You’re right that the nature of webcomics is free and you can’t really make money directly of what you are trying to give away.

Only through indirect methods, like ads or whatsoever, can we actually earn from webcomics.

I guess my argument was more about stereotypes and mindsets toward webcomics, that webcomics should be free for all, and whether if it is just wrong or not for the webcomic artist to pursue webcomics for money.

It’s a double-edged sword to me, where it benefits readers but it limits the author to truly express his talent, especially when he is tightly-strapped by money.

We all need to generate consistent money for the upkeeping of our family and livelihood, and there’s no doubt about it. Webcomic artists should be rewarded for their work.

That’s why webcomic’s standards don’t really measure up to paid comics to me, in my personal opinion. It’s just difficult to juggle both passion and our jobs at the same time.

That said, I totally agree with you that because webcomics’ nature is free, hence its purpose is to get attention, and its about what we do with the attention that makes money. I second it whole-heartedly.

And to me, webcomics is free only because it is just almost impossible to monetize webcomics while trying to generate popularity and readers’ interest at the same time, as “free” is itself the most powerful advertisement for virtually almost everything.

I have been pondering for months about how to make money from webcomics, if I really want to do it semi-professionally. And I have not found any answer yet.

And I guess I will continue to experiment to find out how it can be done consistently.

Thanks for your comments! Really appreciate it!

The very nature of a webcomic is FREE. You can’t make money off of something that you are giving away. That would make it NOT free. The webcomic content is the hook, or the reason people are looking at you. You are using your content to buy attention. When you have the attention, then you can give people a chance to give money to buy a different product.
You don’t make a webcomic to make money. You may take your content and embody it in a different format, such as a graphic novel, pdf download, kindle format, etc., that is something you do for money. You may take the attention you’ve gleaned and direct it toward the t-shirts you’ve designed, or the “special” subscriber only content, or prints of a particular strip, posters, wallpapers, whatever, these are things you do for money. But you shouldn’t, and unless you are using a micropayment system you can’t, make a webcomic for money.
You make a webcomic to grab attention, and for that reason, you make the very best comic that you can. You make sure your content is spectacular. Then you take the attention you’ve bought with your content, and you turn that into money.
The argument may seem minor, but, in fact, it is a different mode of thinking that the webcomic creator needs to enter if they really want to provide a living from their creative activities. It is fundamentally a mind switch that allows you to understand what your streams of revenue really are.
Pick any comic that actually makes money and see where the price tags are. What are they actually selling? I would submit that it’s not their webcomic.
Nobody makes money off of webcomics. They make money off of ads, and embodiment of content.
One example of Awesome webcomic that currently provides great content, but makes zero dollars off of it. “Irregular Webcomic” http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/ Who does it just for fun. No ads, no t-shirts, no streams of revenue. He has great readership, and lots of attention, but he does not turn it into cash. Not good or bad, his choice. The point is, that if webcomics made money, he would be doing great. But it isn’t the content that makes money. It’s what you do with the attention you get that makes money.