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The good news is, there's no silver bullet to pitching — but that means there's no set "format."
Strong concept is #1. Professional-grade art/colors/lettering/logo is #2. Clear characters/motivation/arc is #3.
But that's secondary to what the publisher needs/is doing elsewhere. https://twitter.com/tomleveen/status/1350873128826662912
Strong concept is #1. Professional-grade art/colors/lettering/logo is #2. Clear characters/motivation/arc is #3.
But that's secondary to what the publisher needs/is doing elsewhere. https://twitter.com/tomleveen/status/1350873128826662912
Focusing on clarity and accessibility is always important — that a stranger can follow what you're talking about is huge.
But my career is living proof that not every concept clicks with every single editor. Every success I've had has been littered with rejection beforehand.
But my career is living proof that not every concept clicks with every single editor. Every success I've had has been littered with rejection beforehand.
Sometimes a publisher has another book that's similar enough to yours that they can't take it. Sometimes a publisher just doesn't get the idea, or doesn't believe in the viability of the idea, or the concept doesn't mesh well with the other books in their catalog. That's OK.
And sometimes they've got other fires that need putting out immediately, and you wind up falling in the cracks.
Real talk — this happens a LOT. To EVERYBODY.
Real talk — this happens a LOT. To EVERYBODY.
But I think as a result it adds a lot of angst to writers who think, "Is it me? Was my idea bad, or not clear enough?" And then stress about how to retool their pitching.
If your pitch is clearly written, with strong art and understandable motivation, YOU'RE DOING GREAT.
If your pitch is clearly written, with strong art and understandable motivation, YOU'RE DOING GREAT.
It just sometimes take awhile for the right pitch to clear the plate for certain publishers. Sometimes it means you gotta start at smaller places, or even self-publish. (There is definitely some truth to success begetting success.)
Even Scout's Honor was my fourth time pitching to AfterShock. It took a bit to find the right pitch that fit my voice AND fit into AS's bigger publisher plans, but it was worth it.
Pitching often isn't about how you grip the bat — it's about how many times you take a swing.
Pitching often isn't about how you grip the bat — it's about how many times you take a swing.
Tbh, the thing that prepared me most for comics wasn't reviews or publicity — it was online dating in NYC. You pitch yourself, you get rejected. It's not a reflection on you — sometimes they're just looking for something else. The no's don't matter. All you need is one right yes.
Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED Talk — ICYMI, preorders for SCOUT'S HONOR #2 end TOMORROW, so call your local #comics shop with the code DEC201133!
Preorder whole a bunch of copies so my next pitches go over smooth. ;-)
Preorder whole a bunch of copies so my next pitches go over smooth. ;-)
