Wanted: Comics Artist

Beef up your art portfolio. Scriptwriter is seeking graduating students of illustration or fine arts, to bring to life a short story using the comics format. Twelve plates/pages total. Applicants should be comfortable with pen and ink, and have a good instinct for visual storytelling. Looking for styles similar to Jim Scancarelli (Gasoline Alley), Adrian Tomine (Shortcomings), or Tom Batiuk (Funky Winkerbean). Publication guaranteed. Rate is $30 per page.

You must be at least 18 to apply. Send a cover letter, samples and your CV to John Smith through .

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Instead of going through the usual comics want ads for talent, why not try the career/job offices of colleges and universities? The advantage: students of illustration aren't there for the heck of it. Illustration isn't only a hobby, it's a chosen career. They're not going to moonlight this. They're paying dollars to learn about it.

When you tap into this student pool, you know they've already gone through the training. You know they have an acceptable level of discipline, geared towards professionalism. It's important that you start with a small project--it won't demand too much of their time while they're finishing school. And you have to pay them as well.

Tapping into student talent also gives you access to a lot of non-superhero and non-manga styles, a bonus if you're writing under a different genre. When you place a want ad, specify the styles you're looking for, and a list of established artists who use the style.

Try it out: contact the nearest college, university or art school and ask about their policies about posting want ads on campus or through their online bulletin board. Or try to get in touch with the student organization, and see how receptive they are to working on "graphic storytelling or comics" projects.

Another Source of Stories 2

Educational institutions are always looking for innovative ways to impart information to students, and I think you know what I'm getting at.

A graphic novel or a comics series geared towards supplementing classroom instruction is another offbeat way to break in, because you're primary objective isn't only to help teachers, but also to flex some writing muscles to come up with something engaging and entertaining.

The television series "Numb3ers" uses math as a central element in its plots, and it has somehow clicked with an audience. Moreso with that monolith CSI, which has become synonymous to any kind of investigation. "Hey, Martha broke up with her boyfriend but she ain't telling why. Let's do some CSI on it!" It has become a particular favorite among criminology students, as much as "Boston Legal," "Law and Order" and countless other law dramas have satisfied many a law student's appetites.

Following are some subjects/courses where you can possibly spin a story that can use real world information in your storytelling. The breadth of these subjects almost cries out for a comics series, but you can focus on specific topics within these subjects for a one-shot graphic novel.

A. History
B. Psychology
C. Law
D. Medicine
E. Philosophy
F. Genetics
G. Anthopology
H. Archaeology

The clincher here is research--it has to be thorough. And you as a writer would have to be insightful enough to make something of the facts you've researched. The last thing you'd want to do is replicate a textbook. The story is still the star, and your research should only make it shine brighter.

Your research should also include checking out the lesson plans of teachers and professors, so that you don't find yourself drowning in information you might not be able to use. Choose that part of a lesson plan that you as a writer find interesting, then rattle your brain into making it into an engaging story.

Another obstacle is getting a good word in from an authority. It's a good reason to go back to school and catch up with your former teachers. They might even be willing to help you out in locating research material, particularly the obscure ones. Take note, however, that while your prerogative is creating a good story, the teacher's prerogative is information. The finished product has to be legit enough. So you have to find a good middle ground between what you want and what the teacher is looking for.

When you're done with your plot summary, take the teacher out to lunch so you couold go over the material before to pound a script out. If you've done a good job, you can ask your teacher to refer a few colleagues you can cross-check with, as well as add to your customer network.

Your book marketing will benefit a lot from whatever positive feedback you get from the teachers you've worked with. Be sure to acknowledge them in your book, because "consultant" is a great addition to their resume.

Collective Force

My previous post offered a proposal to writers that provides an opportunity to get their work published without having to suffer through getting attention from the top comics companies. I, for one, have submitted stuff to Marvel and DC, but I never heard from them. So I went about things on my own, and it's had its fine share of rewards. With the pillars of the comics industry shaken over the past few years with the entrance of manga and the surge of the reputation of the graphic novel, writers can take this as a heavenly sign that there is life beyond the system. A very tough life, but survivable when prepared.

