FAQ

FAQ to you, good people! Welcome to the FAQ, or the iFAQ (inFrequently Asked Questions), where I shall attempt to dispel any myths, assuage any worries and answer any queries. Feel free to add another question, as long as it's not about Lord Lucan, I've never met the bloke, okay?

Comics

Why do you publish your own comics?

The simple answer is because I want to. Making comics is something I've wanted to do for 20 years now, and it's only in the last 5 that I've discovered that I can.

Why not work for a comics company?

That would be great, but in reality, there are few comics that produce the sort of material I'm interested in, and a lot of people who want to write for them, many of them undoubtedly better writers than myself. I made a decision in 2003 to stop wasting the time of editors (and myself) writing stories I thought they might like and go off and learn how to make comics of my own. It's been tough, but I'm still here.

Can you give me any advice on publishing my own comic?

I might not be the best person to give advice, but of course I can. I hope to add a few of my thoughts about self publishing to the site at some point, but feel free to e-mail me with any questions (try and make them specific, rather than general ones that require an essay to answer). The big discovery I made years ago was that lots of people out there are making their own comics and anyone can join in.

Are you a raving deluded egomaniac?

Good question! I like to think not, I'm very fond of some of the work I've put out, and of course I have to promote it to people in a way that makes them want to buy it. But I don't think I'm a misunderstood genius. Rather I have a good imagination, and I need to work hard at what I do to tell a good story. Comic strips are deceptively easy to write but it's very difficult to write a good one. I still have much to learn.

Have you made much money publishing your own comics?

Ah, that's the downside of making your own comics. I've spent more money than I've made and you'll need talent and a keen business brain to make money out of small press. Most people are happy to break even. You should only do it if it's want you really want to do and don't, whatever you do, give up the day job. It'll keep you fed, give you a roof over your head and keep you sane. Oh and drop by the shop on your way out I need money for bread and milk.

Paulvonscott

Who are you, really?

My name is Paul Scott. It's the name I was born with and I don't have any middle names and I was never a World War I flying ace. At school my nickname was Scotty, that's how nicknames worked back in the 70's, they took a 'y' or an 'ie' on your surname, or a 'z' on your forename. Scotty, it's better than Poz.

Who is paulvonscott?

I don't use any secret aliases on the internet, instead I use paulvonscott (all lower case) mainly because Paul Scott is a very common name and it's often taken on e-mail accounts and the like, but people can still see it's me. The man who wrote the Raj Quartet is called Paul Scott, but he isn't me. They work in TV, Film, even comics, I've met their wives, they're everywhere, beware!

Paulvonscott came from a spoof Cthulhu problem page which I once ran on a website called The Shores of Innsmouth where I went under the name Dr Von Scott (yes, like in The Rocky Horror Picture Show) who was an Austrian psychotherapist/parapsychologist. I later created a character called Baron Von Scott in a board game, The Curse of Midlam Manor. Though when people got the character and me mixed up I changed the Baron's name to Seaton-Carew.

People now call me paulvonscott, or Paul Von Scott, Von Scott, PVS and, rarely, The Baron. None of which bother me much, though it's a little disconcerting at times. Sometimes people may try and find other variations to annoy me, but if you get used to be called Paul Von Scott, then you quickly find that one ridiculous name is pretty much the same as another :)

Introduction

The Game

The Background

Downloads

FAQ

Introduction

The Game

The Background

Downloads

FAQ

Introduction

The Game

The Background

Downloads

FAQ

Introduction

The Game

The Background

Downloads

FAQ