Has anyone here ever submitted a proposal to a comic publisher?

[suttercain]

Has anyone here ever submitted a proposal to a comic publisher?

I recently wrote a four issue mini-series and have commissioned an artist to do the first issue. The first issue should be completed by the end of September.

My plans are to submit the outline, the first issue and a proposal to various independent comic book publishers in hopes of securing a distribution deal.

I would like to hear from people who may have also done something along these lines and know what advice you can give to people like me. What worked? What didn’t? Any independent publishers you would avoid altogether?

I appreciate any advice others could give.

Thanks in advance.

[Action Figure]

I am in the process now of completeing a comic to submit.

I think I will try Image first.

I was just about to post this very thread.

[suttercain]

Wow... no one has attempted to do this... mind blowing.

[DeREk FrEEsT]

Ya, this section of the forums seems more for Artists than writers I don't know why.....

[sparta28090]

Yes Suttercain I have and your best bet is to submit and establish communication at a comic con if you are looking to do Marvel/DC/Darkhorse/Image work. Your indie press are alot more approachable online and very relaxed and helpful.

Derek you are right, but fair is fair. The artist showcase their work and ideas alot more than writers. Try this link from here on the message board to do a writting exercise that is alot of fun. (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=209707)

I am thinking of doing an artist and writer competition that will involve a prize. So if it comes to fruition then join in.

[suttercain]

Yes Suttercain I have and your best bet is to submit and establish communication at a comic con if you are looking to do Marvel/DC/Darkhorse/Image work. Your indie press are alot more approachable online and very relaxed and helpful.

Derek you are right, but fair is fair. The artist showcase their work and ideas alot more than writers. Try this link from here on the message board to do a writting exercise that is alot of fun. (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=209707)

I am thinking of doing an artist and writer competition that will involve a prize. So if it comes to fruition then join in.

Thanks for the heads up and feedback.

I think writers are a little more hesitant because they may be afraid of having their ideas ripped off. I know I have a couple I am terrified of someone getting a hold of before I have the chance of getting them published.

[sparta28090]

I completely understand suttercain. Take this as a note though. Anything you post is time stamped and dated so if you see your work plagerized then you have evidence to prove so.

[suttercain]

Fa dizzle,

So far I have not received any replies from someone who has attempted to get their comic book picked up by a publisher, yet I know you're out there!

Anyway, I came across two submission forms and was wondering if these look typical and reasonable to others?

Zenescope:
http://zenescope.com/submissions.pdf

Dynamite:
http://www.dynamiteentertainment.com/htmlfiles/DYNAMITESUBMISSIONFORM.pdf

My biggest concern was with the Dynamite submission form, under section number 9 which states:

9. I acknowledge and agree that any and all controversies arising out of or in any way relating to the Material submitted to Dynamite shall be settled by final and binding arbitration which will take place in New Jersey pursuant to the rules of the American Arbitration Association. At the request of either party, the arbitrators, attorneys, parties to the arbitration, witnesses, experts,
court reporters, or other persons present at the arbitration shall agree in writing to maintain the strict confidentiality of the arbitration proceedings. The arbitration shall be conducted by a single, neutral arbitrator, or, at the election of either Dynamite or you, three neutral arbitrators, appointed in accordance with the applicable rules referred to above. The award of the arbitrator(s) shall be enforceable according to the applicable laws of the state of New Jersey. The arbitrator(s) shall only award damages, with the maximum amount that can be awarded to you not to exceed $1,000. Any proceeding that you may choose to bring shall be initiated within six (6) months after the date of first use by Dynamite of the Material.

I may just be paranoid, but does that state "If we some how rip you off or your idea, you can only sue us for up to $1000.00, no matter what we do or what fiscal damages we cause you."?

Thanks for any advice, suggestions. I've been working my ass of for four months on this 4 issue mini-series and I just want to do everything right.