Jog my memory for a bit, please. Years ago, a few comics writers came up with an imprint that seemed to be the writer-counterpart of Image's power roster of artists. That imprint didn't survive for very long. I'm not sure what happened, but my major uneducated guess is that they were still subjects to the demands of an audience with specific needs for "coolness." It's not that comics fans didn't want well-written and well-conceptualized stories. But, let's face it, coolness is a requisite barometer in the industry--cool action scene, cool dialog, cool costume, cool power, cool story, cool everything.

But if these writers had broken away from the system to produce stories that addressed audiences whose definition of a good story isn't restricted by a thermometer reading, they may have had a better success rate.

The commercial environment for the graphic novel has never been more open to possibilities, and writers can dive right into it while there aren't a lot of players. If you're a writer who wants to do, say, Harlequin-type romances in a comics format, you'll be better off writing a full length novel instead of banging the doors of Marvel or DC. The good news, however, is that there may be other writers who are like you.

Form a small group with your fellow writers and pursue your vision as a collective, with a primary objective being getting stuff published no matter what. Produce anthologies revolving around specific themes, and treat your finished product as a book. Packaged as a book, marketed as a book. In fact, you can even intersperse your comics stories with short prose, using a 70-30 page ratio in favor of comics. The best examples I can think of are the hard-bound horror anthologies published by Dark Horse.

If your group makes a horror anthology, sell it to horror fans. Try to get a good word in from the Horror Writers Association. Ditto for romance anthologies--I'd like to think that the Romance Writers of America would be open to looking through it, and there may be romance fans who'd like a few stories complemented by imagery.

The advantages of creating a collective are:

1) Sharing of resources. Some members may know more people. Some members may have a little more money. Some members may have more industry knowledge. Some members may have more solid writing experience. The sum is indeed stronger than the individual parts.
2) Sharing of workload. Because the collective is a team, tasks can be delegated.
3) Sharing of feedback. Because you're all writers, you can critique each other's works and help each other grow.
4) All-for-one promotion. During interviews, members can promote the collective's name, and even the works of other members. The members' websites are linked to each other, and the collective's website links to all members. If the members are from different states, promotional efforts can be simultaneously executed over a larger geographic area. If members are from the same state, promo efforts can be fast-tracked, with each member assigned to specific counties.
5) Impression of legitimacy. A solid group gives the impression that the members are serious about fulfilling their goals.
6) Future profitable activities. Conduct regular workshops. Produce how-to books. Not as individuals, though, but as a collective of talent. Everyone pitches in, and everyone gets a share of the profits.

The most difficult thing to manage in a collective of this sort is ego. The next is creative differences. Money and distribution of workload can also get in the the way. So the collective has to make sure it gets those issues out of the way before even going full throttle. Try one project first, and see how the members work together. When the project is done, do a post-production meeting to identify problems and possible future problems. In the end, it is the passion for the goal that should trump all difficulties.

Oh, and one more thing. When you come up with a name for your group, avoid--AVOID--those that seem to sound "cool." You're all grown-ups working outside the system, so while you have to go interesting, stimulating, or witty, you also have to go professional.

Writers: Take Control!

I've heard one too many concerns from writers who want to get into comics, only to realize that comics publishers aren't too hot about taking in new writing talent compared to those who can work magic with a pencil. It's a sad state where we find many comics "writers" who don't have much of a writing background, virtually bastardizing the craft. Comics may be a visual medium but, as far as I'm concerned, great art can't save a terribly-written story.

So I'm going to pitch an idea to any enterprising writer who wants to take matters into their own hands. It's going to take some coordination work, but I believe that the end product will justify all the effort.

The finished project can either be a self-published effort or coursed through a literary agent who can represent graphic novels. If I had to do this project, I'd do the latter.

Working Title
Naked America: A graphic anthology

Description
An anthology of ten graphic (comics) stories or vignettes of 12 to 28 pages each. Each feature is a slice-of-life featuring one lead character of no particular demographic, placed in a quirky or weird situation that touches on social--not political--issues America is currently facing. These stories are humorous but insightful, frank but poignant, and never forces the issue.

Sample stories are as follows:

1) A 50-ish Nebraska woman decides to go back to her first love--teaching elementary school. On the first day of class, she discovers that her students are goblins, ghouls, and gremlins, who change back to human form when they leave the classroom.

