Awesome video man! I've been studying like crazy the last few weeks on the process of comic writing and have been rereading my entire collection of comics in preparation for beginning my own. I've worked with artists in the past for games, done script writing for my videos, and have submitted short stories for publishing. This video was a treasure trove of knowledge and insight. Having some background in other creative fields helps understand for sure, but you broke down pitching comics in general fantastically. Apperciate you taking the time to make this and share your knowledge with us. A lot of points you made are now in my notes for reference. Good luck on your project man! Hope you find success in both the process of making it and releasing it into the world!!
Thank you so much for this insightful look at the industry! Getting published still seems far away for me, but it always helps to learn as much as I can going in.
I appreciate you taking time to explain in depth and in lemans terms so that I could understand the submission process. I was watching your video in my back yard. I stood up and said I’m going to change my life, I’m going to finish my comic, I’m going to submit it. But first I’m going to finish this video and do further research to really get it done. Then the brightest falling star I’ve ever seen dropped from the sky and I knew it was true! Thank you!
@@JaushuaRobinson wow what a story! Thanks so much for sharing, I hope you accomplish your goal :) honestly I have done so much research and in my own day job get a lot of requests for opportunities not unlike what I imagine Image or similar publishers are looking for. Good luck on your journey!!
I found this helpful and very inspiring to answer your last statement :D About the minimum requirement of pages - Meredith Finch has regularly said on David Finch's streams that Image required either all the art to be done, or *a lot* of the art to be done whenever she pitched to Image. So if you're going in with 6 pages, I think it best be the 6 most amazing pages. :) I've subbed to see more of your journey!
Hey I appreciate that, I agree I know 6 pages is the minimum ask but personally I think industry outsiders would benefit from having the project near total completion. To me the 6 pages is more of a formality for the industry people coming over from Marvel and DC
@@creatorowned851 I don't have an artist, I just have a really good story and I know that it is one of the best stories in the world, but I don't have an artist. Can I still pitch it? Will they accept?
@@NBSS2809 they will not accept story ideas. Basically they are looking for completed projects that are ready to go or projects that have a team who has a track record they can be confident in. Publishers are mostly just looking to distribute your work for a cut of the profits, not invest in an intellectual property
Thanks for this video! It was enlightening to have your take on what those submission guidelines mean. It’s been a while since I last read them myself. Since that point, I have two issues of my project completed (I’m making my books all alone), and what you said about putting in the 5 years to just get it done felt good to hear, and took some pressure off.
That’s the hardest part but many people take just as long to release and album or a feature film. What’s important is persevering. If at the end of 5 years you have a comic completed it’s not a waste of five years. The next project will happen much quicker! (Unless you are George RR Martin lol)
That’s awesome to hear that even with my limited experience it was true to what your experiences have been like, that’s why I thought I’d share some knowledge. Where can we find your book?
@@creatorowned851 some stores and through Diamond. Here’s the trailer if you are interested in learning more. Edie Horror Comic Book Trailer 1 January 10, 2024 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KXPQ0nFcYnw.html
I have a question I’m working on my comic book/manga right now and I’m almost done but i don’t know if image comics accepts solo creators because I read that dark horse dosent dose image do? And dose image accept the full comic as a pitch ones I’m done?
@@creatorowned851 it's exciting. I've been pondering in this idea for darn 32 years and basically watched this video and was like "wait, why am I afraid of doing this?" I'm stoked about pursuing it and failing a few times, but better late than never trying.
@@inktologist you should ABSOLUTELY do it. Even if you only do it for yourself. I would recommend doing a few smaller projects like 1 page stories or scenes if you feel the need to learn about collaborating (assuming you are not drawing it yourself) Read Words for Pictures by Bendis: “if you’re not failing you’re not trying hard enough.” I failed plenty, and will continue to make mistakes, but I feel ready for a bigger challenge.
Comic book industry needs to start paying better. People need to be able to devote their entire time to this craft, not have to hold down 2nd and 3rd jobs.