[Lex Romero]

Hi, I've recently been looking into submissions to comics producers and from what I've read, all of them get you to sign something that essentially says

"there's always the chance that someone in the company is already working on a project similar to yours, signing this says you accept that and if anything is produced similar to your idea you accept it's coincidence"

So really, I can't imagine you'd ever get in a situation where you'd be able to sue anyway as you've kind of signed away any right with that. However I wouldn't get too paranoid about it, I really can't imagine editors get proposals and think "this is a great idea, but the writing is shit, let me call up one of our authors and get them to write something with this idea".

It's not a natural way for the creative community to work, and I would think the majority of writers, ahving been in your situation before, would respect that and only write their own projects, not ideas suggested to them by editors. I think most of the companies also say that your submissions are destroyed after being read so no one will stumble across them and steal them.

I can understand why it's worrying though, I'd hate for any of my story ideas to be stolen by someone, but I can't imagine it's done, at all, within the comic industry. Especially if you're soliciting fone of the companies that produces independent work.


Anyway, I'm having some difficulty finding a good publisher, the bigger ones like marvel/DC i can't imagine i'll have a chance with as they're far too big. The slightly smaller ones that publish independent work often want the writing and artwork together as a fully formed comic, which is no good for someone like me who's just a writer. Dynamite even say in there submissions instructions that you have to send a letter first explaining your experience before they'll even request to see some of your work! Impossible for someone without any formal experience.

Does anyone know of any comic writers who have perhaps written about how they got into the industry? I know it's different for everyone and you need talent and luck, but it'd be nice to read about someone who was in the same position as me and how they made it. Do they recommend just submitting scripts? Should I look for an artist who would like to draw my comic so i can send a full comic? Should I go to conventions and try and make "contacts"?

[suttercain]

Anyway, I'm having some difficulty finding a good publisher, the bigger ones like marvel/DC i can't imagine i'll have a chance with as they're far too big. The slightly smaller ones that publish independent work often want the writing and artwork together as a fully formed comic, which is no good for someone like me who's just a writer. Dynamite even say in there submissions instructions that you have to send a letter first explaining your experience before they'll even request to see some of your work! Impossible for someone without any formal experience.

Yeah if you're just trying to break in solely as a writer that appears to be tough. The route I am taking is I wrote out the entire four issue mini-series, proof read it, did edits, then a final draft. I then took the first issue and had an artist illustrate the entire first issue. The coloring/lettering will be completed in September. I will then put together my proposal based on the publisher's request. But the thing I'll have working for me is the completed artwork. I think the publisher will appreciate that.

I can't say if this is the "right" way or the "wrong" way. It's just the way that seem logical to me.

[Eliseu Gouveia]

Has anyone here ever submitted a proposal to a comic publisher?

I have.
GOD!, do I.
I´ve spent whole salaries sending stuff to the 7 winds.

One thing I learned is... you have to learn to take it in the chin. Really take it without flinching and then savour it with a nice, big smile.

I´m 37 years old, which means I´ve got 12 years of "- NO!" letters under my belt.
Pretty sure there´s many more still out there for me (I could probably cover every wall in my house with the "-NO!" letters I´ve received. :biggrin: ).

Truth ius most of us will never work for the big two or three or four.
it´s okay, Life is a gamble.

But if you know you´re good, if you have the drive, then I say go for it. Keep going for it. Maybe not today, maybe not next year, but those kicks to the chin are still better than giving up.

Okay, that fills my corn flake philosophy speech quota for the day. :tongue:

[suttercain]

I have.
GOD!, do I.
I´ve spent whole salaries sending stuff to the 7 winds.

One thing I learned is... you have to learn to take it in the chin. Really take it without flinching and then savour it with a nice, big smile.

I´m 37 years old, which means I´ve got 12 years of "- NO!" letters under my belt.
Pretty sure there´s many more still out there for me (I could probably cover every wall in my house with the "-NO!" letters I´ve received. :biggrin: ).

