ONE STEP: ONE SHOT: BREAKING IN, 2007

[MattBrady]

by Jim Zubkavich

I don't know where I first heard someone say "everyone at cons not already in the industry is trying to break in", but it definitely feels that way. Attend any of the How-To panels at a convention and they're always packed full. Go to any panel and invariably the question gets asked:

"How do you go about breaking in to the industry?"

What they really mean is:

"How do you go about breaking in to a major publisher like Marvel, DC, Dark Horse or Image?"

Editors and creators should just have their answer to that question on a photocopied hand-out so they can save themselves endless repetition and add 10 minutes of better questions to the panel. I know that sounds callous and cocky, but hear me out.

Every time I hear this question get asked the answer is almost always the same: hard work, time and determination mixed with a bit of luck and good social skills. It's almost always a letdown to the person asking because they already know that. They wanted the ultimate secret, some kind of industry handshake or way to stand out from the rest of the submissions. So barring just saying "hard work, time and determination mixed with a bit of luck and good social skills", here's some important things to keep in mind:

Just like any other occupation, you've got to have enough skill to take on the job and be a part of a company's workflow as seamlessly as possible. So...

A) Have you worked on a comic before?

If the answer is "No", you need to do so, even if it's a web comic or simple photocopied pages stapled together, to show that you can actually do the job.

If the answer is "Yes", you need to ensure that it has a similar level of quality to the company you're showing it to. Remember, you want to show them that you can near-seamlessly become a part of what they already do and be an asset. If your comic isn't up to par with what they're already doing, they're not even going to consider you... in which case you need to create more comics until your samples are good enough.

I used to think that 3-6 pages of sequential art would be enough to get a job as an artist (and I wrote about this my previous 'One Step' articles here on Newsarama), but I'm less convinced of that now. Doing a small number of pages doesn't show the full spectrum of what the job entails. It may sound like a lot of work to draw a full 18-22 page story but if you can't/won't do that, how do you expect to do it day-in and day-out once you break in? If doing that all at once seems too intimidating, start with 6-8 page short stories.

If you create comics on your own, you'll improve creatively and build up your work ethic. You'll also get a chance to see if this is what you want to do with your career. Think of it as the minor leagues before you make your way up to pro. Once you have a body of work, it's much easier to convince smaller publishers to take you on for new work or possibly publish the stories you've already created. The more you create, the better you'll get and the more material you'll have to show larger publishers.

Writers write, artists illustrate.
If you're not working on it, you're not growing.

B) Are you applying to the right place?

Does your artwork/writing/coloring/etc fit the publishers you're sending submissions to? Again, this is about integrating with what a company does. Be selective and choose publishers that mesh with your style/mindset. A handful of targeted submissions are far more effective than shotgunning every publisher out there. Also, make sure you know the name of the person who will be receiving your submission so your cover letter doesn't say "Dear Sir/Madam" or "To Whom It May Concern". That personal touch can go a long way.

Do your research. You'll save yourself embarrassment and an undue amount of rejection letters.

C) Are you getting socially involved in the industry?

In my experience, even if you have a great portfolio submission it won't necessarily translate in to a job. Reread that. I know it sounds impossible and depressing but I'll explain.

These jobs have an important social component. Editors and Art Directors prefer to work with people they know or people recommended by folks they trust - PERIOD. Major publishers generally accept submissions as a PR tactic. They don't want to appear ungrateful to their fans, so they open the floodgates to submissions but ignore almost all of them. With so many experienced and skilled freelancers on the market they have NO reason to hire strangers who send samples out of the blue, no matter how talented they are. Untested talent almost always proves to be more trouble than they're worth. You need experience and a push from friends on the inside to make it through that barrier.

People talk about being in the "right place at the right time". What they don't tell you is if you're around for enough social interactions with industry people, you'll create those right places and right times.

Attend a convention. Be sociable, accessible and professional. It's easy to chat about comics, video games, RPGs and movies with folks at a con built off of those hobbies. Keep your art/writing portfolio stashed away and just interact with people. The industry is small enough that the more people you meet, invariably, the better chance you'll get some kind of social hook-up to a publisher you'd like to work with. You can't force it. Just be a friendly person and don't snub any one. You'll make some lifelong friends who love the same things you do and slowly but surely get closer to your goal. It can take a while, but it works. Seriously.

So... after all that blah-blah this is the kicker, the most important sentence in this post:

Having great work and a recommendation/social connection with other people already working in the field is a rock solid way to break in.

This holds true for comics, RPGs, video games, animation... you name it. There are other ways and outright lucky breaks but you can't count on those. A good and appropriate body of work coupled with a few solid social contacts is the killer combo. Once your foot is in the door, you can leverage that with more work/credits and contacts to climb up to where you want to be. Along the way you may realize that a smaller publisher fits your work and gives you the creative fulfillment you always wanted. Your needs will constantly change as you learn and grow.