In terms of creator owned comics (Image) you will be the one making all of the profits for your work, and just paying them a portion of sales for their retail relationships. Image does not invest in creators and pay them to make a book. You approach image with a finished product and they print and distribute it. You basically have to run your operation entirely independently after that. As for Marvel and DC idk what they pay but I hear it ain’t much. Most people do a few years there to make a name and then pivot to their own IP.
Amazing video by the way, but I have a question for the artist. Sooo, am I suppose to send them not original submissions and send them all ready Image Comics created characters artworks? I have a ton of Spawn covers that I did.
@@tapinewoods3937 great question, for proposals you would never want to submit material utilizing original characters- but for art samples that is intriguing because in theory the reason they would keep you on file is in the event they want you on a book they already produce. I personally have no clue what they would look for so I suppose a variety of original material and “licensed characters” is fine to send just remember not to send originals of your artwork (it’s digital only now anyway) I’ll try to ask this question if I ever get a contact at Image
Ive been planning to pitch and this has veen helpful, but i had a doubt, just last day i read that you have to pay for the costs like printing and stuff huge amounts like 5-10 grand IF image decides to publish and what you're essentially getting is the brand on your book and ... Niw i understand that they don't pay page rates..and a lot of the profit depends on your book success Is this trye or is there like different contracta for each..?
Excellent video, thanks! I have one question please: regarding the art only submissions, would you recommend sending a PDF, a ZIP file, or a link to a website displaying the work? Thanks.
good video. I think a bog problem with indie guys is that they simply are not willing to do the work and sacrifice thats needed. period. none of what you have shared is easy but nothing that is of any value is easy. put if in the time, effort, determination and MONEY... you will be successful. the recipe is basic, you just have to want to win more than the competition.
hey man! Great video I loved all your insight but I had a question! I'm unclear on if like you need to pay image for some kind of funding when they accept your submission. Is the only thing you need to worry about if the book is already fully finished just getting accepted or is there some finances you have to consider?
Image prints and distributes your book and takes a portion of the profit. They have the business relationships to get the book into stores and it’s essentially a “seal of approval” / they likely have a number of books retailers expect them to introduce each year. What they are unlikely to do is take your idea and pay you to make the book, it should basically be done already because they have NO stake and no ownership other than book sales. Dark Horse however *might* operate differently because they seem invested in the licensing side of things (movies, games, etc)
thanks for this! i've been hopeful for a major publisher that accepts writer only submissions similar to a literary publisher as i'm sure bigger publishers would be able to facilitate this and ease the financial difficulties a writer faces when trying to put a project together but it doesn't seem to be a thing, the only one i've seen from a somewhat well known publisher is humanoids, might be interesting to take a look at that
Literary publishers at least pay you an advance of $50,000. However, this standard has not changed in decades, it can be very difficult to make money as a published author unless you’re an industry giant. Comics are definitely far more down the road of the expense is on the creator, but the caveat is you get to own your work and it’s success which is a good trade off (in my mind anyway)
My understanding of how Robert Kirkman pitched the Walking Dead series is that after an initial rejection, he stated that there was an alien invasion conceit with zombies used as a point of misdirection. After a few very successful issues, Jim Valentino asked when the aliens would show up, and Kirman stated that there were no aliens, now having proof of concept in high sales. Could you let me know if you're familiar with this story?
Does Image still require you to pay for the printing costs and Image will handle the distribution? Back in the 90's a friend of mine did a creator owned book but he had to pay for all the printing costs...
My impression is that they print and distribute and take a cut of the profits but honestly it wouldn’t be too surprising at least if that’s how it was, that is not totally unlike the way the record industry works, which is basically a label fronts you a loan and you have to earn it back
How do you ensure that they promote and push distribution for the creators? What if they just half ass your title? The record labels used to pull that s**t.
