Comments on: What goes into a comic book submission?

By: B. Mac

B. Mac — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:27:16 +0000

#2: Comic book & GN publishers usually don’t provide artists to do pencils, inks or colors. (Lettering shouldn’t be a problem, though). Usually, you should have a team assembled before submitting. (If you’re not sure how to find an artist, here’s a good place to start). “Should you include illustrations in your proposal?” Check the submission guidelines at the publishers you’re submitting to. If they require illustrated sample pages, obviously you should include them. Even if they don’t specifically require sample pages, I think that a few illustrated sample pages could still be really helpful–well-executed sample pages show that the project is ready to go.

As for #1, I’ll look into that and get back to you.

By: Hector Caban

Hector Caban — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:22:16 +0000

I have two questions.

1. If you’re doing a graphic novel, not a comic book, do you still submit the entire script? If not, how much do you submit?

2. Do publishers have their own illustrators? If so, should you include illustrations in your proposal ?

By: B. Mac

B. Mac — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:45:54 +0000

According to Dark Horse’s submission page, under #3 for writers, it says “You must include a full script for any short story or single-issue submission, or the first eight pages of the first issue of any series, unless you are a published professional, in which case, you should include samples of previously published work… If the work is already completed, story, art, and lettering, copies of this may be sent instead.”

So, if you’re working on a series, DH would want at least one issue scripted. (And the series synopsis).

I think most publishers would have similar expectations. It would be very difficult for a comic book publisher to agree to work with an unpublished author without seeing the script first*. It’s hard enough to meet deadlines with authors that have already proven themselves.

…

*The same goes for novels. It is all but impossible for a first-time novelist to sell a manuscript in progress. Even if the author is 80% or 90% finished, the fact that it is not completed is a huge red flag that the author is having major trouble finishing it. (In contrast, non-fiction (besides memoirs) is typically sold as a proposal rather than a completed manuscript).

By: J. Teer

J. Teer — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:51:33 +0000

B.Mac, the DH submissions page for writers says “PROPOSAL AND SCRIPTING GUIDELINES FOR WRITERS.”

Do you know if that means that writers with no scripting experience can just submit a proposal in synopsis form, or is a script required?

By: B. Mac

B. Mac — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:15:25 +0000

If you’re working with a freelance artist (somebody that has to be paid by the page, for example), I’d working on the sample pages only AFTER the entire script and synopsis are ready-to-submit. If you pay an artist to make sample pages before the script is ready, you will screw yourself if details change or you want to rewrite the pages later. Additionally, your artistic preferences might change considerably. For example, when I first started writing SN, I really wanted a cartoony art style. Over time, that evolved into “realistic-but-cheerful.”