’t have the time to research how to handle ad revenue on my own or what it would mean for taxes or whatnot. I also would do not trust an ad service on a small “Mom & Pop” site scale not to run something inappropriate. And with my kids and the comic, I just don’t have the time to offer spaces directly or collect “rent” on those spaces. It would be a lot for me to add ads, and I hope to have my syndicate deal with the business end of things more and more. The less I have to try and figure out beyond writing the comic, the more I can just concentrate on writing the comic. 🙂
I click on the new comic link on Facebook every time, but then after that I go to my GoComics BCN bookmark. Does that count as a click on your GoComics pages, or do only manual look-ups count? Let me know and I shall do! (I like the dailies, I love the Sundays, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you do each week with the ‘title panel’.) 🙂
I believe that helps! Thank you so much for doing that!
Oh Georgia I pray God will give you favor with the newspapers and open that opportunity for you. You are very talented and Im sure this is God’s plan and will for you!! you dont belong in a bank.
Thank you so much, Bibi! <3
Don’t worry about it Georgia, I’m super glad to have little bcn strips every day. I really hope you get into enough papers (and keep making them in color for us anyway, your newspaper fans will get so excited about full color books!)
Thank you, Jennifer!
Hi Georgia. I would hate to lose my (now daily!) fix of cat adorableness! Have you considered a patreon sponsorship? Several of the comics that I read use a patreon.com site to solicit and manage sponsorships from readers. Like most fundraisers, there are different levels of sponsorship with different “rewards” at each level. I have no information on how well it works or how well it is received, but it is an idea…
Thank you, Michelle! I may be looking into this very soon!
Follow your bliss, Georgia. Stick with BCN, we’ll stick with you – I promise!
Absolutely adorable – this must happen in real life
‘The new shelf’ is adorable! I have seen cats do exactly that – look betrayed when they try walking on or laying on the piano keys. Well spotted!
Oh my cat! Now I know what my furry companions think of my piano! Of course, the piano keyboard is a shelf, a very unusual shelf! Thank you, Georgia, for giving me a new perspective.
I guess Lupin is just feeling the vibrations? Meanwhile Elvis taps out a twitchy tune with his tail…
Well, of course, Lupin! You don’t hear the loud shelf. You just feel a nice vibration through your paws which is very satisfying, no doubt. But look at poor Puck’s face and how traumatized he is with his cute little fangs showing. And Elvis! Even if he’d make a great Phantom of the Living Room, we’d never want him to develop a hunch, would we?
Good morning, Georgia. I love having a daily ‘fix’ of BCN. And I wish you good luck in getting BCN in the newspapers. I will keep my paws crossed. This one kind of reminds me of Nora the cat playing the piano on Utube. Blessings on you and yours.
Piano keyboard – it’s ALIVE! The first two panels with Puck and undulating perspective…animated.
Georgia, change can be hard and any format will become familiar over time.
Elvis is out but where are the guests or as Elvis calls them the intruders. 🙀😻
Thank you, Lorraine! 🙂 And never fear, the party strips will be continued tomorrow!
I liked the long form, and I also like the new format. Yup, they’re different. But I will enjoy the new form as much as the old. AND get a comic each day instead of the wait.
Thank you, Ms Georgia.
Thank you!
A.) I would love to see the robber mice play inside “The shelf” and watch the boys reaction haha..
B.) I propose a compromise.. Normal strips for weekday and full stories for the Sunday paper???
Chef Hom, you have guessed it! That is what I am trying to do for the Sundays! 😀 Each Sunday will be a full story, much in the same size/number of panels as the original 25 or so BCN strips.
Oh my cat! Our sweet little Pucky is too adorable for words! I love when his little fangs make an appearance. I have a black cat who has his little “vam-purr” moments and I always have to restrain myself from trying to touch his teeth. Tee hee hee!
And this seems like it would so be Elvis too; I don’t like it, but I’m on it anyway.
Lupin in the second-to-last panelreminds me of the day Beatrix brought him regular coffee rather than decaf. His expression reminds me of his “The ceiling is a floor too if you believe in yourself” moment. <3
So happy to see Buzzy Mouse in the title panel. Him sitting there like that makes me think Pucky was reading his paper with his little friend when he was urgently called out to cover this breaking development.
Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful gift of yours with us, Georgia. It's such a joy to see each day. Fingers (and paws) crossed that enough papers are smart enough to pick it up. I truly hope to be following the adventures of our intrepid reporters for a long, long time!
Thank you so much, Mrs. Dearhouse! And you read the first panel perfectly, that was the precise feeling of Pucky being called away that inspired me to create that scene!
Love the “Sunday newspaper title block” with Buzzy Mouse. I also either wonder what I’m not getting in the latte foam art on that coffee cup, (a little bit like an eighth note, which would fit today’s theme) or if there’s room for some additional foam art wow factor there (could be that and whether it’s Buzzy Mouse or a Robber Mouse (and which one) might be one of those “subtle variations in the title block” for the Sunday comic that some artists do without having a whole different one each week.
Latte foam art is a FABULOUS idea! I may go back and add some in, thank you! And yes, I hope to do a different one each Sunday. 🙂
We shall all bug our local papers to begin carrying it. Let us know when you are ready to start pitching it. A daily dose of BCN is my morning sunshine.
Yay! Thank you, Louise! <3
Breaking Cat News is amazing, no matter the format. I love all the strips, and having them daily is a wonderful treat! Today’s strip reminded me of a scene in Dinsey’s “The AristoCats”, so cute. The boys are adorable, as usual. Thank you so much!
Thank you, Rebecka!
Aw, is the party over? Now I’ll never know what happened to the ham.
Never fear, that will be continued tomorrow!
Amazing, as always! The “Phantom of the Living Room”–oooh–that’s perfect! Poor Pucky–we have two that don’t like to be startled, either–they both shy away under the nearest bed or to the basement…same result when I start playing guitar–obviously some cats are just not music lovers! Don’t be discouraged by those who still prefer the old format–they’ll get used to it. They should have realized that it’s the way you HAVE to do it in order to keep the strip going. A labor of love, yes…but a labor of profit, too. Ya gotta have both to make it work. I so hope for your family sake that you can get the newspaper syndication setup–the rewards are worth it–for ALL of us, but especially for you! Stay the course, lovely lady–you WILL succeed!
Thank you so much, J.R.! 🙂 I appreciate your encouragement so much, it makes me happy to read. 🙂
sunday edition! we are too lucky!
Hopefully the newspapers are in shape to carry your work. You have proven your market. If you couldn’t create the strip regularly, but still wanted to do it when you had the chance, well, Go Comics is flexible about that with several artists, and you have your website and your next book. 🙂
Thank you, Lloyd!
Definitely taken from life.
Also, love the new title block. It would make a good t-shirt.
We had to close the keyboard cover to our upright piano because of this
I can relate to cats and pianos. I still have my late wife’s upright piano, even though I never learned to play. Her parents got it for her when she was taking lessons as a child, and it was already used when they bought it, so I’m guessing it’s got to be at least 60-70 years old. It is basically serving as shelving for me, too. In the interest of uninterrupted sleep, I keep the keys covered with the fold-down cover over them. =^..^=
What can readers specifically do to help you get into newspapers? Other than encouraging posts, it seems like using social media to spread a syndicate Breaking Cat News message might help. For example, if everyone who read this strip shared a specific message you wanted target newspapers to see, would that help? Or would you prefer people to message their newpapers? Do you want people hashtagging breaking cat news? Is there a timeline that would be ideal? Is it too early just yet but would be great to see a blast in October? Is it better to have people posting regularly about Breaking Cat News? How can we help?
Tabitha this is all wonderful, thank you! Very soon, this autumn, I will be asking readers to do these very things! That is when we will be finalizing the pitch and getting ready to launch the comic to newspapers. The more newspapers that pick it up, the better, and it would be so helpful to me if readers contacted their papers and let them know that ‘Breaking Cat News’ is a new comic they should run! 🙂 I will have more information once I know when the timing would be just right for this, thank you so much for asking here and giving me a chance to tell you and the other readers!
