Kenny Meyers, founding father of Candy, has simply launched Bindings, a brand new software program software for comedian creators to streamline their advertising efforts. Drawing on his expertise at main tech firms like Meta, Airbnb, and Reddit, Kenny goals to carry the advantages of tech instruments—reminiscent of these used for advertising in music or e-commerce—to the comedian ebook business.
Now He has dropped at life Bindings, a platform designed to simplify how comedian creators market their work, handle their viewers, and adapt to challenges just like the fragmentation of social media. Bindings combines options of instruments like Dropbox and Linktree, enabling creators to share their work, develop their viewers, and preserve management over their advertising. Kenny’s mission is to empower comedian creators with the instruments they want to reach a quickly altering panorama!
The Beat reached out to Myers to speak extra about bindings and the place they plan on taking this new venture!
This interview has been edited for readability and size.
DIEGO HIGUERA: I’m assuming Bindings comes from a love of the media?
KENNY MEYERS: I imply, I really like comedian books. I used to be a co-president and co-founder of a digital comedian retailer known as Omnibus, which sadly closed. I entered the startup world, transitioning from tech into comics, however I grew up studying them. I particularly received again into comics when Comixology and digital comics turned a factor. So, once I began working in software program for comics, I simply fell in love with everybody within the business—like, everybody in comics has been so great.
After all, there are occasional, let’s say, for lack of a greater phrase, sleaze balls that simply rub me the fallacious means. However truthfully, I’m additionally a fickle particular person, so possibly that’s on me. Possibly I’m the issue, No, wait its the kids who’re fallacious!
However actually, I simply fell in love. Everyone seems to be so… I imply, you must love comics to work in comics. There’s not some huge cash in it. It takes, like, a stroke of luck—it’s like lightning putting. You understand, the identical guidelines apply to YouTube creators and ebook authors. They usually don’t even get the cash to actually do it. So my aim is to carry over all these cool instruments and software program to make this rather less shitty for everybody.
HIGUERA: I’ve to ask, although—I can solely think about the quantity of labor you’ve put into this—was this simply you? Or is it a staff of individuals? What’s occurring?
MEYERS: Yeah, so I’ve two companions, Tom Carmony and Ben Carr—simply the Automobile boys. Tom is an extremely gifted designer, and Ben is an engineer like me. I’m a software program engineer, principally centered on cellular, whereas Ben has principally labored on net stuff. I’ve someway tricked them into becoming a member of me on this journey, they usually share an identical philosophy—the flexibility to assist such a cool medium and people who find themselves actually making an attempt laborious to make it in comics is simply thrilling for all of us. I received’t communicate for them or their earlier roles, however I feel I’m the one amongst us who has principally labored on shopper merchandise—user-facing stuff.
I feel they only actually like it. I imply, it’s an superior alternative. Everybody within the comics subject has been so nice, and I’m genuinely enthusiastic about what’s forward. Since I began working as an engineer in comics, everybody has been so pretty. I might ramble on about it without end, however I simply like it.
So yeah, they’re serving to me they usually’re a part of the corporate, Candy, and we’re going to attempt to resolve some issues and Bindings is our first at-bat.
HIGUERA: I used to be wanting into what this might probably do as a result of realistically you’re going to have some huge heads soar on and wish to promote their issues and whatnot. However that is gonna open up so many avenues for unbiased creators, or simply folks within the enterprise. I wished your ideas on that.
MEYERS: My thought is a little more experimental. It’s actually about sharing your work, previewing it, and ensuring that if you do, you may seize the folks viewing your stuff. Then you may determine the place they’re and hold them linked, not in a restrictive means, however in a means that helps you and your fellow creators guarantee they find out about your subsequent venture.
After I left my final venture, I spoke with a number of creators at totally different ranges, and I requested, What do you want? Considered one of them simply stated, I need to have the ability to add a comic book someplace and share it actual fast. In order that’s what we’re making an attempt to do. You may simply go in, add a comic book, and share it simply.
Then, in fact, there’s the nonsense that’s ultimate order cutoff that may be a whole mess. We wish to handle that too. Bindings is absolutely concerning the comedian itself, however we’re including these widgets, which we name actions, that permit folks do particular issues. For instance, one motion helps customers discover their native comedian retailer. One other exhibits the ultimate order cutoff deadline straight on the comedian, with a observe like, order by this date. These issues might be so obnoxious within the business, and I’m hoping this helps simplify them.