2) A 35 year-old man, down on his luck and contemplating suicide, decides to get lost in the Colorado wilderness. Deep in the forest, he indeed gets lost, but discovers a crater containing a meteorite made of pure gold. It is huge...and very heavy.

3) A struggling 20-something actor in New York gets a high-paying stint in off-off-off-off-off Broadway. The stage play is a dramatic love story between a man and a zombie. On opening night, the actor discovers that the audience is composed of high-class undead.

These are akin to Twilight Zone stories, and for the most part there isn't much difference. The point, however, of the anthology is to present social issues in a non-abrasive manner. The key is telling highly entertaining and quirky stories, with the thesis of issues only evident to those who look hard enough. (See Selling Points for more information)

Physical Specifications
200-page paperback (content only), 6" x 9", 80lb book paper (interior) and 160lb matte board (cover), full color cover, one color interior

Potential Audience
Naked America's primary target is anyone who's into American pop culture and the social sciences. University students and young professionals are included, with a balance of male and female between 20 and 28 years old. Because of this, the language can be a bit off-color as per the needs and treatment of a story. There can be a spillover to older audiences, possibly capping at 35 years old. Those who read Wired, Slate, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and GQ are also potential audiences.

Selling Points
1) Naked America is innovative and in-tune with the times, telling stories in an entertaining but insightful way, without dumbing itself down.
2) The commercial success of graphic novels with contemporary themes has yet to be fully exploited. Works like Jimmy Corrigan, Ghost World and Persepolis have paved the way for similar material, though Naked America won't use "depressing" as part of its editorial policy.
3) There aren't a lot of graphic novels that provide a multi-faceted view of social America. This anthology presents ten.
4) Naked America can be sold to professors of the social sciences to reinforce their teaching. This is a built-in audience.
5) The success of this first anthology can pave the way for more Naked America anthologies, thus starting a lucrative publishing franchise.

Benefits to Comics Writers
1) A writer is only required one story of 12 to 28 pages. It won't eat up a lot of time, and provides an opportunity to flex writing and craft muscles because of the editorial requirements.
2) Naked America provides a venue for solid insight and an opportunity to showcase one's unique voice, very much an advantage in the fiction writing world.
3) When marketed successfully, Naked America is an aspiring comics writer's business card. Even though royalties/profits will be divided over so many creators, the potential boost in reputation is priceless.

How To Set It Up
If you're a writer of an enterprising sort, ask your fellow writers to join in on this project, with you serving as the editor. "Editor" meaning the guy who's going to do most of the work.

Because your story will just be between 12 to 28 pages, your initial investment will be relatively low. The stories will all be in black and white, so a fee of about $20 per page to an artist who's also looking to break in can be acceptable. (Better than asking for art services for free.) Convince your writers to pool some money together to pay the artists. Oh, and make sure that at least one of the artists knows how to prepare artwork for prepress in case not one of you writers do. Pay extra for the service.

Once the scripts are done, pass them around your fellow writers for some nice and healthy critique and edits. You're all in this together, so you've gotta make sure everyone puts their best foot forward, with zero ego.

The entire process from script to finished pages can take anywhere between two to four months, depending on how fast the writing and art stages go. The good part is that artists don't have to worry much about going full "Marvel" style, since the anthology isn't for the superhero audience. Ixnay on the hyper-indie styles, though, since this can alienate some of your potential audience.

Once you have a few completed stories submitted, you can opt to contact some literary agents who represent graphic novels. If you haven't done this in your life, do some research on how to go about communicating and dealing with agents. They would need information about the project, a few samples of completed work, and perhaps even some input on sales potential.

If one agent doesn't bite, try another and another. Or, better yet, if one of your writers knows someone from a publishing company, you can take the short cut. In my book, the less you spend on printing and distribution, the better. Some experts, like self-publishing guru Dan Poynter, will tell you that a good deal of promotional activities will have to be done by authors, so let others worry about distribution and collection while you sell the book.

What do you think of the idea? Any takers?

An Offbeat Way to Promote

For the past year, I've been hanging out almost every night in a small restaurant at the heart of a commercial district. There, I'd do some writing, doodling, and reading, just to get my senses settled after a hard day of work. It's come to the point that the waiters know the "usual," and I know them by name.

