My adventures in submitting my project to a comic publisher

[VintageComics]

Bits and pieces, late nights, lunch hours.

 

You really have to want to do it to make it happen.

 

I started writing a book about 15 years ago. Spend 100's of hours. Computer crashed and then the hard drive was destroyed in a flooded basement and I lost everything.

 

I guess on the bright side it was a learning experience.

 

 

[Mac Man]

After writing a short in Tales From The Dead, I decided to focus on novels. Thiswas supported in conversations with Jim Valentino and Tim Seeley. They both asked why I would want to write comics when most comic writers want to write novels. Yes, they are more involved and take a lot longer to write, but I felt too constrained with the comic medium. I could write the story first and then adapt to comics in individual issues. It still was not something that I favored and to top it off, of the conventions I had attended, the only one that I wasn't a writing guest was a comic convention (Baltimore 2010), plus I was starting to make a name for myself as a (literary) writer.

 

So one day, I receive an email from an artist in Italy that I worked with briefly on a small project. He had some time between working on Heavy Metal and Blue Water Comics and wanted to read a book. He decided to get a copy of my bizarro/mondo book RED BAND!

 

This was the height of the book (so far), it was up to #55 on amazon, they also gave it a "hot new release" tag and things were happening. So it was fueling the fire to focus on the sequel and drop all other projects.

 

When Stefano was finished reading through he sent me an email. The email consisted of "you write the comic adaption and I draw the book". Thinking it over long and hard, I responded ten minutes later using my best hard negotiating skills with the counter offer of "yes".

 

I change all my plans (including the sequel) and sit down to write the first draft of the -script....

 

Next...

Part 2 This is giving me a headache

 

How do get the time to write. I hve ideas I want to put down but I cant seem to make the time with job search and child

 

Well, for my part, it takes a lot of work and self-discipline.

 

I freelance for Newsarama, Sequart, and Nerdspan. I'm also working on a critical book on the comics early and present-day Image Comics for Sequart. On top of this, I have two comic stories getting published in two different anthologies and two others I'm waiting to hear back on. I'm also developing an on-going, all-ages series with another fella and editing/co-writing two other projects of his. When those are done, he'll return the favor and do the artwork on an original graphic novel I'm writing.

 

Those are my hobby projects. I'm also a full-time English professor with 1.5 & 3.5 year old boys and a wife who works full time as well. I'm presently in the middle of writing my doctoral dissertation & will graduate (all goes well) in December of 2013. In addition to prepping the dissertation for graduation, I'm also working with an established publisher in the field of comics studies to get this into print. To this end, I also write about 2-3 academic articles for various journals or collected works and present at another 2-3 academic conferences each year.

 

Suffice to say, 1. I don't watch much television or play many video games anymore, and 2. this is part of why my presence on the boards has somewhat diminished over the past year or so. Any little free time I do manage to find gets put into my various writing projects.

[User 01001010]

My profession is dental insurance (I'm a peon, not management) with very little responsibility outside of the (usually) 8 hour days. So I have my portable office with me (book bag) filled with notes, reference material and 6 note pads. I keep so many notepads because I frequently have ideas pop up and I write down at least the basics.

 

Once I'm home (@ 8.30pm), I eat and spend time with my wife (except for mon, weds & thurs. since she's leaving when I'm getting home). Once I'm settled, I sit and write until 2-2.30 unless I'm spent from the day, then I just watch movies or American Dad. I stop briefly when she gets home @ midnight and then get back to it once she goes to bed.

 

My perfect world would be writing full time since this is something that I like doing. Something I could never say about any job I've ever had.

 

I don't want fame, just write and have a good time and be able to support my wife and I while doing it.

[That Ron Dude]

I am glued to my screen. Really.

[User 01001010]

Typing up the next part, so in the meantime, here is this...

 

[User 01001010]

.Now that we have a team and a bit of artwork to push us, the next step is funding (unlike writers, artists want payment upfront, this is why i wish i was an artist). So completely busted from previous projects, I play the "i'm broke" card.

 

Pre-orders? that was a disaster that i will never do again. too many issues with "unforeseen" problems with printing.

 

Get a loan? The last thing i need is to owe more to someone else (I'm still paying for Tales From The Dead today (it'll be 3 years in June). That's out.

