Do you like to draw or doodle? Write poetry or short stories? Why not put all of the above together and make a comic?

In the past ten years, the Internet has opened up a whole new outlet for you and your comics.

Once upon a time, if you wanted to make comics you had basically two choices: run a strip in a newspaper, or submit your work to publishers and get rejected... a lot. With the advent of the Internet and the influx of Japanese comics (aka manga), things have gotten a little bit easier to see and be seen. Now you can publish your strip, pamphlet or graphic novel online--for free! Or, you can self-publish any of the above thanks to numerous small-press friendly printers cropping up, and you can usually send them all of your files to print directly over the Internet with no postage involved. Plus, many publishers are now evaluating submissions not just for superhero comics, where perfect anatomy and experience are a must, but they are also looking for special niche comics like ones made for girls by girls! (See Appendix A for a list of girl-friendly publishers to tackle.)

A lot of confusion surrounds printers, publishers and distributors. You know that both printers and publishers make books, so aren't they synonymous? Not at all.

A printer prints books (and smaller ones will also print stationery!). Simple as that. They must be paid to print books. They don't promote them or distribute them. The most they will do is mail the books to their final destination, be it your home or a distributor's warehouse. Some small press printers might keep some copies of a book on consignment to sell as novelty items or to showcase their work, but most of the times, a printer just takes your money and gives you books. They will print books for individuals, groups and even publishers. They do not publish books. They only print them.