Production Updates

Been very busy and still am but I have already started the sequence for my Callwork comics. As much as I wanted to do this in a flash, I'm starting very slow. Even though I'm very motivated to do this, it's not a priority HIGH. So just hang on Andrew! Another thing, I would like to thank Teardrop as early as now for his fantastic coloring job. Also, I would need to request a FOREWORD for my book to Sir Roni Santiago. I'm still thinking of having another foreword by someone from the BPO industry (hopefully someone from B/CAP or CCAP).

Nothing much on my mind right now but things to do in the office. And oh, btw, those who submitted their resume to me, please make sure you're really interested with applying 'coz some of you are NO SHOW for the interview.

Production Thoughts 3

Since Randy Valiente already mentioned this in his blog entry of "Reality Check", I guess I should spill this already. It has been a battle whether I'll be putting some advertisements in my compiled comic book or not. First, it's not a magazine. It's a book that is bound be kept forever. So why put advertisements in between pages? Would this lessen the value of my book? Archie comics did it but then again, it is a comic magazine. Of course, if I think about it, I haven't really seen a book with advertisements in their pages.

Account executives already presented themselves to me. They were so enthusiastic about pitching Callwork to different companies. I don't even have yet the material or proofs. I haven't even started laying out for the comic strips. I told them I'll be pricing each whole page of advertisement for Php60,000 and up. Black and white. But again, wouldn't my comic book look cheap with the advertisements and all? Imagine, Dilbert or Calvin and Hobbes, they don't have any advertisements endorsing whatever, right?

Am I counting on sponsors to be able to earn through Callwork? No. I'm so positive that this would generate sales. Not only in the Philippines but also in India, US, Caribbean etc. but that comes only after launching the tagalog version book. (how to export and distribute the comic book is still a big grey area) And that's looking forward in the future. Far future. I still have a new personal project to implement related to music business. Yup, I used to be in a band before. (I don't plan to be back in the band ok?) Long time ago when Kamikaze is not yet kamikaze, our first gig was in Tia Maria in Katipunan -AISEC party. We played "Semi-charmed life". I stopped when I was in my last year in College because of internship, parties, thesis and uh boys. Enough about music and back to comics.

I'm counting on my readership sales and not through sponsors. So again, it's still a battle whether to put ads or not. There are also drawbacks if I put some ads inside the book. I might not be able to launch it for book signing in just any call centers because of branding issues. Call centers who would place some ads inside Callwork might not be acceptable for other companies.

Production Thoughts Part 2

Are you also a blogger who wishes to publish your webcomic? Read the article here - Turning Free Web Work Into Real Book Sales - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/13/books/13webbook.html?_r=1&oref=login

Yup it was also my concern about the habit of people wanting to read materials for free. I began thinking how they will react to my book knowing they can actually read it for free? Well, here's some answers:

“I think books are still things, thank goodness, that people want to own,” said Michael Jacobs, chief executive of Abrams. “The package of the book and the way it feels is something apart and separate from being able to read it online.”

Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Stanford Law School who has published three of his four books online as well as on paper, said book sales depended on whether the number of people who discover the book online and then buy a hard copy outnumbers “the number of people who would have bought the book and now won’t because it’s free.”

Robert Miller, president of Hyperion, said he believed the book would sell even though prospective readers can see the core of its message online. “A book has a chance to have a timeless quality that’s different from a speech given in real time,” Mr. Miller said.

What if you take down your archives?

Taking down free material can be controversial. When Scott Adams, the “Dilbert” comic strip artist, removed the archives from his blog, dilbertblog.typepad.com, after Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Group, published “Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!” in October, some readers balked.
Mr. Adams said he never expected that people who had already read the book’s content online would want to buy the book. But, he said, he hoped that they would recommend it or buy it as a gift. What he misjudged, he said, was “the fact that people want their stuff for free.”

Production Thoughts Part 1

I will be releasing the 1st Callwork book next year. Whooo! Okey my first concern is whether to get a publisher or publish it on my own. Thank you Syeri Baet and Stan for helping me out with my concern. Here's the deal: Everything is easy if you will just get a publisher. The only challenge is the marketing and the royalty fee. Marketing: because you don't get to print your own posters/ ads... in a nutshell you can't do your own strategy. Royalty fee: It's only 10-20%. If I go with independent publishing, I would need to allot, 1 day to get the ISBN, 2 days for the Business Permit and BIR, a few more days to pitch it in bookstores. (heck, I will be consuming a lot of vacation leaves here.. this better be worth my time) Then the stock delivery to every store. (major major effort ito) Perks? I get to do my own marketing! yehey! And I get to keep more money in my pocket!

- Today, the Philippines has about 200,000 contact center professionals.
- Local companies hiring about 1,000 call center agents a month (TP is hiring for 3,000 seats as well as teletech)
- Considering the 19-percent yearly attrition, ex-call center employees still relate to Callwork.
- RP will produce 300,000 call center agents by 2010. (So that's 500,000) Remember, for every 15 agents, there is one supervisor and for every 5-10 supervisors there is one manager and so on plus the support group.
- There are currently 34 call centers in the Philippines (not counting the branches in provincial areas)

Stan said to produce at least 10,000 copies. My boss said to produce 1,000 copies first then just do reprinting - to be safe.