 

Crowd Funding? O.K., something new. The first listing was unsuccessful in the respect that i pulled it early. It went up too fast and proper planning was utilized. So the three of us got together and planned our everything.

 

So we went live, 30 days was the timeframe for the campaign, and we were only looking to cover a 5 page preview for the proposal.

 

The final talley was almost 300% of our goal. With that in mind, we expanded to 10 pages plus make a very limited version of the first issue (as in, only 30 copies, it's going to show the entire process, -script, layout, finished pencils, inks, lettering and color, and something that will only be printed in that book. we all agreed to never reprint this little piece again). Onced the funds are dispersed, work begins. The -script had been written prior to and was finished before the campaign was finished. Stefano had the rough pencils completed within 2 weeks, and here is the first page done, which is page 1 of the book...

 

 

 

 

After another 2 weeks, the pencils were completed (i cant find the scans) so they went off to be inked.

 

It's at this point that I feel a migraine starting. And oh how right I was...

 

Part 4: It was going too well, something had to happen

[User 01001010]

I'll be interested in following how this goes. I'm getting published in some indie anthologies, and my artist collaborator just informed me this AM via email that a small publisher wants to pick up our webcomic as a part of its all-ages line. But I can only image the challenge of pursuing one of the Big Two!

 

Thanks for taking such an interest Forrest. what are the anthology titles?

[Midnightowl-migration]

Very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us.

[Mac Man]

I'll be interested in following how this goes. I'm getting published in some indie anthologies, and my artist collaborator just informed me this AM via email that a small publisher wants to pick up our webcomic as a part of its all-ages line. But I can only image the challenge of pursuing one of the Big Two!

 

Thanks for taking such an interest Forrest. what are the anthology titles?

 

This is the first one I'm working on:

 

It just has a such a cool and grounded mission, if you will, so I had to toss an idea out there to see if they'd be interested--and they were!

 

The other one is here:

http://redstylo.com/2013/01/03/open-call-for-unfashioned-creatures-a-frankenstein-anthology/

 

So far, it looks really good that my -script will be accepted... of course, I do need to send in the finished draft before the officially pair me off with an artist. But the editor has been really positive about how it sounds and gave me some great feedback.

 

That's fantastic you were able to successfully complete the Kickstarter! What did you find was the most effective means of spreading the word? I hear from a number of people that they lose money on the little costs, like shipping, etc. I'd be interested to hear your perspective on this as well.

[User 01001010]

I'll be interested in following how this goes. I'm getting published in some indie anthologies, and my artist collaborator just informed me this AM via email that a small publisher wants to pick up our webcomic as a part of its all-ages line. But I can only image the challenge of pursuing one of the Big Two!

 

Thanks for taking such an interest Forrest. what are the anthology titles?

 

This is the first one I'm working on:

 

It just has a such a cool and grounded mission, if you will, so I had to toss an idea out there to see if they'd be interested--and they were!

 

The other one is here:

http://redstylo.com/2013/01/03/open-call-for-unfashioned-creatures-a-frankenstein-anthology/

 

So far, it looks really good that my -script will be accepted... of course, I do need to send in the finished draft before the officially pair me off with an artist. But the editor has been really positive about how it sounds and gave me some great feedback.

 

That's fantastic you were able to successfully complete the Kickstarter! What did you find was the most effective means of spreading the word? I hear from a number of people that they lose money on the little costs, like shipping, etc. I'd be interested to hear your perspective on this as well.

 

The Frankenstein antho looks cool, if I would have known about it, I'd have subbed for it. Very few publishers match up artists with writers (that makes it much easier for writers). Is it print or ebook only?

 

As for kickstarter. Have everything laid out, all the details and know some people. Up front we let everyone know that this is not the final product, this is going to be subbed to publishers and only worse case would we just do it all ourselves (which would never happen because I don't have the money and if I did I wouldn't either. The entire series would be close to $10k in costs and I just couldn't do that again). And for whatever reason it ended up much higher than we would have expected. A lot of thanks goes to Mr_Not_So_Nice. Mike is a great friend and has helped immensely over the years.

 

But what it comes down to, I have no idea why it was successful. And yes, most of the time the shipping does bite and someone involved loses money because of that.

[comicdonna]

Great thread!

