# The Truth about Writing Indie Comics Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/pesto-comics-audio-edition-7033321/the-truth-about-writing-indie-comics Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/pesto-comics-audio-edition-7033321/the-truth-about-writing-indie-comics.md Podcast: [Pesto Comics - Audio Edition](https://stenobird.com/podcast/pesto-comics-audio-edition-7033321) Published: 2026-03-19T21:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://pestocomics.substack.com/p/the-truth-about-writing-indie-comics Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/191498816/29125a4ace4ded7bd99da0dbede29b74.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/pesto-comics-audio-edition-7033321/episodes/the-truth-about-writing-indie-comics Duration seconds: 813 ## Resource in indie comics I’m both writer and publisher, because I have to manage production, project coordination, and especially marketing to get books made. I explain why the writer-versus-artist argument misses the point, why comics require a team and constant hustle, and why I’m also developing my novel series Backlot Babylon when I want a singular voice. I also address getting unsolicited proposals and why I can’t take risks on other creators until my own direct-market foundation is solid. 00:00 Writer or Publisher? 00:35 Expectations of the "Writer" 01:10 Writer vs Artist 02:11 The Writer's Workload 03:31 Herding Cats 04:50 "Job Your Love" 06:12 Comics are a Group Effort 07:50 The Truth 09:55 Hustle and Risk 12:20 Fruits of Labor - From Parts Unknown #1 == Check out all the comics and books coming from Adriano and Pesto Comics! Comics: NAKED KAIJU WOMAN 3 https://bit.ly/nkw3 CRIMSON FRONTIER 1 & 2 https://bit.ly/cf1comic PRIME CUT 1 & 2 https://bit.ly/prime1comic Books BACKLOT BABYLON (LEO LUCAS 1) https://bit.ly/backlotbabylon == This video is available as an audio podcast on all your favourite platforms as 'Pesto Comics Audio Edition' and on Substack at https://pestocomics.substack.com --- See everything Pesto Comics has to offer at https://pestocomics.com Find Adriano on social media: https://www.instagram.com/pestocomics/ https://bsky.app/profile/pestocomics.bsky.social https://x.com/pestocomics https://www.tiktok.com/@pestocomics See more from Adriano on the Instant Ink Comic Book Podcast every week: https://www.youtube.com/@InstantInkPodcast/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pestocomics.substack.com ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/pesto-comics-audio-edition-7033321/episodes/the-truth-about-writing-indie-comics/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/pesto-comics-audio-edition-7033321/the-truth-about-writing-indie-comics.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.