Keep the questions coming! Got another one from @alwashington5 on Twitter:
Devin – what would [you] say to those who can’t draw (me lol) when someone is ready to present a proposal to a publisher?
Can they use some type of PowerPoint to present their story?
Timely question, as I’ve been thinking about this general topic a lot lately. For starters no, I don’t think PowerPoint would go over very well. Most publishers will flat-out refuse unsolicited story pitches from people they don’t already know, largely because they don’t want to expose themselves to legal risk. They don’t want people coming after them saying “you stole my idea!” if a future story is similar.
The truth is, your best bet for getting a publisher’s attention is to find an artist you can collaborate with and just make a comic. Think of it as your résumé. Once you have something tangible to shop around you can start to build relationships with various editors at conventions or online. If the comic is well-written they’ll be able to tell and you might start to see work as a result. And once you’re in… pitch away!
That’s admittedly easier advice to give than follow. Finding artists to collaborate with can be tricky (I’m told) but online communities like our G+ group would be a place to start. Published writers sometimes make the jump to comics on the strength of their writing alone, but your best option for getting work in comics is to prove that you already know how to make them.
Send questions to @devinafterdark with the hashtag #FAQDevin. See you all next week!
makingcomics.com
This is exactly what I did! Publishers don’t want to read stories, they want art. So I spent about a year looking for an artist and colorist who could bring my story to life. I desperatly wanted to collaborate with artists (the artists would work for free until we find a publisher) but this just wasn’t possible. The artists willing to work for free were not the quality I was looking for, and those who were really good wanted money at the time of service. If you have talented friends or get really luck you can find someone, but most artists want to get paid. Makes sense right, they’re professionals. I ended up paying for 8 pages of art and pitched those pages to publishers. It worked! But I had to re-work those 8 pages for over a year making sure they were perfect. If they’re not, you’ve just wasted your money. Good luck!