[Mac Man]

I've heard the KS projects can be tricky.

 

And both projects are geared to come out in both digital and print. Yeah, finding projects where they'll pair a writer with an artist is DEFINITELY the exception and not the rule. *sigh*

[User 01001010]

It isn't easy finding publishers to submit to, especially ones willing to pair up with artists. They are more apt to provide feedback were most major publishers won't give any at all.

 

I have more on the submission status from what happened today, but that isn't until part six or seven.

[Ogami]

I'll be interested in following how this goes. I'm getting published in some indie anthologies, and my artist collaborator just informed me this AM via email that a small publisher wants to pick up our webcomic as a part of its all-ages line. But I can only image the challenge of pursuing one of the Big Two!

 

Give.

[Ogami]

I'll be interested in following how this goes. I'm getting published in some indie anthologies, and my artist collaborator just informed me this AM via email that a small publisher wants to pick up our webcomic as a part of its all-ages line. But I can only image the challenge of pursuing one of the Big Two!

 

Thanks for taking such an interest Forrest. what are the anthology titles?

 

This is the first one I'm working on:

 

It just has a such a cool and grounded mission, if you will, so I had to toss an idea out there to see if they'd be interested--and they were!

 

The other one is here:

http://redstylo.com/2013/01/03/open-call-for-unfashioned-creatures-a-frankenstein-anthology/

 

So far, it looks really good that my -script will be accepted... of course, I do need to send in the finished draft before the officially pair me off with an artist. But the editor has been really positive about how it sounds and gave me some great feedback.

 

That's fantastic you were able to successfully complete the Kickstarter! What did you find was the most effective means of spreading the word? I hear from a number of people that they lose money on the little costs, like shipping, etc. I'd be interested to hear your perspective on this as well.

 

Keep us posted, Forrest.

[Ogami]

To User: Keep posting! This is good stuff.

[gyro-1]

[User 01001010]

So where was I?

 

Oh yes, the 10 pages had finished pencils and it was going to the next step, inking.

 

" I can bust these out by the end of the month" was said. I sort of believed him, first page was sent over after 3 days. Had some minor gripes about it, but it was digital so no problem correcting it. After another day passes, I get the same page back with the changes, good i think to myself, this is going to be painless.

 

Why...why...WHY did i say that?

 

First month goes by (pay attention, you will see a pattern), no other pages.

 

Second month goes by, I do get a second page but also news that the previous unemployed has now, for the first time in a long time, has gotten a job. However i am promised they will get done in two weeks. This is the first time he has missed a deadline (self imposed) since we have worked together. He hasn't worked in a long time and it does take a bit to get used to.

 

Third month comes and goes. I get a partially done page, because now on top of his job, he had commissions happening. He filed for a grant so he could focus on art, oh well, the govnah of his state just cut the program, no more monies to artists. So he has to continue to work a regular job.

 

I do understand and I don't. I work a regular job but I always find ways to finish what I need to. Yes i can't draw above stick figure, but still, one inked page can't take longer than a 2k short story can it? Oh, let me interject, He had been paid before he started on the inking.

 

His output is down to a page per month by the time I start getting heat from other about this project. Some involved do have other titles they are working on. So it is the breaking point, I give him the final chance, not done by the end of the month and he is out.

 

He tells me it is impossible to ink, color and letter all of the pages in 2 weeks. That's when I facepalm (i'm not using the emoticons in this post), I tell him his only responsibility was inking the pages, not anything else.

 

Then he tells me they've been done, he wasn't going to send the pages until they were print quality and totally finished...TEN MONTHS LATER.

 

Ugh, anyway, the pages are inked. we were lucky enough to get an letterer from the former wildstorm studio to letter the pages. She is working on them now, and so far it does show that letterers can make a difference in how a page comes out.

 

 

Part 5: Now where did I put my confidence....

 

until Part 5, here is an inked page...Dr. Ribs explaining how he's been sued over Hepatitis, Salmonella and Ebola outbreaks in his restaurant and never lost in court.

 

 

 

 

[User 01001010]

I'll have part 5 either tonight or tomorrow night.

 

I know part 4 was boring, at least you didn't have to live through 10 months of that.

 

[Mac Man]

That's one way of putting it! Sorry to hear you were run through the ringer like that. Can only imagine the level of frustration.