@@Xodgilla that would likely be negotiated with the publisher but I have a friend who worked in distributing independent film and honestly the budget to market something like that is something the creators want to account for if not own. I intend to market my project with my own money. I’d like to do a video on that at some point
Excellent video, and very informative. Unfortunately, since I didn't know what Image Comics did, for me, the information isn't too useful. The problem is that I'm not watching the right video. At 11:00 you mention that Image doesn't accept writing samples. That's what I have. Actually, an entire book (85% completed). It's a somewhat unconventional science fiction novel which I do not think traditional book publishers will be interested in. The thought occurred to me that--for a variety of reasons I won't bore you with (unless you ask)--my novel might make an excellent and quite profitable graphic novel. My RU-vid search pattern was therefore looking for information on how to contact comic *creators* who would be interested in adapting a finished manuscript for publication as a long-running graphic novel. Could you make some suggestions in that regard? Thank you. And again, great video. Thank you for that, too.
You're great at breaking this information down. I'm subscribing to follow your journey! I've had writing a comic in the back of my head for years and the information feels very scattered. If you have the time/experience/knowledge I'd love to know about finding an artist as a writer. Where to go to see examples of work, how to approach payment, etc. From what I've read paying upfront per page is a necessity (which is totally valid, I live with a digital artist and know how much artists get screwed over) but then how do you negotiate revenue share and such? If I got paid $1500 for an issue that holds millions of copies I'd be pretty upset. Anyway, thanks for sharing. Keep it up!
Thanks so much! These are all things I am looking to address. In an upcoming video I mention how most of this is “work for hire / gig economy stuff.” IMO you should pay 50% upfront 50% upon completion so no one gets burned. Even then it can be tough. Some artists are not super concerned with the “what happens next” phase (because it rarely does generate profit) but yeah as a writer you are often the one putting all the investment in which to me means you should get the lions share of the revenue. I’ll do a little more research on this.
If I had to guess it’s probably because you can very quickly judged if someone’s art is up to par, and if so it would be very easy to keep someone in store for filling in on a project. That and when it comes to writing there are legal liabilities if you send someone ideas. This is why Dark Horse has a release form. They’ll just throw away a script if they get it because legally they can’t look at an unsolicited idea.
I'm making a comic and also post it to webtoons. Ive been thinking about going to image once im done, but i dont know if my comic looks professional enough for that. Im learning and growing though with is encouraging. Any thoughts?
Doing your work in smaller increments like this while you can still gain experience and build a following is definitely the right approach. Image might not accept the book but there’s plenty of smaller publishers out there as well. Having something complete is the easiest way to get it collected and published in a traditional format however. Basically if you have the time to keep doing it on your own, just do it at your pace. There’s a great page called C Cassandra, she does short 4 panel comics on social media but I believe she worked out a book deal with Scholastic, so it’s very much possible that shorts and stories will get noticed if you’re doing good work and being consistent
@@creatorowned851 Thanks, I appreciate the help. I've been doing it on my own time after work. I have 118 pages done and I'm thinking it will probably be about 220 pages. It's a dinosaur, fantasy, horror comic so definitely have to be a publisher that's okay with some gore.
@@michaelmunster9074 I love the fact that dinosaur is part of it, sounds like my kind of comic! The important thing to remember is not every creative project has to exceed our greatest expectations. Let it be part of the journey
If I had 5 pages of my book finished and image was interested. Would I still have to complete the book on my own, or would I receive pay from them that I could split with my artist to finish the book?
@@jamalblair2987 my big piece of advice is to have the book like… near complete before you pitch if you can hack it. It’s VERY unlikely they will accept a cold pitch based on the minimum requirements if you have no prior track record. They’ll do that for proven creators, but my advice is be ready to go the distance, show them you are serious!
@@Moviegrapevine I’m attempting to have my first trade done or near done before pitching so there is confidence from the publisher that the project is ready and fully realized.
@@lordzedd9453 they mean submit original ideas that you have the rights to (so for example don’t pitch an idea for a Spawn spinoff to Dark Horse) but don’t send original artwork means do not send in the pages of art you created but rather a scan or digital copy. Actually I’m pretty sure they don’t event take physical submissions anymore.
