Getting a job in the comic industry?
Dave A. Law
On Tue, 7 Mar 1995, Marty Busse wrote:
> Anyone know how you go about getting a job in the comics industry? I'm
> graduating from college in a bout a year or so, and would love to
> write for comics. I would appreciate it if anyone with that info would
> email me or post it.
Trying to get a job within the comic book industry is one of the hardest
things to do, especially for a writer. Odds are you will never make
enough money to live off such a job, even you get regular work from a
publisher, so have a day job to fall back on. I have worked on and off
within the comic book industry, as a writer and editor, for ten years
with a scattering number of credits and in certain ways I have been one
of the lucky ones. Some people try and never get published, unless they
self-publish.
The best way to start would be to get all the information you can. Read
books such as:
- Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
- Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner
Some people may tell you that such books are only for artists, but
personally I have found that they can teach a writer a lot too.
Another thing you can do is to try acquire the proper education, such as
taking a basic English & grammar course, (any weakness in this way is
sure to hinder you in some way, though comic publishers tend to be more
willing to accept such flaws than other writing industries). Also, a
script writing course could be of some help to better understand some of
the principles of comic writing, as far as camera angles, imagery, and
the flow of scenes. Any education you take will help you regardless.
In addition to this you can find a bunch of information in the Comic
Ground archieve at Cerebus. Included here are various submission
guidelines from a number of publishers. Though they are over a year old,
they are a good point of reference and starting point in getting an idea
of what publishers are generally looking for from a writer. In addition
they have a few scripts and various articles in and about the comic
industry, such as an article from John Ostrander on Plotting. In
addition to this you can find e-mail addresses in R.A.C.M. faq's of a
number of comic publishers online. Relatedly the publisher of Indy,
(who's name I forget at the moment), puts out a fairly complete
collection of comic publishers which you can write to. I suggest you
query any publisher before you send anything to them.
Once you have gotten an idea of how to write a comic script and some idea
of what publishers are looking for, it is time to put together some
submission packages for publishers. I will warn you it will be much
easier to sell a project to a publisher if you have an artist with that
project. (I have sold projects before without artists but it is much
easier to sell one with one). You can find artists by advertising at a
local art college or even at a local art store (if they will let you). I
have found success that before. You can also send out a posting on the
net. (I had a dozen replies that way myself). I should also warn you
that the major publishers (DC, Marvel & Image), and all only looking for
stories dealing with their established characters than any creator-owned
material. Though it is possible to get work from them by sending in
submissions it is much easier to get work from them if you are published
elsewhere. An additional problem is that any submisisons done for them
you can't use again without reworking them for another company's
characters. Personally I try to limit the amount of work I have to do.
So, I would suggest that you target you submissions to smaller
publishers who are willing to look at creator-owned work.
The true key to any success in comics is networking. Go out and meet
people working in or interested in working in the comic industry. You
never know when you will meet someone who will tell you where you can
submit your work or even give you that big break you are looking for.
There are a number of groups already existing that you can join that
would be of some help. Of mailing lists I would suggest you join
COMICS-L and if you can get into COMIC-W, (a comic writer's workshop
group), though the latter is very limited in numbers. There are a few
others floating around but I don't know enough about them. In addition
there are groups outside the internet such as APA-apa, which is an apa
for aspiring and published comic talents, which is a good group to belong
to. There is also another apa called SHOPTALK but this is only for
people you have had something published within the comic book industry,
(they are not picky on what though).
I hope this will at least give you a bit to go on, (as whole articles
could be written on this subject and have been). If you want any
additional help or advice feel free to contact me.
- Dave A. Law
dl...@freenet.calgary.ab.ca
DG CHI
you get regular work from a publisher, so have a day job to fall back on.>
Hmm. Guess I've beaten the odds, then.
It *is* very possible to make a living, and a good one, in comics. Mr.
Law's advice (in a previous post along this thread) is some very good,
considered advice toward that end. Right now, however, the marketplace
being the black hole that it is and publishers being especially reluctant
to green light new projects or personalities, it is probably the toughest
time in recent history for anyone - especially a writer - to break in.
DGC
Marty Busse
graduating from college in a bout a year or so, and would love to write for comics. I would appreciate it if anyone with that info would email me or post it.
--
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"Mercy is God's Business. Justice is mine."-Yeoman
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and to hear the lamentations of their women." -Conan