Do you have a favorite hang-out? A restaurant? A café? A place where a lot of people visit to hang out and talk? Have you reached a point where you've developed a semi-personal bond with this establishment? A place that's NOT a comics shop?

Why not ask for help via a quid pro quo?

When you're almost done with your graphic novel, try to set up an informal meeting with the manager or owner. The proposition is simple--you will create a short comics story that's set in that very hang-out. You will create a flyer that will be distributed to customers, and the flyer will direct them to a website featuring your short comics story. And, in that website, you provide a preview to the graphic novel you're actually finishing.

OR, if it's not too inconvenient for you--can you adjust a portion of your graphic novel that will feature the establishment as the location of one of your key scenes. Movies have been doing this for years, so it's not an impossibility for graphic novels.

If the shop manager is generous enough, he might even be willing to foot the bill in printing the short comics story to be given out for free in the shop. You can even ask if it's okay to sell your graphic novel there. When this happens, you've opened up a retailing possibility that's beyond the normal reach of the direct market.

Should success come to you with this little endeavor, you can try your luck with other establishments and see if they bite. Do you hang out in a bowling alley? Why not do a short comics story about bowling? Or a story about raising kids, to be placed in a day care center or a kiddie gym? You can even include a couple of "instructional" articles in your comics stories so there's information along with entertainment.

Go offbeat. The direct market is too limiting for the aspiring graphic novelist.

Another Source of Stories..With Built-In Backup

This is going to be a short one, I assure you.

Endorsements can help your book get some level of publicity, just enough to kick off a notch of interest from people. No, I'm not talking about getting a good word in from a highly-popular comics star, but that can help, too.

In a couple of previous posts, I sort of raised the flag in favor of graphic novels for and about women. But that's not the only avenue you can explore.

You can also create a story around a social cause. A cause you, as a creator, firmly believe in.

This is an opportunity for you, as an artist, to look within yourself and see what you are most concerned about as a freethinking and responsible citizen.

Is it discrimination? Animal rights? The environment? Poverty? Abortion? Child abuse? Homosexual rights? Religious tolerance? There's more out there to choose from, but you have to exercise honesty and genuine compassion when zeroing in on that social issue that gets you reeling.

Once you have completed your graphic novel, send copies to local or state chapters of organizations involved in that cause, and ask if your book is something they could support. They don't have to spend anything--an endorsement is enough. A review in their publication would be better. And if they're willing to give at least a one-sentence seal of approval, it's enough to add meat to your press releases. They might even ask you to be a speaker in one of their regular gatherings.

A few notes:

1) The social issue has to be something you believe in and support. This would ensure that your passion will take you through the writing and art stage. Also, choosing an issue you support as opposed to something that's merely 'hot and controversial' will help boost your credibility, and not make you look like you're an opportunistic milkman.

2) Your story has to present both sides of the issue, good and bad, pros and cons, with your thesis shining through by the story's conclusion. Thus, a lot of your time needs to be spent on research--reading, observation, even interviews. But remember that you're still out there to entertain and exercise your art and craft as a storyteller. You don't want to be perceived as hawking propaganda.

3) The tricky part is to make the social issue integral to the story, and not the story itself, unless that's what you want. Again, remember that you are first and foremost a storyteller. While you must inform, you must also intrigue and entertain.

4) Once you've chosen a social issue, check far and wide to make sure there are formal and sizeable organizations who rally about that issue. If there aren't, try and find another issue to talk about. The objective, after all, is finding the numbers who can back you up. This doesn't mean that your cause of choice isn't worth your time and effort. You're still starting out and trying to get your name out there. You can go back to your original choice once you've gotten your feet wet with your first book.

5) You can talk about more than one issue in your story, but it is imperative to have one main issue, that which is integral to the story. Having too many issues of equal weight will eventually cancel each other out, and it will be more difficult to find one organization to support it.

6) Your stories can be of the superhero genre, too, though arguably it would a stretch to incorporate a social cause. Some causes that can work with the superhero genre are:

a) Soldiers Who Are Minors
b) The Disabled
c) Media Ethics
d) Age Discrimination
e) Death Penalty
f) Drug Abuse
g) Immigration

For a list of social causes, here's the Yahoo! directory.