Truth ius most of us will never work for the big two or three or four.
it´s okay, Life is a gamble.

But if you know you´re good, if you have the drive, then I say go for it. Keep going for it. Maybe not today, maybe not next year, but those kicks to the chin are still better than giving up.

Okay, that fills my corn flake philosophy speech quota for the day. :tongue:

Thank you for the reply. I am happy to hear from others who have walked the road. May I ask if you're a writer, artist or both?

Thanks again.

[Eliseu Gouveia]

I´m both a writer and an artist, but it´s the artist that pays the bills. :tongue:

[suttercain]

Well, the packages containing the proposals are going to be going out in the next few weeks. I went overboard (kind of like Goldie Hawn) and did an entire comic book. 22 pages in full color w/ cover art. I was in a band in the 90's and I am use to demo tapes so I made this comic my "demo tape." I will be pitching it as a four issue mini-series with this first issue and hopefully the launching point.

A friend of mine who is in a band and on a Warner Bros record label has gotten someone (top of the food chain someone) from one of the "Big 2" to agree to read it and critique it. I am very nervous about it, but I think it'll be good to just get the feedback.

I started this journey back in May so I am excited and terrified at the same time. Hopefully I'll learn something from this experience.

Let's see how many rejection letters I get....

[LewMoxinsghost]

Best of luck to you Suttercain. Any chance of posting a preview here?

[suttercain]

Best of luck to you Suttercain. Any chance of posting a preview here?

Thanks.

I am working on two. The 22 page one I'll be able to post, but the second one I won't be able to because it's for the Zuda competition and they don't allow me to publish it for 90 days after I submit it. If it gets accepted and entered into the online battle I'll post the link.

[suttercain]

Hi Everyone,

So this weekend was spent finishing the lettering for my first comic book ever titled "Timeline." Friday I received the final colored pages for my 22 paged comic, which I hope will be the first of a four issue mini-series.

Story and Lettering by me, Art by David Ward, Color by Jeannie Phan.

Within the next week the cover should be done and I will be printing out about 50 issues to submit to comic book publishers in hopes of getting distribution for the mini-series.

Additionally I just submitted 8 pages for another comic book, this one painted instead of penciled, to Zuda.com for their monthly contest. I won't be able to post artwork for that for 90 days per contest guidelines.

SC

[Gonzogoose]

I've submitted to companies before as well (I'm a writer and letterer) and have only been met with rejections. Well, I had a couple of publishers interested at one point, but ultimately they bailed as well.

Like Zeu said, you just have to take it all in stride and not get down about it. Maybe yours will be accepted on first try, but that's unlikely. When you get rejection letters just let it roll off, don't stress about it.

My advice would be to avoid hyperbole and make sure your story has a nice hook. Spell out the whole series for them, but keep it concise and to the point. And sending out a full book, in my opinion, is a good idea because it shows you're committed to seeing it through.

Best of luck.

[suttercain]

Hi guys, I didn't want to post the same thing in two different threads but can anyone give some advice on this:

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=248151

Thanks in advance.

[TROUBLEZ]

I have.
GOD!, do I.
I´ve spent whole salaries sending stuff to the 7 winds.

One thing I learned is... you have to learn to take it in the chin. Really take it without flinching and then savour it with a nice, big smile.

I´m 37 years old, which means I´ve got 12 years of "- NO!" letters under my belt.
Pretty sure there´s many more still out there for me (I could probably cover every wall in my house with the "-NO!" letters I´ve received. :biggrin: ).



That's shocking to me. I saved your Powergirl pic along time ago. Didn't you also draw your version of an All-Star Wonder Woman? I really liked it, and preferred your ideas and costume design. If that wasn't you sorry.

Anyway, I just checked out some of your drawings in your profile. It's hard to believe your art is not in comics while inferior art is all over the shelves.

[ninja Ross]

probem for me is, i can't get an artist to work for free. so far i'm just submiting ideas to image.