Now comes the part I like least and, not surprisingly, the part I struggle most with: delivering a pitch. Don’t get me wrong: if my task was to put together a packet, mail it off, and await a reply, I’d be absolutely fine. Because I’m meticulous with my work, by the time I’m ready to show it to prospective publishers, believe me, it’s ready. As evidenced in this blog, JM and I have put in a lot of time crafting each panel on every page, paying special attention to each painstaking detail. I had the entire script written before even finding an artist—a script that went through many drafts and rewrites.
But this is getting a bit off point. We’re talking about the practical function behind making pitches, and how they work. Well, that’s tricky. A number of publishers accept mailed or emailed pitch packets (though some of them have a well-established reputation for not reading/replying) usually consisting of a few completed pages, lettered, colored and all. Sometimes it’s a few pages, sometimes an entire issue. The problem here is your work, regardless of how closely you followed the guidelines and how worthy it is, gets dumped in the slush pile. Editors are busy people and, unfortunately, they have little patience for the slush pile, since most of the submissions there read like the work of a madman. (Believe me, I’ve been there—the things I’ve read from the slush pile range from incoherent to absolutely insane, I kid you not).
Other publishers don’t take submissions, either for legal reasons or because they simply can’t overburden their already overworked staff. Totally understandable.
So where does that leave the prospective contributor? In a tough spot, though it’s by no means a hopeless situation. The key is in that dirty word that makes all artists cringe: networking. And there’s no place better to let editors and publishers know who you are and what your work is about than at a con.
Now, of course, a lot of this information isn’t groundbreaking. Ron Marz, Jason Aaron, and Warren Ellis have all written about how to make the rounds at a con. Basically, it’s the rules of basic social etiquette: be friendly, polite, and professional. Easy enough, right? It is, but I still get full of nerves when thinking about approaching publishers about my work—catching editors at the right time, having their full attention, saying what I mean to say, there’s a lot of factors that go into this pivotal moment.
Nonetheless, I’ll be making the rounds at c2e2 a week from today, shopping Terminus for the very first time. JM and I have been ready to show the book around for awhile, but wanted to wait not only for a con, but also to get some Hoax Hunters under our belts (part two releases March 16, two days before c2e2 begins).
I think what we have is pretty strong, to be honest. For starters, JM’s art is flat-out amazing. I’ve applauded his intelligence and skill many times on this blog, and since the release of Hoax Hunters, numerous people have come out to praise his work. And I absolutely stand by the story. I think the content, themes, tone, pace, and art combine to create something that comics isn’t delivering much of these days: contemplative, slow-burn sci-fi in the vein of Blade Runner and Gattaca. Hell, no medium is doing much in that tradition. It’s a risky story we’re telling, in content and method, but it’s the one JM and I want to tell.
What I have for the con is a 12-page comic-sized preview, containing the first 8 pages of Terminus (you can read the fist five of those pages here), two character sketches, the cover (shown above), and a synopsis page. I also have this site to direct people to, as well as some other published works. Owing to that, I feel more confident than I have in the past, but there’s just no telling how these things will go. If you’re a publisher and reading this, feel free to jump the gun and contact me if you’re interested!
(One can dream, of course).
While I’m here, it would be remiss not to mention a word on the cover. It’s a little different, in terms of comics covers go, yet classic as well. JM and I looked at a lot of European designs, film posters, things of that nature, and came up with the cover together. JM executed is perfectly, giving a sense of intrigue with the images and disharmony, reflecting the themes of the book, in the way they are laid out. As before, we’re paying special, careful attention to layout and design.
That’s it for now–hopefully I have good news to report from c2e2!
