Or, rather, he broke down his “breaking into comics” tips into 140-character blocks and offered his advice to anyone who wanted to listen. Or read. Or follow.
Therefore, before Steve’s matter-of-fact guru thoughts disappeared into the ether, I thought I would capture them, translate them for the Twitter uninitiated, and polish up some of the niceties. (Genius can’t wait on punctuation and spelling, people!)
Really, it’s good stuff. And if I’m remembered for being the Engels to his Marx, so much the better.
Starting on Thursday, June 25, 2009, at 2:21 pm EST
Since I’m going over submissions today, wanted to dish out some advice on the best way to break into the industry via creator-owned work –
Almost every company out there publishes creator-owned work, although if you’re just starting out it’ll be easier to get your work… published at an independent company. @archaiacomics, Image, @darkhorsecomics, @boomstudios, @topcow, & @onipress are good places to start.
(Note: The @ preceding a word notates a specific Twitter account, be it a person or a group. Also, ellipses denote two separate tweets being strung together for this transcription.)
Do your research. The thing to be aware of is that every company has their own submission guidelines and their own creator-owned deal.
Before you start submitting your work, try to get to know people at each company and build personal relationships. Sad to say, but I’ll… read a submission from someone I know quicker than I’ll read a blind submission. Find people on Twitter and Facebook and make friends.
Can’t speak for other companies, but at @archaiacomics we generally look for pitches from a writer/artist or a writer and artist team.
If you’re a writer, you should find an artist for your pitch, and vice-versa. All of us in indy comics are overworked and we are… generally more likely to give attention to a pitch with illustrations/sequentials than a full-issue script with no visuals attached.
The best thing that I personally like to read is a 4-8 page summary of your idea, maybe issue breakdowns if you want to do it as a series.
(Note: Steve added this reply to @anthonyferrante when asked about the content of a summary: “Prose-y write-up of the book and it’s direction. Something that gives the high-level pitch, story breakdown, and ‘feeling.’”)
Include with it a cover and 4-5 pages of sequential art from the book, lettered, and colored if you want.
The creator-owned comic business is tough. Most people get no money upfront for their work, and if your book doesn’t sell, there’s no backend.
But — there’s nothing like owning your work at the end of the day, and connecting with readers through an idea that is 100% yours.
And when you do have a hit that’s creator-owned, the financial upside can be incredible. Look at Mignola, Miller, Allred, and @mouseguard.
If a publisher bites on that, have stuff ready for a follow-up… full-issue script, more potential artwork, character breakdowns, etc.
Also important to understand what the indie publishing scene looks like. For every Walking Dead, there’s 20 books that don’t last 4 issues.
If you want to tell a 50-issue magnum opus, it’s probably not going to happen your first time out. Try to construct a story that, if it…only lasts four issues, can still be a satisfying read to the fans who do pick it up. That’s something I really appreciate as a publisher.
After you submit your pitch, be patient. It can sometimes take up to 6 months (if not longer) for publishers to get back to you.
And the honest truth is that there’s probably some publishers who won’t write you back if they aren’t interested. Don’t get discouraged.
Most importantly, understand that you aren’t going to be making money right away. Don’t get into creator-owned work unless you have a… plan for how to manage your finances during the time that it takes to create a series.
If you’re not an established name, publishers will generally recoup the costs that they put into your book BEFORE a revenue split kicks in.
Depending on publisher, you’re going to need to sell 2,000-4,000 copies per issue of your book before that split happens.
So, if your numbers come in at 1,500 copies, don’t be shocked when there’s no money coming in.
Lastly, when putting together your pitch, focus on making a good COMIC. While some publishers are looking for comics-as-movie pitches… if you want any longevity to your work/career in the comics industry, you need to make sure you’re making a great comic first and foremost.
Let your publisher and people like me worry about how to sell your comic as a TV/film/videogame. 
Go to conventions and meet publishers! Buy @CBCebulski a beer. Ask @joekeating for advice. Make homemade penne with pesto for @topcow. (jk!)
The comic book biz is the most amazing, frustrating, and rewarding business around, and we need more creator-owned work out there.
And with that, I gotta go make some funny books 
See you all in San Diego! If anyone has questions you know where to find me.
Ended on Thursday, June 25, 2009, at 3:29 pm.
Written by Steve Christy (@stephenchristy).
Edited by A. David Lewis (@adlewis).
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