What can we, your devoted readers, do to help your efforts to get your strip picked up by newspapers? Contact our local papers and ask them carry it? Click multiple times on the BCN link on GoComics? Start a campaign on social media? BCN is a daily dose of sunshine. No matter what else is going on in the world, I can count on your strip to give me a lift.
Thank you so much, Kay! And yes, anything readers can do to encourage their local papers to pick up BCN would be much appreciated! I am still working on getting the pitch ready right now, but there will come a time very soon when I will ask readers to write, email, or call their local papers to request the comic! 🙂 That will help me tremendously!
So good. They have to see the value. This is a sure bet for the paper comics. Keep the faith Georgia.
Thank you, Ray!
What happened to the Ham from the last episode?
Never fear! That will be continued tomorrow! 🙂
I miss the old format too but I understand that you need to change to get in the papers. At least we have 2 years worth of archives of the long strips. And there’s the calendar to look forward to! I don’t want BCN to end and hope you get picked up by enough papers to keep going!
Thank you, Hart!
I, for one, like having a new strip every day. I know no matter what the day has in store for me, there will be a smile or laugh waiting for me at Breaking Cat News. And at the end of the day, no matter how hectic it’s been, I know I can relax with the boys and read a lot of good comments. And if I need a bigger fix, I can go back and read the last few comics all at once.
And if it’s been one of “those” days, I can head to the archives and read one of the sagas.
I do hope you’ll find a way to do some of the long elaborate stories now and then. The ones you’ve done already ought to be put in book form and published. And maybe make some $$$$ from royalties.
Thank you, Dew! I hope to work them in, too! 🙂
Georgia, do you really have a piano and do they do this? We had one cat when I was little who would come running from any part of the house and sit on the keys if my mother sang “let there be peace on earth”. No other song; just that one. Personally, I don’t blame Fluffy one but. It was hysterical though. Nice job on the comics. Love your work as always and hope lots of papers pick it up. JoAnn
Thank you, JoAnn! I do not, but this piano is based on one my Nana had that was central to our family. 🙂 I have seen cats do this though, and it felt like a fun thing to give the boys in the comic!
Is the strip available for syndication now? If it is, or whenever it is, I will write to my local newspaper right away to ask that they add it to theirs comics page.
Thank you, Kim! It will be very soon. This fall we are going to be hammering out the pitch to papers! 🙂
One thing I’m a little concerned about. A lot of newspapers don’t or cannot print their comic strips in color. Have you looked into what your strips will look like converted to black and white?
Yes, my editor has been helping me with that! The newspaper strips will look a little different from this, (the Sundays will look very close to this, actually, but the dailies will look a little different).
I have loved this comic from the beginning and I adore the daily format! Especially if we continue to get longer ones like today as a a bonus.
Keep up the comic, you are too talented to quit and it is quite honestly a daily dose of sunshine for me, I reread them all and still smile like its the first time.
I have 2 kitties of my my own and 2 rescue dogs and it amuses me that my dogs have twinned with Pucky (my Angel also is missing his back leg due to trauma) and Phoebe is deaf and very poor sighted so reacts quite like Lupin to situations.
My book is on order and I tell every cat lover I know about your comic.
Thank you!
I hope the comic gets syndicated; that would be so cool! Of course, I also like the daily strips since it gives my my fix seven days a week instead of only two. That being said, have you ever considered having a “Tip Jar” like some comics do? Just an unobtrusive graphic on the bottom of the page which links to a Paypal account where those of us who want to help out can send money? You could reassure people that the comic is free and that you’ll never have ads, but please let us help out!
Thank you for suggesting this, Cat! I may do something like that in the future. The only reason I have not yet is the time it takes to learn what it means tax wise, or just how it works. The daily format gives me a little room to breathe and think, and so hopefully I will be able to research this better soon.
I second or third or fourth Cat’s suggestion. I do not want to contemplate a world without BCN. When it’s time, I will barrage the Seattle Times about picking up BCN.
Thank you, Denny!! <3
What about setting up a Patreon account? I would contribute.
I may do that in the future! I just have to find the time to research it a bit.
