Catching a Vision 015
Breaking Comics Out: Self-Publishing Part 2
Catching a Vision, the (sorta, kinda) weekly column on Comic Related from C. Edward Sellner, Founder and Creative Director of Visionary Comics Studio. CAV provides practical guidance on how to break into the comics industry, as well as insights into this medium we all love. With resources you can order online, interviews and debates with comic professionals, and online workshops, this is your best introduction into the wonders of creating comics!
Before we get rolling this time, a quick reminder...
At the bottom of every one of my columns and interviews is a list of various sites of interest, including my networking and various Visionary sites. New this time around is the new Twitter pages for myself and Visionary. Check them out and sign up to follow both for all the latest news and info, including updates on when the CAV column or CAV Interviews go live.
Okay, let's jump right back into the Self-Publishing pool. Last time we defined WHO a self-publisher was and realized that term covers a large diversity. We then asked the question of WHY self-publish? We started with the easy group to define, those who simply have a passion to make comics and get them out there for anyone who cares to enjoy it. For these folks whatever commercial success they experience in the process is mere icing on the cake.
But we closed with bringing up the fact that many people self-publish more as a means to an end. Meaning, they set out with the goal of doing something more and see self-publishing as being the leverage to start them on that road. Some of these folks want to launch careers as paid, professional creators. Others hope to launch some property that will enjoy huge success such as getting optioned. Some even start 'self-publishing' in the hopes of growing into a real publisher.
Now, I'm not saying these two groups are mutually exclusive. Some start off doing their own thing because that is what they enjoy and they have the passion for it. In doing it, they also fervently hope doors will open, and if and when those doors do open, they are quick to go racing through them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact, these are the people who tend to be the most successful, because they are starting with their focus in the right place, to first and foremost create!
But this doesn't cover everyone who is self-publishing. Some people see it merely as a means to an end. They hope it will be the springboard that will quickly launch that bigger career with other things. Let's take a little more in-depth look at that angle.
No, I mean REALLY...WHY?
If the simple passion and love for comics as a medium, and your burning need to get a certain series, or story out there and told is not your primary motivation in self-publishing, then you really need to ask yourself some hard questions as to why? What concrete goals do you have in self-publishing and is that the best way to meet those goals? This is the best way to help ensure that you don't end up frustrated and wondering why you set out on this journey in the first place.
First, if your ultimate goal is you want to build a successful comic publisher, that starts with publishing your own material but then broadens its horizons and publishes a line of books, then obviously, getting something out and rolling is the start of the process. You are going to want to focus on doing the best job you can to create the best product you can and get it out regularly and expand. All the future columns on the business end of comics...those are for you.
For the rest of you...read on...
If your answer to the question of why self-publish in any way includes something about a desire to make it in the mainstream industry, or involves a frustration in hitting walls using submissions or other means of breaking in, then step back and consider all your options. Self-publishing may be the best route, but it may not. A lot of it depends on how you really answer the question of why and if you've really considered all your options.
Why Not?
Some of you may ask yourselves, well, why not self-publish? I make it sound like it's some major issue. It's certainly not on a level of say...joining the military, or getting married. But it is a commitment of time, energy, effort and often money. It also often means you are working with other people who are also investing all these things and want to see some payoff at the end of it.
So the WHY is something to duly consider before moving forward. Doing so helps ensure you aren't wasting your investment. It also helps ensure you aren't letting down others who are investing in one way or another, and that you don't end up feeling like the whole process was an exercise in futility.
Self-publishing may indeed be a great route to go and a great journey to take. The question is is it really the journey you want to take and is it the best route to get to where you want to go?
Let's take a couple examples to illustrate this point.
Bill is an artist who wants to break into comics. His lifelong dream has been to draw for DC. He has submitted pages over and over again. At conventions he shows his portfolio to editors and gets some nice compliments, but mostly a laundry list of things to work on. Bill decides he's going to self-publish in order to get his work out there and prove he can draw comics.
Well, if in fact Bill is getting a laundry list of things wrong with his art, chances are, ignoring all that advice and just going out on his own is not going to help him much in accomplishing his goal. Art that some editor rejects because it looked bad in a portfolio is going to be rejected just as quick if it's in a self-published book. If there are lots of problems in the art, the project he self-publishes is also going to get a limited response. That means any funds he invests in printing, or setting up tables at conventions and trying to get word out about his book is going to meet a ho-hum response at best.
Now, if Bill had made that same level of commitment to improving his art and resolving the issues in his portfolio, he may have moved much quicker toward his goal. Say instead he invested the money in classes instead of self-publishing? What if he spent the time he invested in drawing a self-published book in doing practice pages, sending them in, then fixing the laundry list of issues and sending them back to the same editor in a timely fashion? What if that kind of determination sparked an interest from the editor and they corresponded through several such progressions until Bill was ready for a shot?
Another example: Marty is a decent writer and his goal is to work for one of the big two as a professional, he doesn't care which. He's tried to get published, even by some smaller outfits, but, like most writers finds it virtually impossible. He is a firm believer in either owning what he creates or being paid for his work, but he can't seem to find an avenue to do either. He decides to self-publish one of his own projects. He doesn't know much about art, but recruits the best artist he can find and then moves forward. His plan is to get some issues published and then use those in his portfolio to show he can follow through and write something good.
