All right cartoonists, let's talk about what goes into putting together a graphic novel pitch package to send to potential publishers. THREAD INCOMING!

First, the disclaimers; I'm tweeting from my experience, so this will be what's worked for me. Different cartoonists pitch in different ways. This thread will also assume the writer and illustrator are the same person (though you can adapt the advice here for a team).

I'll be using my latest book, THE LEGEND OF BRIGHTBLADE, as an example. So what is a pitch? In publishing, it's the materials you present to an agent or publishers to hopefully convince them to publish a story. It's the thing that needs to, as much as possible, show your vision.

Here are the components I include in my graphic novel pitches: 1-Title (this is *hard* for me), 2-Synopsis/Logline, 3-Plot Outline, 4-Sample Pages, 5- Misc. Development Art. I'll briefly go into what each of these are.

TITLE: I don't know what to tell you here. I *struggle* with titles. Make it reflective of your story, and don't worry *too* much about it. The marketing department at your future publishers will likely want to weigh in. I also like to paint a cover for the pitch package:

"The Legend Of Brightblade" wasn't the title my agent and I pitched the story under, we changed it after discussions with the publisher. For the cover, I wanted to communicate the tone of the pitch; a long journey, a found family, a more pastoral tone.

SYNOPSIS/LOGLINE- This is a quick overview of the book's plot and themes. Think of it like what you would read on the back of a book. It's a quick paragraph or two, the object of which is to hook the attention of anyone who reads it.

PLOT OUTLINE- This is the road map for what happens in the story. It should include the beginning, middle, and end of the plot, the emotional arcs of the characters, etc. I think of this as the wikipedia article of the book. "this happens, then this happens, then this happens."

Again, don't get too crazy with this. This is to show those reading the pitch the bare bones of what happens in the story, and to demonstrate that you know how to construct a satisfying plot arc.

SAMPLE PAGES: This is a section of final comics pages: lettered, colored (if the book is to be in color), etc. There needs to be enough to communicate your vision for the look of the book, anywhere from 5-15 pages. (a recent pitch I put together has 10)

These don't have to be from the start of the plot, per se. Pick a part of the story that conveys the tone of the whole piece. Maybe it's more action driven, or shows off an interesting attribute of the environment or the protagonists. You want to impress your readers.

MISC: This is where it gets different from person to person. For my pitches, I like to scatter different standalone paintings throughout the pitch, art I think the publisher would like to see. I also include a lineup and a brief bio of the protagonists (a paragraph each)

Now, keep in mind, when you send a pitch to a publisher, an editor or art director won't be the only ones looking at it. Many publishers have acquisitions boards, who meet regularly to discuss new pitches. These boards also include people from sales/marketing, design, etc.

What I'm saying is not everyone who reads your pitch will be visually or narratively minded. Don't assume they'll be able to just get your vision for a story. You have to *show* them.

Once your pitch is done, send it off to your agent* to look over, they'll send it off to prospective publishers, and then you enter the magical, nerve-wracking state of being On Submission. Congrats!

*If you don't have an agent, here's a helpful thread: https://twitter.com/EthanMAldridge/status/1082338677311840257?s=20

PS If you want to go REALLY in depth in all this, I highly recommend the podcast @GraphicNovelTK by @_GinaGagliano (publishing director at Random House Graphic) and @aliwilgus (cartoonist, writer, and editor of several bestselling comics). Experts talking to experts about comics!