Tom the Dancing Bug’s Inner Hive

Ruben Bolling:

The comic strip is more well-read and well-known than ever, but it makes far less money than it used to. This seems to me an anomaly — as the comic is enjoyed (hopefully) by more people, it should generate more, not less, revenue.

This anomaly is one of the defining features of the digital world, and it’s up to me to figure out how to make it work. That led me to this idea:

I’m selling subscriptions to the appropriately cheesily-named INNER HIVE. It’s not a charitable support-me program, because I don’t think that will work by itself in this context. I wanted to make it a real transaction where the buyer gets something of real, greater value than the money spent. Plus I didn’t want to get involved in the logistical nightmare of distributing tote bags.

$9.99 every six months to support one of my all-time favorite comics. Boom, done.

★ Friday, 4 May 2012