Okay so i haven't watched the whole video and i don't know if you answer this later but i really wanted to know does image accept submissions if you are not in America
explain something to me please... on the proposal, the 5 pages to be submitted, should it be a random completed short story like a one shot manga or should it be just a piece the actual story.... e.g: 5 or more pages of lets say the introduction or the first chapter
I just put another video out discussing the Dark Horse pitch submission guidelines. You definitely want it to be 5 fully functional pages though it does not have to be a full story. It also does not have to be just the intro / opening to your story. A short story would be fine as long as it’s clear you have more places to go with the universe. I would look into if Image distributes manga or not, it’s possible they do not have an arm of their business that supports Japanese style manga but I’m uncertain there.
Image is not indie anymore they mainly only accept dc and marvel alumni their like a retirement home for already established artist to make indie works. submitting to them cold turkey is pointless they most likely won't respond. Also you have to pay upfront for printing cost out of your own pocket no other company is like that.
@@MeekandMeTry titancomics or dark horse through dark horse is pretty bad right now. I would say idw but they’re on their last leg only being held up by their tmnt license and they don’t pay there creators on time. Another is antarctic press.
that is wild i was not aware of that fact. so they use your idea and make you pay the printing cost and then also pocket some of the money what’s the point of going with them ?
@@ShamanTiers you sound like you’re either in the industry or adjacent. Thank you for the advice, I’ll probably apply to them all cause once the demo is finished why not? All the work was in making it so sending it out too as many as possible makes the most sense to me. What do you think?
@@ivimarty Submitting to image is more of a brand thing, if people see your comic with the image logo in the corner it may potentially boost sales since image is a popular recognizable company that's the only difference but it's not a guarantee it'll actually make a difference in sells if you submit it to them compared to a different company.
Image Central will NEVER even get back about your pitch if you are a no name writer / artist! They only work with high profile names in the biz. So Image this days is only for DC and MARVEL creatives to do side projects. Sucks, but this is the truth! Just look at the names who publish at images for the last 20 years and you can see image is NOT for YOU! It for the Snyders nd Hickmans and Capullos out there. For YOU it is better to do crowdfunding with one completed book!
That’s more or less my advice: plan on doing your book with or without Image. If you have a completed book it is POSSIBLE they will pick it up, but if you’re not willing to go the distance then yes your chances are likely near zero. Image and Dark Horse fortunately still maintain an open door policy. BOOM! And DSTLRY are creator owned publishers but you’d had to have some kind of agent or following to be considered by those other outlets.
The great thing about the comic industry is also it’s big flaw- there’s no barrier of entry. As a writer I have learned that a lot of the burden is on you to be the writer / publisher / marketer / accountant for your material. I’m going to investigate this more but somewhere Robert Kirkman started was writing a run of Super Patriot, an Image Comic. These relationships working for other smaller books feels like a way to get a foot in the door.
@@creatorowned851 Well, the barrier to entry in this case, as you stated in the video, is having completed pages to show, so having a team in place already. In any case, wishing you a truckload of luck in your quest to break in, bro. Get after it!
these are very unrealistic requirements for us in the third world. we barely make enough to sustain ourselves now we have to pay for a full creative team.
You don’t necessarily need a full creative team to make a project worth of image comics. Many artists can do line, ink, and letter / color on their own, and many of the artists I come across are in other countries and are thus charging variable rates. I’m currently working with an artist who charges $75 USD a page. It’s an investment, but I’m also treating the project at the “caliber” of a release I want Image to seriously consider. You can always do a web comic or other something less involved too
@@abdullah82m hey I mean I empathize with everyone, I’ll say as someone who commissions artwork I’ve noticed many if not most artists I come across are not US based. Hopefully the currency discrepancies are enough to keep some gainfully employed, or at least treading water!
@@creatorowned851 hello I've been working on a website to help creators find collaborators for their projects. Would you be interested in talking about it?