So, in brief: Go make stuff and make friends.

Previously on One Step:

01 Launch

02 Critical Eyes

03 Sketching It Up

04 Thumbnailing

05 Common Errors

06 The Portfolio

07 Around The Portfolio

08 Portfolio Horror

09 Weird Ways To Get Attention

10 Social Graces

11 Web Workings

12 Ink and Color

13 Talking With a Submissions Editor (Guest column by Samantha Robertson)

14 Post San Diego Comicon 2006

[kamikazi]

Great article! Thanks!

[Jim Beard]

This is truth:

"Major publishers generally accept submissions as a PR tactic."

The more everybody knows this, the better they will be. Its a cold, hard fact. I wish it weren't so, I wish, almost, that editors would just be, well, not polite about it and tell you the truth: you have little or no chance of getting work here. It would save a lot of time, energy, passion, drive, and tears.

That said, I liked this column and agree with its points. Five years and counting of me pitching. Three pro gigs.

Gotta do something about that ratio.

Jim!

[johnchrist]

Yeah, gotta agree with you about the socializing aspects. Did my first table at APE this year and managed to meet a ton of great people including many who I'd talked to at Wondercon, actually tabling at a con helped to solidify me in their memories as just not some other random.
Also learned a lot about what to do and what not to do at tables (with still much much more to learn).
I think something important that I completely missed out on was going to the after-party on Saturday. I have a bunch of friends in the San Francisco area so I got dragged into seeing them that night when I really should've shown up for some good comic drinking.

[Jim Beard]

John, completely OT but... is your name pronounced "Crist" or "Christ"?

Jim

[Arion]

Interesting article.

[HouseStark]

Great article. But I'd have to disagree with "A handful of targeted submissions are far more effective than shotgunning every publisher out there."

Why limit yourself? You never know if a publisher is going to move in a different direction than their traditional one. Even if you're submission isn't a fit, they may like your work and try you out on something different. You never know. It doesn't take all that much more time and effort to send your submission to additional publishers ... especially since most of them take email submisions. There's nothing worng with exposure. Get your stuff looked at.

Great point on "If you're not working on it, you're not growing." Talent is one part of the equation. Work ethic is the other. Without both, you probably won't get far. You can be the most talented bastich in the world, but if you don't have the motivation to produce on a regular basis, you won't make it. I've found this to be my biggest problem when working with artists. I've worked with many talented blokes, but they lacked the motivation, work ethic, or whatever, to execute and produce. As a result, I've moved on, spent my money elsewhere, and will never give them a recommendation. If you burn too many people, believe me, word will spread. The comic book community is small -- be professional.

[Charlie Hustle]

"
"Major publishers generally accept submissions as a PR tactic."

"

ouch that sucks i'll have to forward this to my buddy who's trying to get in lol

[BClayMoore]

Originally Posted by Charlie Hustle

"
"Major publishers generally accept submissions as a PR tactic."

"

ouch that sucks i'll have to forward this to my buddy who's trying to get in lol

It's also not necessarily true.

Image certainly accepts submissions from new creators, and accepts projects from unproven talent when the work is worthy. They're not turning down good projects just because they're not drinking buddies with the people submitting.

Also--if a publisher is willing to accept submissions, it usually means someone is going to look at those submissions. There's no PR benefit to collecting reams of submissions and then tossing them away.

-BCM

[Joe Willy]

Originally Posted by BClayMoore

It's also not necessarily true.

Image certainly accepts submissions from new creators, and accepts projects from unproven talent when the work is worthy. They're not turning down good projects just because they're not drinking buddies with the people submitting.

Also--if a publisher is willing to accept submissions, it usually means someone is going to look at those submissions. There's no PR benefit to collecting reams of submissions and then tossing them away.

-BCM

Image is also a whole 'nother ball of wax from nearly everyone else because of their publishing model. Image IS an open door and that's why they've got arguable the best and most diverse line-up of comics in the industry right now.

Does anyone know if it's considered uncouth to send your stuff directly to an editor or assistant editor? Seems to me that the submissions editor is usually kind of a gate-keeper who can't even really give out work when it seems like what you really need is to establish a personal contact with someone who actually has books they need talent to fill.

[HouseStark]

As the saying goes, "Cream always rises to the top." If your stuff is awesome, not matter what method of submission method you follow (unless it's illegal or extremely annoying), you can get picked up. Get your stuff out there. Get exposure. Take advantage of each and every possible way to get your stuff seen by a publisher. Don't worry about embarrassing yourself or rejection letters. If you're going to be successful, you better get used to rejection and a lot more. Don’t give up. Try every pathway in front of you, and a few that are not. And don’t let anyone say you can’t do anything.

[Kolimar]

Interesting article. I agree with with pretty much everything said but I think HouseStark has a good point there.