I additionally hope creators of all sizes see the potential right here. Whereas some options are print-comic-store-related, we additionally assist webtoons, that are a complete totally different world. Platforms for Webtoons spend a lot time getting creators’ consideration however make investments little in serving to them retain that viewers. It’s all about algorithms, proper? So creators want mechanisms to seize their viewers and determine the place their readers are coming from.
Most platforms don’t hand over the information creators want, although I haven’t appeared particularly at their analytics. However that’s a part of what we’re hoping to deal with.
It’s about with the ability to interact together with your viewers and never lose them if you’re placing your work on the market. As a result of if you try this, if you put one thing out on the web, you’re basically providing it as much as the world for critique and to see whether or not they even such as you. I feel it’s actually essential to make sure that if you try this, you get one thing in return, so you may continue to grow.
HIGUERA: I’ve to ask, since you talked about FOC and all these different issues—how do you hope to develop on, I assume, print media? You type of touched on it, however I’m curious. I do know every little thing’s digital, in fact, however by doing this, you’re additionally serving to smaller companies.
MEYERS: Yeah, so nothing to announce for launch but, however one of many driving forces behind Bindings is to create a means for creators to market and join with retailers. What that may that seem like remains to be in dialog, but it surely’s a key aim of the place I’m headed. This is without doubt one of the bizarre fractures of the ecosystem and it’s very very similar to print advertising, however we even have these two units of creators now, they usually’re mixing, which is superior.
Clearly, webtoons and vertical scroll are a factor, and that’s superb. The group is great, they usually don’t have ultimate order cutoffs like print comics do. They do have deadlines, the comedian has to return out on their date, so we attempt to assume in these phrases to make it useful for everybody.
However there’s a selected route the place we do wish to assist individuals who produce print problems with their work promote their work. After all, sequence subscriptions and promoting particular person purchases may also be a part of that. I believe these might be hyperlinks as an alternative of direct integrations, simply because these platforms are very closed off.
HIGUERA: How can folks assist you? How can folks assist this course of? What’s gonna be popping out, testing, Bindings.
MEYERS: Nicely, hopefully, the best way Bindings works and will get assist is by folks beginning to share these hyperlinks, add their comics on-line, after which, in fact, it does one thing for them. The aim is for everybody, together with myself, to make a good residing doing comics. If my firm can accomplish that for folks, that might be superb. Only a good, sustainable residing, not the millionaire, billionaire, VC-funded stuff. Actually only a good life.
Clearly, the one greatest method to assist an organization like ours is thru a small payment—we’re bootstrapped. For 5 bucks, you get 100 pictures or slices. So, in case you add quite a bit, we’re not going to do subscriptions as a result of that’s not how comics work. I’ve written a weblog put up concerning the pricing, however basically, and it is a little totally different, we’re going to do a pay-as-you-go mannequin. For those who’re actually profitable and begin importing hundreds of comics, promoting a lot of them, you’ll pay 5 bucks to resume when you hit the add restrict.
However we really feel that, you understand, paying for comics and shopping for subscriptions is one of the best ways to assist creators. I strive to try this too. It’s the identical for us—we’d love to have the ability to work full-time on this and different initiatives. I feel it’ll be actually fascinating. I’m just a little nervous, however I feel it’s a very nice product, and the work that Tom and Ben have carried out is implausible. I’m excited to open it up extra to the world.
HIGUERA: I do know this have to be a bit apparent to ask, nonetheless what does this venture imply to you? I can solely think about what you’re feeling proper now.
MEYERS: So, I’ve had the nice fortune of launching a lot of merchandise, and I’ve additionally had the nice fortune of being an entrepreneur. Each time, it’s the identical feeling it doesn’t matter what scale I’m at, irrespective of how many individuals are utilizing it, whether or not it’s from one to zero to by no means utilizing it, or thousands and thousands, it’s at all times scary and at all times enjoyable. It’s like a curler coaster in plenty of methods. I at all times actually take pleasure in it.
