• Increase site traffic from 150,000 hits to 200,000 (around 25% growth).  I actually had about 219,000 (roughly 38% growth).   
• Write at least 100 writing articles.  Including guest articles, we had about 105.
• Get published.  Not yet!

My 2012 resolutions for SN:

• Increase site traffic from ~220,000 hits to 275,000 (around 25% growth).  I see a few obstacles on the horizon.  My numbers for 2011 (and 2010) were inflated by tens of thousands of searches related to Green Lantern/Batman demotivationals.  At one point, SN was #2 on Google image searches for Green Lantern.  Since then, Google’s algorithm has changed and SN no longer places remotely high on GL image searches.
• Get in the top 2 results on Google for a search for list of superpowers and superpower list.  According to Google Traffic Estimator’s (crude) estimate, those two queries total ~20,000 searches a month.  It’s surprisingly competitive.
• Host at least 100 writing articles, including 20+ guest articles.  
• Get at least 10 articles with 10 Facebook likes.  So far, my personal best is 410 likes on a single post (the Green Lantern/Batman demotivational).
• Get published.  Hope springs eternal!

1. I once worked for the least badass police agency in the world.
2. I was probably the beneficiary of my high school’s senior prank.   Either that, or everybody in my high school was ****ing blind.
3. It’s harder for me to deal with comments like “This is really good–when’s it coming out?” than “This is awful–go die in a fire.”
4. I think the most common problem with superhero scripts is that most authors don’t spend enough enough time developing interesting superpowers.

If you’re waiting on a response, please post a comment below to remind me.

1. Get published! A perennial favorite. 

2. 25% audience growth. SN’s number of visits grew 24% from ~130,000 visits in 2009 to ~160,000 visits in 2010, so I’m hoping that 25% this year isn’t terribly ambitious.

3. Post 100 writing articles. That’s about two articles per week.  Currently, I do about one a week.  It’s been harder coming up with new ideas.

JAY:  Hey, I was wondering if you could remind me who that guy is that knows pretty much everything and has funny eyes.

B. MAC: The Watcher?

JAY: Nah, the other one. DC.

B. MAC: The Phantom Stranger. There are actually quite a few characters like this that are more or less omniscient but are contractually obligated to be useless.

JAY: Does your comic have anything like that?

B. MAC: The NSA?

1. Expand SN to 500,000 hits and 1.5 million page-views. That didn’t happen, but I did end up increasing my hits by 100% and my page-views by 150%.   I’m especially happy about getting my bounce-rate from 59% down to 52%.
2. Get a comic book published. It hasn’t happened yet but I think I’m at the finish line.  I submit in late February and anticipate the first round of responses by May.
3. Finish writing the nonfiction book. I have finished the manuscript, but I think it’ll take me a year or two to get it published.  (I need to get some fiction published first).
4. Work on my novel. I gave up on this, actually.
5. Find a fulltime job. Got it!

My resolutions for 2010 are…

1. Get the comic book published! I send it out in late February or early March.  Additionally, my sales goal is at least 750 copies of the first issue.    (Maybe not that difficult; I have about 100 spoken for).
2. Double SN’s audience again. It won’t happen unless I get published.  Most importantly, that’ll make my advice more credible.  Secondarily, my publisher will probably give me minor promotional assistance.
3. Beat minimum wage with my side-work. I anticipate I’ll spend around 2000 hours this year working on stuff outside of my day job (running SN, doing freelance work, my comic book, etc).  So I’m gunning for $12,000–I’m on pace through mid-January, but I need to keep the clients coming.
4. Get a Wikipedia article. Damn you, notability!   I assume that this will happen within a month or two of getting published.
5. Get my book of superhero writing advice published in 2010 or 2011.
6. Reduce the bounce-rate for new users to 54%. I bounced about 64% of my new readers in December 2009.  (Note: returning users are less likely to bounce because I’ve already built up some credibility with them by the time they decide to return).

Anyway, if you’d like to review the first draft, I will have that ready by Friday. If you’re interested, please let me know so that I can e-mail it to you.

Here’s a sample of what the inks will look like. 

What’s the sort of look I’m going for? 

Realistic but cheerful.

This sample is an ideal example of the style I’m aiming for.  However, it was done by our inker, who does not have enough time to ink and color a comic every month.  

Miscellaneous Notes

• I’m going to hire 3-5 colorers to do a test page for $75 (including tip, so probably around $65 before tip).  I’ll pay upfront. 
• I will hire the best of the artists as my colorer.  That means I’ll need another four pages colored in late January or (more likely) early February.  $300. 
• If we get published, then it’s the publisher that sets the page-rate.  I’m submitting to Image and Dark Horse and a few smaller publishers in March; I’d be surprised if they got back to us before May or June. 
• I’ve received over 100 applicants as of now, including probably around 10 that I find impressive.  I’m not going to lie; a lot of people will be rejected.  If you’re one of them, I’m sorry ahead of time.  If it’s any consolation, it’s just as rough for writers and we don’t get paid anything until the publisher signs on.    

Stylistic Notes

• Unless your portfolio includes pieces in a similar style to the coloring above, I would recommend thinking about doing a sample panel.  If you’re interested, please color any one of the panels in the inks above.  A sample panel is optional.  However, please know that I am leery about the prospects of gambling $75 on an artist that is new to this stylistic field.  A sample panel is an easy way to allay those fears. 
• The two main characters are an accountant and a mutant alligator, both depicted in the inks above.  Unless you can see yourself coloring them collectively around 100 times over the course of the first issue, this is not the job for you.
• SN’s art is mostly PG and possibly PG-13 in combat scenes.  There won’t be much gore or any sex.  (I mean, when the two leads are an accountant and a mutant alligator, it sort of limits the opportunities for romantic side-plots). 
• Umm, if you have a quasisexual fascination with any of the characters, could you do me a favor and not apply?  Thanks.