Hi Georgia. While my initial reaction to the daylies is similar to Shannon’s, what’s more important is that you are able to continue to do something that is your passion. If the survival of BCN means daily “vignettes”, then that’s the way it should be. Writing a daily probably demands a different approach. I’m sure that as you progress with the daily strips, we’ll all grow to appreciate the new format. Change can be difficult, but in the end, it’s good. Given the choice between working in a bank and writing and drawing BCN, I’d certainly choose BCN! Clearly you have talent and imagination and I’m happy you can parlay that into writing this clever and entertaining comic. So, good luck with pitching it to newspapers and thanks for being so communicative with your audience! We all want you to succeed!
Thank you, David! 🙂
New format is very professional, clear & direct & should attract many new people as they get to know all the characters. I speak from my own experience as close friend of cartoonists who struggled to get syndicated way back in the 60s. Some were in the Hallmark Contemporary Design Studio where I worked 23 years. Eventually their syndicated strips became “properties” Hallmark & other greeting card companies used on their products. Big time income potential beyond news papers. Your first format seemed more suited to book presentations, like the marvelous one you had published. I have enjoyed & followed you since you began. Your stories, imagination, & characters remind me of the books I enjoyed as youngster back in the 30s & 40s. Glad you have a back door to steady income in banking, however you have an exceptional story telling talent as well as illustration style of animals I hope you can continue to develop. Wishing you all the luck in achieving your creative goal.
Thank you so much, Gordon!
I just love when you show the cats’ gangs!
This reminds me of the older Disney movie, The Aristocats, which I have always adored.
Good luck getting into papers. I hope BCN will continue for a very long time. I will take it any way I can get it!
Yes, the old format was awesome, but this way I like too, as I am already used to reading all of the other comics I enjoy in this format. 😸
I can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of the furry friends we have met in Breaking Cat News. You have such a fresh way of showing what we cat lovers know to be normal cat behavior in a fun way.
Of course auto correct has gotten me yet again on this new confounded phone! It should read “fangs” and not gangs!!
Love this! Good luck in trying to get the strip into newspapers!
Thank you, Liz!
We are 100% behind you Georgia. Praying that doors will be opened and BCN will be in every paper in the country soon!! BCN in any format is waaaaay better than any other comic out there.
Thank you, Gloria! <3
I love the daily strips! AND the Sunday special! I’m going to write in to our local paper, Sacramento Bee, and recommend you.
Thank you, Kathy! 😀
i love your strip, Georgia, and would not mind ads on the page. Another option is Patreon. Newspapers are struggling to keep their heads above water and are actually moving more into the digital world to stay afloat. I worked as a newspaper reporter for 20 years and was forced out 15 years ago due to budget cuts. So please consider other types of revenue streams as well. I can see your month-long specials doing well as books.
Thank you, Cindy! Thankfully, the comic would stay syndicated as it is too, which would keep it online. Ads I never want to have to worry about, only because that would be one more thing for me to try and manage on the site and the less extras I have to try and keep up with the better. I may look into a Patreon one day! Finding the time to research these things is tough, between taking care of the kids and writing the comic time is very thin, sadly.
I can imagine! Big hugs!! ❤️
I love Lupin’s face in the las panel!
Hi Georgia,
Well, we got through a full cycle, and it is magnificent! Love the extended strips on Sunday, and the daily strips make me happy every single day. I am picturing you like Sophie on a Sunday, reading through this. I am so glad to see that most of the comments are overwhelmingly positive. This morning I am reading this BEFORE my Sunday newspaper comics, a first for me-usually nothing is safe getting between me, coffee and the comics on Sunday.
I think you have a team of folks at the ready to promote the strip. I know I will join the fray here in Portland, Oregon. I already preach the Gospel According To BCN by wearing the t-shirts, giving the books and prints as gifts, etc. I wonder about something: How would you feel about a little guerilla marketing ? Like, leaving a copy of a few strips in a strategic location such as a dental office, medical office, a pet products store, vet office ? I would not want to create any problems, violate any copyrights, etc. but it seems to me that if people are sitting around waiting, the more eyes on the strip the better.
