Diesel Sweeties' Syndication Leap
by Laura Hudson, PW Comics Week -- Publishers Weekly, 1/16/2007
Diesel Sweeties has long been one of the most popular comics on the Web, but last year it made news as the first Web comic to jump from online to newspaper syndication under United Media's new development division, headed by cartoonist Ted Rall. Creator Richard Stevens explains the science of the deal and what it means for Diesel Sweeties' business model.
PW Comics Week: How did the syndication deal come about? Is it something you actively pursued?
Richard Stevens: It was mostly a matter of being in the right place at the right time. United [Features Syndicate] hired Ted Rall to help find new cartoonists for syndication, and he was familiar with my Web strip from when he'd interviewed me for Attitude 3. I've been doing strips online for over six years and never submitted to a syndicate because I didn't think they'd "get" my comics. It was a huge surprise to hear from Ted and UFS on this, and I jumped on it as soon as they assured me of a couple details [regarding ownership.]
PWCW: How many papers are currently planning to syndicate the strip?
RS: I don't have all the numbers yet, but it's more than 10 and less than a trillion as of right now. I got the official "this is a successful launch and we accept your contract" letter a few weeks ago, so I'm happy and hoping for the best.
PWCW: How many people currently read Diesel Sweeties on the Web? How will this compare to the number of readers that you can reach in syndication?
PWCW: What kind of response have you gotten from your existing fan base [about the move to print syndication]?
RS: I have yet to get a negative comment from anyone. The least positive thing I've gotten from people is a few of them worried they would suddenly lose access to DS on the Internet. (They won't.)
What's been truly amazing to me is how many readers I was able to get to write letters and e-mails to their local papers simply by asking. Probably a couple hundred people have taken the time to write by now, and every one has been excellent.
PWCW: You once said that you quit freelance graphic design to avoid dealing with editors. How are you responding to the editorial oversight from UFS?
RS: There's a huge difference between undereducated freelance clients who want their company logo to be on fire and a well-trained comics editor who helps one to improve his wording or comic timing. So far, my "editorial interference" has consisted of being told I can't use a couple of PG-13 words I'm used to using. The vast majority of edits I've gotten so far have been little tweaks that help make jokes or character development clearer.
PWCW: What will the syndication deal mean for your current and future merchandising?
RS: This is actually the coolest part of my deal with UFS, in my opinion. They can set up new merchandising deals, but I get to continue doing my own merchandise and make a living that way. Being on the Web is different from being in print in the sense that we don't charge for comics. It's more of a free content model like broadcast television—you make your living off voluntary purchases and some advertising.
My readers seem to really enjoy shirts, so keeping the rights to personally handle this stuff was my main priority when we did our contracts. Web comics readers have kept me fed for the past five years, and I didn't want to lose sight of that.
PWCW: How many customers do you serve with your merchandising? What kind of growth do you anticipate after the syndication deal?
RS: All told, there's easily tens of thousands of people walking around with my shirts. It seems like a lot, but only about four of us handle the whole operation. We're certainly not ubiquitous like Garfield or Peanuts. I think that's a big part of the charm—people who see each other in these shirts are actually surprised and often make friends.
I believe I owe the syndicate a small percentage based on what traffic they send to my site. I'm not sure what kind of increase we'll see, but hopefully it's enough that I can get a little extra office help and focus on drawing 24-7 instead of 23-6. I'm not 100% sure, but I think this is the only deal of its kind in this business. Hopefully, we're setting a good precedent.
PWCW: You've compared Diesel Sweeties on the Web and Diesel Sweeties in newspapers to the multiple Spider-Man comic books that run separately but concurrently. Will there be any "crossovers" between the two venues?
RS: This is the other coolest part! I'm syncing both of the continuities up so that I can bring the core concept to papers without negating any of the existing strips. I hate when comic books go in and "erase" older stories to move forward. Every comic is someone's favorite and I don't think there's any reason to invalidate them.
The story line I used to get all my ducks back in a row was something I'd actually planned to use to break everyone's hearts on Valentine's Day. When I started thinking about the new syndicated strips, it was really just a matter of pushing it all ahead a few weeks. My hope is that new readers can jump on, while longtime fans can see the characters on another level.
PWCW: If story lines in the two venues are going to run concurrently, will your newspaper editors have any input or control over the content of your Web strips?
RS: I'm keeping the Web strips to my current PG-13 standard, but working without a net as usual. While I love getting feedback and honing my work for print, there's an immediacy on my Web site that I'm addicted to. I usually do my comics "live before a studio audience" in the sense that I usually have a strip in front of readers within an hour of finishing it.
That said, the printed stuff is going through proper channels, and it's been neat writing for a different audience with a little more time to think and edit. I think I'm growing new brain muscles.
PWCW: Are there any plans to publish Diesel Sweeties in book form? Would Web and newspaper strips be collected separately?
RS: I've published an original comic book and a collection of my first strips in the past. I never had the time or experience to really sell my books outside of my Web site, so I was happy to give UFS the option to publish reprint collections of my newspaper stuff if it goes well. I'd imagine that any Web comics books would be published separately from the print comics, but I'd be happy to consider combining the two as much as possible. I went to school to learn to design books, so anything that helps me make some is music to my ears.
PWCW: Will you continue to sell the books that are currently available on your site?
RS: I believe I can sell collections of the Web comics. I certainly can keep selling my existing books. If I self-publish anything in the near future, it will probably be original material. I have a strip about an elephant that writes screenplays who is best friends with a broccoli barista, which needs to see the light of day.
PWCW: Do you see this as the beginning of a wider trend of Web comics moving to newspapers?
RS: I think it could certainly happen. There are hundreds of strips on the Internet, many of which have long track records and strong fan bases. If I were an editor faced with choosing between equally good cartoonists, I'd probably go with the one who's done a few hundred comics [on the Web] over the one who drew a couple dozen and sent 'em in.
There are probably thousands of cartoonists out there better than I am, but I think my edge is that I've proven I can write consistently for the long term. I'm certainly not the only one in this position.
PWCW: What other Web comics do you think are ready to make the transition to print?
RS: I think that the strength of Web comics is their specificity. Most of us are extremely well-versed in whatever our niche is, and we speak to that like-minded 1% that exists out in the world at large. I've always tried to combine that with broader humor and more general themes like romance and misunderstandings between people. That's why I'm hopeful that more people will connect with DS once they're able to get their hands on it.
Other comics that would probably work syndicated? I think Scary Go Round would be an amazing serialized adventure that would have people on the edge of their seats daily. Goats could work its super-situational geek magic on hybrid Dilbert-Zippy fans. Boy on a Stick and Slither is the quintessential quirky observations comic. Wigu could charm the heck out of people who enjoy stories from the vantage point of a child.
