I do think we're a generation of people living "double lives". I almost feel like I'm Clark Kent/Superman at times. I fortunately love my current "day job" – It's not too stressful and it pays me very well. All the other stuff – design, podcasting, etc – are all for fun. Could I turn it into a job? Perhaps – but it would take more effort and dedication (and balls) than I'm willing to put out. As I mentioned before, Tim is going through the same thing you are. I'm supporting us both at the moment and it's because of the fact that I'm not a typical American who has to consume consume consume! I buy things I need – and that's about it. When I bought my townhouse, I bought what I could afford on my own at the time (this was pre-Tim). It's freeing severing the ties to the capitalist machine.

Best of luck on your endeavor – I'll be pulling for you!

The other strategy I've been contemplating is to do another comic in a shorter strip style to bring in the traffic and offer the graphic novel as part of the merchandise. Author Cheeseburger Brown created a hilarious and touching fanfic blog from the perspective of Darth Vader shortly before Episode III came out in theaters and generated a ton of traffic to his site that way…

The problem with posting chapters online sequentially is that, at least the way I write, stuff is constantly changing or being iterated or added on to. For every Stephen King "just write straight through and when you're done, you're done" type there's another guy who'll tell you, "Writing is 90% rewriting," (which I think is an actual quote by someone, but I can't remember who).

I also pretty much left out the main thrust of my point about the author I enjoy . For his "paying the bills" work, it takes him right on 3 months/90 days to whip out a novel. In Intersplode Time, that's, like…forever and a week.

That's not to say that I don't think it's flatly impossible or that I don't see advantages that electronic distribution has (instant publication; most novels take a year or more once they've been bought by the publisher to get slotted into the schedule).

Podcast should be up later today.

My point, and I think you agree, is that once you are locked into the "standard american" lifestyle of debt (good or bad), spending, consumerism, complacency, etc your options and escape paths begin to disappear.

Musicians and comic artists and podcasters and comedy writers are well suited for the web because of the "I want some every day but just a little bit) mentality of the average net reader.

The GSYFB shirt was a community effort. Future shirts will just appear in the store from time to time.

I read an article about a novelist that was making it on "micro" installments but I honestly cant remember who it was or what they were doing. Comic artist Warren Ellis has a new comic called "Freak Angels" that he is putting out online 6 pages at a time. Its the same as a regular comic but instead of 22 pages a months you get it in much more satisfying frequent installments.

Like the author your speaking of, there is nothing wrong with being famous for one thing (a comic, or a song or a book) and getting paid for a another because of it (speaking, advertising, ghost writing etc).

many probloggers dont make a full income from their blogs but instead use the notoriety it affords them to do speaking gigs.

I would be happy with this, honestly. If I never made a living off the comic but someone who loves the comic paid be to write or draw something else as a result. Sure.

Penny Arcade doesnt really factor into any of this because they are an anomaly. The comic, the convention, the charity, the merchandising, product tie ins, and advertising are more akin to a media firm than a webcomic. They are millionaires with employees. Its a totally different scenario and one that I dont even want to attempt to replicate. Give me a a few thousand loyal supporters and a modest income and the rest is gravy.