Martha, I think this is a fabulous idea! 🙂
I would heartily support a patron account, and I suspect that many others out here would, too. To date you have been giving us a wonderful gift, and in my view you deserve to be supported. I suspect that many others would feel the same way, and I would not mind pitching in a bit extra for others who have more limited means. Now that I realize you get a bit of revenue from the GoComics site I will be diligent about going there as well.
Thank you, Martha! <3 It makes me so happy that you and others appreciate my work and are looking for ways to support it even more--that is an incredible compliment, and makes me feel grateful to be doing this!
This is EXACTLY what happened at our house this week, except with one cat fleeing the room every time the new shelf got loud.
Good luck with everything, Georgia! Whichever format, I still like reading BCN. 🙂 Seems to me the stories can be more-or-less the same, just played out over a week or more instead of all at once. I actually find it easier to keep track of characters in daily strips rather than once a week. Which are easier for you to write and draw?
Just curious.. Do the boys like bubble-wrap? My aging tabby, Chanur, now sleeps on bubble-wrap at the foot of my dresser, but he pops all the bubbles! (He prefers the marshmallow-sized bubbles, not the tiny ones.) 🙂
Lupin does, but cannot hear it! He must like the feel of the pop? (That is a headline I have planned in the future, actually!)
The dailies are much easier to write, I have cut my workload by about half crazy enough! And I am using that time to try and get ahead, so that I can build a healthy back log of strips. The older strips were so much fun to write, but they were very long and I feel so fortunate that I never burnt out.
Ooh Chanur is a great name! Is it after the novels or does it come from elsewhere?
Yes; the novels by CJ Cherryh! 🙂 I have read all five ‘Chanur’ novels many times. 🙂 When I got my kittens (17 years ago!) I had wanted a gray male and an orange female. The plan was to name them “Clueless Morgan” and “Chur”. Ended up with two brothers; a gray tabby and a brown tabby. So, changing name plans, the second kitten became Chanur instead of Chur.
For those who don’t know the books; Chur was a female cousin to the Chanur clan. Chur is a ‘first name’ and Chanur is a ‘last name/family name’.
I love the strips, both old and new format! I love waking up knowing there’s a strip waiting for me, so thank you for the new format! I work in a very good, local pet supply store and I wondered if you would mind if I put a comic up at the register with the website for people to read while they’re checking out? I haven’t because I didn’t want to overstep, but it would garner a lot of attention in my town and potential fans to write our newspaper… Thank you so much for the joy you provide my family!!
Ingrid, I would love that! Thank you so much for thinking of that, and thank you for asking me!
Great! Thank you! This will be fun!
I mentioned this at gocomics, but I’ll say the same here because I think it’s important. I adore this comic in any format it comes in because it is the comic itself—its colourful characters, its wit and charm, and the brilliant illustrations that describe so much even with a single panel or phrase. No matter what, when Georgia’s brush hits the page it’s like we get an eye-view into the world of cats and all the characters that come alive on the page. That’s her magic. Nothing can diminish it, not a different format or anything short of her discontinuing to write it. Keep on writing this comic Georgia—it’s a life-saver and a tonic to the desperation of this life. I hope with all my heart that BCN finds it way to the newspapers and continues to be published for decades upon decades, and that there will be book after book published because the world needs this comic. <3
Thank you so much, Brianna! This comment made me very happy. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to tell me this.
You betcha! 😉 There’s always going to be people who don’t get how special this comic is no matter what format it’s in, but those who do get it far out-number those who don’t get it. We love BCN and will stand by you no matter what direction you choose to go in with this comic. <3
Ohhh Georgia. I have everything crossed for you, this is my (and Iam sure loads of others’) favourite comic, we all love you and all the kitty antics xxx
Looks very much like what our cats have done. But once they’ve figured out that pressing the keys results in the sound, they start trying to play “something” whilst sitting on the bench. It’s completely unintelligible “something”, but they play it none the less!
I know that you can’t afford a paid staff (right now, but that day will come!), but what about a staff of volunteers to research these things or to do what ever you need so you can stay focused on your family and BCN. I live in NJ but would be willing to help long distance.
