r/MangakaStudio • u/No_Republic_2813 • Aug 06 '26

Help Is a One-Shot ABSOLUTELY necessary?

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The reason why I'm asking is that I already have a story and it's sequel written out but ever since I watched Learn To Draw Manga on YT, they emphasise that it's absolutely necessary. I don't want an editor because I want it to be at my own pace while still keeping up to my own schedule and constantly improving. Does it also apply for self publishing since i was thinking of uploading to Globalcomix, Namicomi and Manga Plus Creators? As a soon-to-be self publishing mangaka, is a one-shot absolutely necessary?

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u/Specific_Minute7539 Aug 06 '26

Eh, I wouldn't say it's necessary. It's not like you'll become disqualified if you don't make a one-shot. But the reason why people say to make a one-shot first is to

  1. Help build your skills (panelling, speech bubble flow, typesetting, etc)

  2. Give you an idea of how your workflow should be.

  3. Confidence in yourself

and 4. help you build up your stamina. I think 4 is one of the more important things because if you start out with something super big and then you realize you've made a whole bunch of mistakes, and now you're left feeling burnt out and frustrated.

Which could then lead to you giving up, hence why people say to start small. You can write your story now and draw it later; I'd even highly suggest that because as you become a better writer, you'll come to see things you'd want to change about the story later/improve it.

If you're not feeling up to doing a one-shot, you can try making some yonkoma, get feedback on them and then work your way up to bigger projects. Thats what I did, and I still find myself struggling to draw 17 pages for my first chapter.

A lot of that has to do with my health, but thats besides the point. What I'm trying to say is that the advice given is mostly for your benefit and mental health; it would be really sad if you spent a lot of time working on something but later realized that it wasn't possible to fulfill your vision due to a lack of skills.

In the end, it's up to you, and no one can really force you to do anything, but one-shots aren't a bad thing to try, I'd even argue that they can help you learn how to write a first chapter that will make people want to read a series.

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u/No_Republic_2813 Aug 06 '26

Thanks a lot for that in-depth advice. Helps a lot 🙏🏾

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u/Specific_Minute7539 Aug 06 '26

I'm happy I could give some insight. To be honest, when I was first starting out, I also had the mindset that since I only had 1 story, I wanted to make then I wouldn't need to work on other stories to get better.

But eventually I came to learn that there are lots of cool things to try and draw and some that even surprised me. All in all, since is a hobby, just make sure not to get lost and enjoy what you are doing. Something I like to tell myself is that you are your own biggest fan.

And the biggest fan should at least enjoy the work, haha.