So on a bit of a slightly more positive note, I also stumbled upon this Ask Me Anything thread with Robert Khoo, the business guy behind Penny Arcade. I have a lot of respect for pretty much any of these webcomic guys who’ve been able to build a living off of their creative works, but it’s particularly interesting to listen to Robert talk because while the rest of us are constantly trying to find that friendly balance between business and creative, Robert’s all business – it’s other people’s jobs within Penny Arcade to create the content, and it’s his job (and others now) strictly to monetize that content and move the business forward. Just an insight into his mind is one of the many reasons why I love watching Penny Arcade: The Series, and of course their latest book sheds some interesting light on just exactly how he’s driven that business from literally two guys living together, playing video games, and occasionally making comics into a 15-employee company that not only still creates the most successful webcomic online, but has also spun off a convention that brings in 60,000 people twice a year and a charity that raises millions of dollars each year to help entertain sick kids while they’re in the hospital.
For those like myself forever hungry for more, he’s also done a couple of Q&As now over at webcomics.com, however you do have to be a member to access those. For what it’s worth, though, I’ve been a member for two years now and even though I don’t even create a comic anymore, the business insight and savvy that Brad and his cohorts make available over there still makes it one of the easiest business expenses for me to justify each year…