I love the idea of leaving strips around, but what if we all bought 1 more book and left it in an office or donate it to the local library, or somewhere else, that would be revenue as well as marketing.
Thank you, Gloria–Alas, that is a good idea, but on a previous website I did have a friend help with coding and things went haywire for a couple of weeks when a site glitch coincided with them taking an online break of a few weeks. I just don’t want to manage *anyone*, that’s why I worked so hard to get syndicated, so a company could pay me to write the comic and handling posting and mailing it out. All of this web stuff is difficult and stressful; I’m glad that GoComics has web people and I can depend on their site if things go wrong and I can’t get the strip loaded here in time and such.
Georgia,
Regarding ad revenue, you might want to look into https://www.projectwonderful.com — it is used on a bunch of webcomic sites and presumably takes care of a lot of the time-consuming, tedious stuff for you. (I say “presumably” because I don’t know much about it — I only know about it through some other webcomics I visit.)
Georgia, Is there any benefit to you if we read BCN from gocomics.com vs. your email?
Hello Susan! Currently GoComics is the only site we receive any revenue from. This site does not make us anything, it operates without creating any revenue for us.
Exactly. Do what you need to do and I love this too much to be crabby about the change – seeing it everyday is very nice for us, hard work for you! <3! Would it be better for us to go to GoComics! to read the strip and add to your ad revenue? Or both here and there?
We only see benefit from GoComics, this site is completely free. I’m happy to run it, but I do so at a loss for the few small costs we pay for monthly, such as the email service for the notifications and such.
Georgia, is it better for you, financially, if we get BCN through GoComics? Do clicks there generate income for you? I have BCN in my list of comics emailed to me from GoComics daily, but I would gladly go to their site directly every day for my *fix* if that impacts you. Can’t (and don’t want to!) imagine a world without BCN!
I believe the clicks do help! I’m not particularly good with the digital end of things, but I know that the more people who visit the GoComics site, the more helpful it is!
I look it up on go comics with my iPhone and 2 iPads , my sister is doing the same every day!😺
Oh my Cat! Thank you so much! Ha!!
I’m with Martha Georgia! All of us need to start bugging our local papers to pick up BCN! To The Editor of the paper you read: Sir or Madam, I am writing to promote the comic Breaking Cat News that has been in production and carried on Go Comics for the past two years. The original work by Georgia Dunn is lovely, the story line appeals to young and old. Those individuals who are “news junkies” will see any number of TV national reporters in these adorable cats. The strips are very family friendly, but slyly take jabs at the puffiness or “over the topness” of certain members of the media. Lets get a campaign going!
Thank you, Taffy!! That is great! <3
I see a cobra drawing back to strike.
Don’t know how Her Rotundity would react to a piano (we don’t have one) but she stands her ground against the vacuum. She did flee when I dropped a pot on the kitchen floor but came right back to see WHAT WAS THAT??? We have just introduced her to “The Red Dot”. Had been looking at office supply stores but laser pointers run $20.00 or more. Finally found a small “Kitty Laser” at Pet Smart for about $6.00. Our tubby torbie has been tearing around in circles and running up the wall after THE RED DOT. My hubby teases her–when she slaps her paw on the dot he quickly turns it off and says, “Oh, you killed it!” Then she lifts her paw and the dot runs away again… Wish I could get video!
Jingle Bell Katz just walked across the desk and stepped on my index finger just as I was clicking the mouse to post my earlier comment! The computer flashed an error message saying I may have posted twice but going back it looks like I have only the one copy awaiting moderation. Next thing you know Her Rotundity will be shopping for kitty toys on Amazon.Com and charging them to my account!
I think it was Garfield who once ordered a pizza and a six-pack of mice.
I once knew of a cat who used speed-dial to phone his owner at work. (No telling what other calls he made. ;-))
My own Clueless Morgan would erase my answering machine and remove the cd from my PlayStation mid-game. 🙂
I too love both formats and will do everything I can to help you continue. I dumped PayPal so I hope there would be alternatives. You so DO NOT belong in a bank. Artists need freedom from the 9 to 5 world plus you have young ones to care for.