I actually hope comedian creators use it. I feel there are some actually cool issues popping out at launch that, hopefully, will assist them perceive the place they are often extra profitable. You understand, even basic items like, “Oh, my BlueSky posts carry out higher in getting views on my comedian than my Twitter posts,” or one thing like that. I hope it helps, and I consider it’s going to. I’m so excited to get it out. It’s so enjoyable. It’s enjoyable to make one thing, not just for myself and my admittedly huge ego, but additionally to do it with these two implausible companions and for a group that’s simply superior. I simply love the comedian group.
I actually, actually don’t love the economics of comics for folks proper now, to place it as kindly as potential. I really need extra folks to achieve success, and I do know there’s plenty of work that needs to be carried out. I’m simply making an attempt to take a bit of that away from them to make their lives just a little simpler, Hopefully!
HIGUERA: What’s a type of belongings you wish to assist with?
MEYERS: Nonetheless, my greatest factor that I inform folks is that I’m making an attempt to resolve the “Scott Snyder drawback.”
So, the Scott Snyder drawback is that this: Scott Snyder indicators up for almost every little thing. He’s on digital exclusives, he’s working with DSTLRY, he’s received books with a number of publishers, and he’s all over the place. However the problem is, you may’t simply determine the place his books are. There’s no clear, central place to search out all of them. Certain, you may look him up on sure web sites, and also you would possibly get some readability, but it surely’s a problem.
With Bindings, I need creators to have the ability to add their work, after which readers ought to be capable of click on a hyperlink and simply see the place to go to purchase it and preview it, with out having to leap by way of hoops or be shocked by issues like a ComiXology authentic that’s solely obtainable on Amazon, or the DSTLRY exclusives. It’s about making it simpler to search out and assist creators throughout totally different platforms.
HIGUERA: You could have carried out your greatest to arrange the comedian business!
MEYERS: I imply, I don’t assume anybody might, that’s an unimaginable job, however on the naked minimal, at the very least only for the advertising you may go right here and discover issues much like how like a linktree would work. It’s identical to it’s particularly pushed by comics and the creators. In order that’s type of my aim.
HIGUERA: With that being stated lets dig into it! May you give us a extra complete understanding of what Bindings is?
MEYERS: Basically, creators can drag and drop PDFs or pictures to add their comics. We additionally present a button for straightforward importing, and as soon as uploaded, our servers course of the recordsdata. For PDFs, we convert the pages into JPEGs, so the comedian might be shared as a light-weight file—no 200 MB PDFs to obtain from Dropbox. It features like a digital comedian reader that’s straightforward to share. If it’s a webtoon, it’s going to slice the comedian into smaller elements to suit the format, making it extra accessible for studying.
As soon as the comedian is uploaded, creators can add or delete pages as wanted. Some customers would possibly even use this function to share works in progress, because it permits password safety, which implies they’ll management who sees the content material. You may then create customizable hyperlinks, often known as “shares.” As an example, if I wished to share solely 5 pages with the press, I might create a selected hyperlink only for them. Equally, I might arrange a hyperlink for my publication or a purchase button for customers. For associates, I might share your complete comedian, password-protected, with a special URL.
This technique is extremely configurable. It pulls in numerous parts from the web, reminiscent of your profile image and social media hyperlinks, to create a extra customized and seamless comedian reader expertise.
As soon as the comedian is uploaded and configured, creators can share it on the internet. Our analytics will monitor the place viewers are coming from and the way they work together with the content material. If somebody clicks on a hyperlink or indicators up to your publication, you’ll get notified. You’ll additionally get insights into what elements of the business are fashionable or gaining traction.
This may be particularly helpful for regional insights, as many comedian creators want to determine which conventions to attend. With our analytics, they may uncover, for instance, that their work is especially fashionable in a spot like Saskatchewan, which might affect their occasion technique.
The method is easy: Add your comedian, select the widgets to your share (you may even embody a YouTube interview or a Kickstarter hyperlink), after which share it. From there, you may see how the world reacts. It’s a simple, efficient means for creators to trace their viewers and alter their strategy accordingly.
HIGUERA: Is there anything you wish to share with readers and followers?
MEYERS: I might simply say, do every little thing you may to assist comedian creators, ideally with cash, be part of their Patreons, Join. There’s plenty of different represented folks in comics, and it’s lovely, they usually undoubtedly want your assist now. Now, sadly, greater than ever.
For extra info try the Bindings weblog! The venture launches immediately ensure that to not miss out!