Finding Your Potential Audience 2

Before we proceed, two things...

First, the survey you send out as outlined in the previous post is meant for those who don't normally buy comics. This is important, because you'd want to find out if there are people outside of the comics buying set who might be interested in your story. Again, send out as many as you possibly can.

If you want to be more specific, here's an alternative. Check you main character. Since your main character is the one through whom your reader experiences your story, this character would be your template for possible survey respondents. If your story is about a woman in her 30s, send email to women between 26 and 40, with a few men thrown in there of around the same age range. If your story is about a young male superhero, go for the 14 to 24 male group, with some females included to widen the field.

Secondly, and this is a lengthy one, let's look at some figures:

Let's assume that you're situated in California.

According to the US Census Bureau, California has a population of 33.8 million as of the year 2000. For the same year, the population count of those from 20 to 34 years old is about 7.6 million. A lot of people. We've isolated the 20 to 34 year old bracket because we're assuming that it would be this age range who might be interested in your graphic novel offering. (Something a bit on the mature side, maybe a PG-rating).

It's safe to assume that by this time, the population numbers have gone up a bit.

Now, as of October 2007, the highest selling comic book issue through Diamond is New Avengers #35, with orders of over 111,000. Only. Normally, this doesn't translate to actual retail store sales. How much of these have gone to California? We don't know, but it's a safe bet that it's far, far less.

If the USA has a population of 303 million, California would have 11.15% of the US population. A loose assumption would be that the number of New Avengers #35 issues that reach California would be a little over 12,300 copies. Only. And that's already California, and note again that not all copies will reach the hands of buyers. What more a smaller state?

Why am I telling you this? For superhero books, the market is small, and the market is crowded.

For the aspiring superhero graphic novelist who wants to release a comic book, he needs to look beyond the superhero market and look for secondary markets. Markets that might be interested in what the creator has to offer but wouldn't normally pick up a comic book.

Hence the exercise of the previous post.

To tabulate the results of your survey, you would need a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel of OpenOffice Calc. If you don't know how to use these programs, pen and paper would do well, though the results would take longer to reach.

Focus on those who answered YES to the first question. Isolate their ages and their gender. Find a trend. What are the common ages? The common gender? If the results aren't clear cut, try and send out more email requests until you get a "data trend" or results that seem to point at a specific market.

When you're done with that, check the answers to the fourth question, and set aside those who answered more negatively. Focus on those who have more positive answers and see if the trend has changed. Again, this is why you ned a lot of respondents to your questionnaire. You'll have an easier time finding a trend.

The results of question number five will tell you if the respondents comprising your isolated results have the financial capacity to buy books on a semi-regular basis. The more books they've bought, the better the chances that they'll have room for your book.

Here comes the nice part. Check again the results of your isolated group for the first question. See what they liked about your story. Is there something common about their statements? Is there a general sentiment about what they liked? Bingo! Now you have information that can help you put together a press release with your story's unique selling point.

How about the results of questions six and seven? Find out the common websites they visit, or those sites you can assume would have high traffic. They can be venues where you can send a press release or post information about your book.

And the establishments? Well, since your potential market goes to those places, you think you can get some copies of your books in there? Or maybe free previews with an email address where readers can write you?

But before you send out press releases and visit commercial establishments, the last thing you should do is verify the information you've discovered. How? Find other people who match your isolated potential market. Get in touch with as many as you can and make a friendly request for them to read your story. You can include in your email some of the responses you've received from your original survey to possibly get them interested.

If you get at least 50% positive responses from this "verification stage," you may just have found your other market, as well as some leads on how to get your book to them.

Finding Your Potential Audience

Here's something you can do. Post the first few pages--10 to 12 would suffice--on your website, then send a nice email to your friends and relatives, preferably people of different ages, and a good mix of male and female. The more people you write, the better (go as high as humanly possible). Oh, and make sure you know their ages.

Ask them for thirty minutes of their time to read your work, stressing that you're doing this for your personal growth as a writer, then email you back. They don't have to do it right away, but you would appreciate it if they could spare some time over a weekend. In their return email, have them briefly and very honestly answer the following questions:

1) Is the story the kind that interests you? Yes or no.