Okay, a viable plan, but let's ask some questions. If Marty feels so strongly about either owning what he writes or being paid up front is he turning down some options he could pursue that would lead to the same end result? Could he write for a smaller publisher on the promise of back-end? True, he wouldn't own it, or be paid up front (and likely not at all) but, he would still get to his endpoint of having a published book with his name on it. If he doesn't know much about art, is he hurting his chances by accepting art on something that detracts from the overall project? The time he's investing in doing his own book, could he spend more time writing these back-end projects and maybe even end up with three or four published books with his name on them instead of the one?
In both of these scenarios self-publishing may get these guys where they want to go. But the truth is there are other options that might get them there faster. Okay, you say, why not do both? Of course, another good option. But one of the biggest challenges creators face is actually making the time to produce. Which means if you start self-publishing chances for you to pursue other creative goals may often get back-burnered. Just be aware of that.
Each individual creator has to decide this on his or her own, no one else, ultimately can do it for you. But the exercise of asking the question and coming up with good, solid answers is never a wasted effort.
Of course if you do tackle the big question of WHY and come up with good reasons to indeed self-publish, you then are forced right into the thick of the next big question: WHAT? As in what should you self-publish? We unpack that one next time.
NOW ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SUBJECT...
THE INDUSTRY ROUND-UP
Get the (re)Source Special Edition #2
Networking Sites
Last time I mentioned Deviant Art and I also want to include Elfwood
These are both networking and art portfolio sites. Both offer opportunities to look for artists, or network with other artists. Both also offer opportunities to invite and receive criticism and feedback on your art and both can serve as a portfolio site in a pinch. DA has some advantages in that you can sell prints of your art, have more applications to help increase your ability to network, journals to keep people up to date on what you're doing, and the option to follow those whose work you enjoy, so you know when they post something new. Elfwood also has a sometimes lengthy approval process before new pieces are posted.
Twitter
I was slow to warm up to Twitter because of the 140 character limit, but what I'm finding is that this is a very specialized networking resource for breaking news items and updates. It can serve as a nice central way to connect people to various other things in the works or online. It's also a great way to stay up to date on news in the industry and other creators.
Comic Creator Resources
Creating Comics by Dave A. Law
I haven't mentioned this in so long I feel like I've drifted away from a good friend. Creating Comics is a vast network of links to other resource sites, broken down into categories on creating and publishing. It has helpful articles, blogs, and video links. This is a great starting place for anyone wanting to create comics.
Scryptic Studios
A great script resource for writers, but also a great resource for artists wanting good scripts to do sample pages from. There are how to articles and links as well as an archive of scripts from professionals.
I've mentioned Sketch Magazine online and the Inkwell Awards recently, but it can't hurt to mention them again. On the Inkwells, you can now vote for your favorite inker for this year's awards. If you missed my roundtable interview with the guys behind these awards... shame on you.
Digital Webbing Forums
These are some of the best forums for aspiring creators. There are sections you can post your work and get solid, in-depth and excellent feedback, including from professionals. There are also classifieds for both collaborations and paid work where you can check for opportunities.
Comic Book Conventions
The Master List
This site, Comic Book Conventions.com is a master list of shows, from local to the biggies. It collects PR from each and gives a master chronological listing of shows including hotlinks directly to the con sites when possible.
Cheers and Jeers
Cheers to Cla$$war - I found this title late in its original run. Good, solid storytelling, now being collected into a hardcover by Com.X.
Jeers to Obama Comics Gone Wild - Yeah the IDW comic on Obama's life was great, yes its pre-orders predicted his win. Yes, the Bluewater comics on his wife Michelle and their follow-up on his life are also great. Yeah, it's been cool that he has appeared in a number of fictional comics in ways that worked and made sense to the story. But...as a Barbarian? Fighting aliens? Teamed with Ash? My God people find a new band-wagon to jump on!
Cheers to Usagi Yojimbo - The little feller turns 25 and we get to celebrate with a new book from Dark Horse! Now that's a gift!
Cheers to BlueWater Productions - They just signed an exclusive with Diamond Books, a pretty big thing for them! Congrats Darren, you worked hard for it!
Cheers to Rich Johnston on Bleeding Cool - Check it out at www.bleedingcool.com
Catching the Visionaries...
So, I've started taking guesses as to which licensed comic I'm going to be writing for an established publisher. On my Facebook and Twitter I've given the hints so far that it's based on a long running TV series that carved a niche for one of the most successful franchises out there today. I'm going to make this a contest. Whoever guesses it right first will get a signed first edition set of the first story arc. So guess early and guess often. I will dole out a few more clues as we go along and will formally announce ASAP.
Next...
Join the discussion and add your thoughts on this edition, or the column in general. If you have any questions or suggestions for resources, post them or email them to Sellner so they can be included in future columns. Are you an aspiring or up and coming creator and would like to share your story? Email Sellner and let him know who you are and what you've done.
C. Edward Sellner is the co-founder and Creative Director of Visionary Comics Studio, a studio that within its first three years has drawn high praise from the media and attracted the attention of legendary creators in the comics industry. They have been digitally and print published in the mainstream market and their creators currently work with over a dozen different publishers. Their work has been featured on television news shows, radio programs and internet podcasts as well as featured in every major comics news site online.
Contact him directly at cedwardsellner@aol.com
You can find him at...
Comic Related Forums
Facebook
Deviant Art
MySpace
ComicSpace
Twitter
Visionary Comics Studio
The official site of the Studio where Sellner serves as Creative Director.
Visionary's Networking Sites:
VCS' Facebook Group
VCS' MySpace Page
VCS' ComicSpace Page
VCS' Twitter Page
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