I have a dumb newspaper here on the top of CA. (The Triplicate) that only comes out 3 times a week & is thin even then. But I like to get subscriptions to REAL newspapers. I have lived in a 4 or 5 places so I want to get a few subscriptions to “keep up”. The Atlantic City Press for sure, because that’s where I grew up. Maybe the Boston Globe and/or the Bergen Record. Or the Nashua Telegraph. I assume they will listen only to subscribers? If not, heck, I will inundate the whole print universe to enlighten them! 😸 It would be such a crime to lose a wonderful talent such as yourself to something as mundane as real life concerns. Please allow us to help you in whatever way we can.
Thank you, Linda!
Sophie needs to do a paw print ‘comic’ of BCN to feature in Breaking Cat News when it gets featured in the comics…
Love “Surprise music startles me.” In childhood I had a cat who felt very much the same way.
When you’re ready to make the pitch to the papers we’ll all be ready to inundate them with requests to publish!
I would support the hell out of a Patreon link for BCN.
I’m curious whether any of the old strip can be adapted to the new format, either cut up into dailies or in some cases cut up into Sunday size. (It would be redrawn for consistency I suppose.) There’s a lot of good material there; naturally you covered a lot of ground early on as far as obvious places the comic’s premise leadsleads. I for one wouldn’t mind seeing those things again.
As far as ads for this site goes, you’re probably right that there’s not a good effort-free option. But I imagine Amazon ads might not need policing, or, text-only ads are a safer option too. Patreon, as someone else mentioned, is a good way of getting monthly revenue without ads.
That could be possible! And yes, I’ve been going through many of the strips and putting them into the new formats for newspapers. 🙂 I plan to share the comic through papers again, with a lot of new and extra stories/jokes/headlines in there, such as Lupin’s job interview with the studio!
I really like how Sunday is ‘stand alone’ from the ongoing party story.
Is Lupin doing a Bugs Bunny reference? https://youtu.be/scjBYNxDCDA?t=30s
Awww, poor Pucky, he looks so unhappy at the new, noisy shelf! That’s exactly how my Thumper would look in that situation, except she wouldn’t be staying to report from the site, she’d’ve run off and hidden and would be doing her report from somewhere safe. And I would’ve thought Elvis would LIKE the whole world knowing when he’s sunning himself…
I really hope you can get your strips into papers! I always go “YAY!” when I realize there’s a new BCN up, and I’m loving being able to go “YAY!” everyday *g*
Also, I love your title panel… although it’s very amusing that TV anchors are in the paper *g*
Heh, Sunday funnies style. =) Nice touch.
One thing I thought I’d mention: I’ve noticed some papers will print the entire Sunday comic, and others will cut out the entire first row. After noticing that, I realised that the first panel after the title block is usually something unimportant to the setup. For example, Garfield usually has the first panel with something/someone just sitting around, with no dialogue. It seems to have a good feel, pacing-wise (you get the impression that they’re just having a quiet moment before stuff happens). But if it’s cut out, the reader can still understand the full joke.
I noticed you mentioned planning on publishing to a newspaper (if I read correctly). Though I also noticed you didn’t have any ‘filler/standalone’ panels today, so I wasn’t sure if you were aware of this. It might be possible to always land a spot where the full comic would be shown, but trying for it might also limit your options.
Anyway, sorry if you already took this into consideration. Just thought it would be good to know. ^_^
Thank you, Scia! These online strips are still only examples. The official strips we’re working on for papers are a little different and will be taking these things into consideration.
Georgia,
Losing BCN would be a devastating loss, too hard to bear. We mourned Calvin and Hobbes and Pogo and very few others. . We would be happy to contact the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post about picking up the strips. Are there options to support you? We are willing to do whatever we can. Memberships? Subscribers? Regular donations of support? A BCN site similar to what Digital Blaphemy does for members? Whatever it takes so that we never lose you and the boys and girls and the other wonderful animals that have populated your drawings.
