Originally posted by Marvel editor C.B. Cebulski at: http://twitter.com/CBCebulskiEvery year, [the] same "writer" tells me how he's better than Bendis, and same "artist" can't understand how Bachalo gets work over him. No, seriously, I heard "I deserve..." and "I'm just as good as..." maybe 5 or 6 times at NYCC from writers & artists looking for work. This has been going on for four years now, con after con, and neither has broken into the top five publishers in that time. I wonder why?
And just to clarify, while I meet and talk to writers, I can't read pitches & proposals or discuss stories. My job is to find artists only.
Oh, I'm not venting, just trying to head off any potential confusion. Don't want people pitching me when they shouldn't be. Hope that helps.
Ultimately, it's the editors who hire the writers & artists. They choose the talent on their books.
Disturbing but eye-opening fact: No writer or artist has been hired through a cold submission mailed into Marvel in recent memory.
Upon intense review, we discovered that almost all new talent hired by Marvel over the past five years has come through "word-of-mouth".
"Word-of-mouth" extends beyond comics: novelists, screenwriters, video gamers, bloggers, designers, illustrators, poets, painters.
…this old adage is still the most apt: "The best way to get published by Marvel and DC is to get published elsewhere first."
Never limit yourself. Comics is a medium without boundaries. Explore all options available to you in this glorious form of storytelling.
There are pros and cons to both creator-owned and work-for-hire comics. I always recommend balancing both, if possible.
Why would you want to work-for-hire? Simple... Desire! You have to WANT to work on Marvel/DC/DH characters.
Never write for the money.
A good writer is a good writer. A good artist is a good artist. Talent is talent no matter where you find it.
Advice for new writers? Be realistic, start small. No major comic publisher will hire you for a mini or run on a book as your first gig. You're better off pitching 8 or 11 pagers or one-shots. Anthologies, back-ups and fill-ins are where many new voices are being tested now. And as for pitches, I'd keep them to one page. Tagline, high concept, and a full overview with the beginning, middle & end. Less is more.
Advice for artists? Start a blog. It's the best way to get your work looked at. Picasa, Deviant Art and flickr are impersonal and bulky. Keep click-thrus to a minimum. With a blog it's just one click and the editor can simply scroll down & see everything you have to offer. And blogs are easily updated and personalized, which will let more of your individuality and voice come through along with your art.
Read anything you can get your hands on: MCP, Astonishing Tales, Popgun, 24/7... see what other writers/artists are doing in short stories.
Sorry if some folks don't like what I'm saying here, but it's the honest truth. It's not as easy to break into comics as people think.
Use message boards/websites/blogs to find out about other people's pitching/submissions experiences. There's a lot of info out there.
Know who you are pitching to. That's very important. If you follow the industry, you should know what kind of book editors work on/like.
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