2) If your answer to the first question is "yes," please specify that part of the story that interested you. If your answer to the first question is "no," please enumerate two or three stories that you've read and really liked.

3) Do you know someone who might be interested in a kind of story like this, like a friend or relative, preferably someone I haven't met yet? Yes or no.

4) Did it matter that the story was told in comics form? Yes or no, and why.

5) How many fiction books have you bought in the past six months?

6) Please name five commercial establishments--restaurants, stores, bars, etc.--that you frequently go to. Also, please name three special interest websites that you frequently visit.

7) In a newspaper or news website with lots of different sections, what sections do you more often read? Politics? Arts and Culture? Finance and Business? Entertainment? Fashion and Lifestyle? Sports? Motoring? The advice columns? The opinion pages? Something else? Please specify three.

This is a simple piece of market research. The results can give you an idea of the market segment who might be interested in your work. Do note a few things:

a. The people you know would most probably give you thirty minutes of their time. Plus, you'll most likely get serious answers when you tell your friends and relatives that you're doing this for "your personal growth as a writer," as opposed to "I wanna sell this!"

b. You're not going to ask them to read your comics, but your story. Arguably, the word "story" carries more weight than "comics," so there's less chance that there'll be the dreaded bias against the medium.

c. You'll be asking them if they know someone, a "referral," who might be interested in your story. Send a follow up email and ask if it's alright to ask if you could contact the referral. Once you have the contact information, send a new email with the same message and questions, except #3. You don't want to bother any more people.

d. Depending on the answers you get for #4, you'll more or less know if the person is open to reading comics as an alternative storytelling medium.

e. The answer for #5 can tell you if they're the kind of people who buy fiction books on a regular basis. The more books they buy means that they're the type who can go out of their way to get a book.

f. The answers for #6 will give you insights on the lifestyle and purchasing power of your respondents. This information is valuable because it can help you find other people who might be interested in checking out your work.

g. The answers for #7 gives a rundown of topics that your respondents are interested in.

What happens next? Tabulate. Isolate those who answered positively in the first five questions, and try to pin down what's common among them. Are they mostly male or female? Are they mostly single or coupled? Are they mostly teenagers, young adults, or mature adults? Do most of them frequent a specific set of establishments? Do most of them frequent a specific set of websites? This is why the more people you get answers from, the easier it gets to isolate a distinct "potential target market."

By the way, don't forget to thank everyone you send emails to, even if they tell you that they can't help you. After all, we need to be professional about these things.

Do you have an idea what to do with the information you've culled together? We'll go into that in my next post.

Have You Considered An Agent?

One day, I did something for kicks. I looked through an online database of literary agents and searched for those who represented graphic novels. I was pleasantly surprised that there were quite a few of them in there.

So I chose one and, with zero expectations, made a call.

The agency was based in New York, and the receptionist put me through to the agent himself. He spoke in a low, apathetic voice and had that "get down to business I've got lots to do" tone.

I told him that I found his contact info through a website and that his profile indicated that he was willing to represent graphic novels. He said that, indeed, he was. So I asked him how I should go about submitting a query when his online profile didn't give submission specs for graphic novels.

He said that he could receive low resolution jpegs, but it would be better if I uploaded my stuff to a website so he could conveniently go over what I have to offer. I thanked him for his time before closing the call. Our conversation may have lasted less than a minute, but at least I was able to dip my toes into the prospect.

The good news is that you can attempt at getting an agent, granting of course that your work is good enough. There's a lot more to be discussed about dealing with agents, but the point is that this is another avenue comics creators can take.

There are plusses and minuses to getting an agent, but any publishing avenue will have plusses and minuses. But the biggest plus to me is the possibility of seeing my work in bookstores, on Amazon, in library catalogs--with no major expense on my part. The biggest minus, however, is that the book publishing world is a whole new creature altogether, and its innards can be a frustrating mess to the uninitiated.

In this case, you owe it to yourself to do research.

You can start with an introduction on eBookCrossroads and a few articles on Publishing Central. Maybe you'd want to consult a book on the subject.

Then go to AgentQuery, an online database of literary agents. On the left side of the home page, choose "graphic novels" from the dropdown menu labeled "Select a Fiction Genre" and click the "Quick Search" button. You'll find over 40 agencies in the results.