Thank you!! Very soon I would love if readers would contact their newspapers about BCN! Sometime in the autumn, I believe–I will DEFINITELY keep everyone posted! I don’t have anything set up for regular support yet, but I am warmly and happily overwhelmed by so many readers wanting something like that in place. I will look into it!
Georgia, do you have a Patreon? I love BCN and tune into Twitch whenever I can to watch and donate. I am hesitant about the new format, new look, and new Pucky, but you have a fantastic audience to support you.
Thank you, Jessica! I am going to try and look into Patreon very soon. It has been heavily requested today, which is such a nice thing for folks to request!
I love the cat “mouse.”
I love Lupin’s musical joy!
Bill Watterson famously pushed the boundaries of the newspaper format, especially the Sunday strips. BCN follows in the footsteps of comics like Calvin and Hobbes that stand out for the beautiful artwork. I think in the golden age of comics, strips like Little Nemo took up whole pages. Krazy Kat had some stunning art in its own way. Gasoline Alley. Bizarro. I can’t think of one that uses watercolor like yours though.
There are plenty of people working in banks,but only one of you. Follow your dream.
Thank you, Diane! <3
I am already planning on contacting both news papers that I subscribe to.
Thank you, Anna!
I just caught onto the whole “Lupin is deaf” part of the joke!
While real-life Lupin is deaf, I don’t think BCN Lupin is — how could he carry on a conversation with the other reporters, or know that the new shelf is too loud?
Some suggestions:
You might consider releasing three a week online: 1 on Wed, composed of the Mon, Tue, and Wed comics, one on Sat (Thu-Fri-Sat) and one on Sunday. That way, you’d be formatting for newspapers, but people coming to the website would see the whole story at once.
Look into Project Wonderful. It’s an ad. system in which specific people bid to place their ads on your site, and the day-to-day winner has ads showing for the day. I understand it pays less than Google, BUT you have control over the ads on your site, and I’ve *never* seen website-inappropriate or malware-spawning ads from project wonderful.
As far as the tax implications of ads go, you could ask around. A lot of people are doing this. I understand that Howard Taylor of Schlock Mercenary and Scott Kurtz of PvP are happy to give advice. I imagine (not a tax lawyer, though) that in the end, ad money is just income folded into the rest of the income you make from the webcomic. (Whether that’s filed under “self-employment,” or you have a business.)
Hi Jan, although Lupin is deaf, he understands what other cats say to him, because he can read whiskers. Clever cat. 🙂
My dear friend Georgia,
(We all feel like we are friends, I’m sure)
I was very surprised to find out how much I was liking the daily strips! Thanks so much. You certainly have enough material for your next book ……
My paper publishes colour comics every day. Will the black and white ones be done in watercolour first? (I would think so, as that would be better for your Books. 😄💖😄💖
We’re still deciding on that, but it does look like they will be. 🙂
Georgia, LOVE the Sunday format especially the title/teaser panel!! A trademark CN mug (full & ready), Buzzy Mouse, a pic of the Boys… it WORKS. It’s been a great week (had to get to work to catch up on BCN’s weekend.)
(Just be careful the papers/syndicates don’t ask you to force the Sunday strips into that hybrid panel format that can be reshuffled into 3 different layouts. I remember early Calvin & Hobbes — and some other, current strips in papers — that did/do that. Hard to write humor when the timing of the lines depends on some layout editor who doesn’t care and can’t change it every week. Frames/boundaries are fine for the comic as a whole, both for them to layout and you to focus your art, but inside the frame your art — and it IS art! — needs full freedom. I repeat: IT IS ART — you ARE an artist and what you make IS art, “comics” as a genre is art, and “illustration” as a style is art.)
— BigMal, Mr. Perfect Pica of the ol’ long-gone newspaper from high school (so I know a few things about layouts, but I’m no artist)
Love both formats, Georgia! And will try to get our local paper to run BCN.
Oh georgia, I’m hoping very, very hard, you get to do thus furever, I love comic, I’m addicted to it!!
Thank you, Mary!! 😀
I really hope you can do this furever too! the quality of the art and the gentle quirky humor of the stories and characters (rather like the vibe of the excellent “Mutts”) is fabulous… we need more of this kind of storytelling in the world.