 |
| Editor de Guzman prepares to deliver some straight talk at San Diego. |
Comic-Con International in San Diego is less than a month away, and I as I mentioned in my last column, publishers are busy preparing for the big show. But comic book creators seeking to break into the industry should be preparing as well. If you're planning on going to Comic-Con to meet publishers, I have a single piece of advice for you: Do your research first. Here are a few questions you should have answers to before you hit the convention floor with your portfolio.
What does the publisher publish?
If you're not already familiar with a publisher's catalog, give yourself a crash course on what they have published most recently. That way you'll know if your project will be a "good fit" with a particular publisher—and you'll conserve your energy. There are a lot of publishers at Comic-Con, and if you go from booth to booth making cold inquiries without knowledge on your side, you'll likely to end up tired and frustrated. It's best to have a strategy going in! Publishers also often announce new comics and have previews and promos at Comic-Con, so keep an eye out for those—you'll get an idea of the newest projects that have attracted a publisher's interest.
What is the publisher's submissions policy?
You'll look presumptuous if you walk up to a publishers' booth and expect to be able to pitch your project without making prior arrangements first—or without even finding out if publishers will hear pitches at Comic-Con. Some publishers have specific protocol for pitching a project or showing a portfolio during Comic-Con. If their websites don't have the guidelines, now is the time to email someone to find out what they are.
Who is the person you should be talking to?
If you've answered the second question (or have an ounce of common sense), you know already that you're probably not going to have much luck walking up to the DC booth and asking for Dan DiDio. But what about smaller publishers? Some of their booth workers are often the editors themselves, so if you want to talk to one of them, you often can. You'll appear professional from the start if you can ask for an editor by name. Email now to ask if editors will attend Comic-Con and if you'll be able to talk to them at the convention. And one more thing—I don't know if I'll run afoul with my fellow editors by saying this, so take this as a personal view: Doing the schmooze thing ("Let me buy you a drink!") doesn't really get you anywhere.
Once you've got your research done, you can focus on the essentials of your portfolio and proposal, tailoring your presentations for different publishers depending on their needs and requirements. And that will, I hope, leave you a bit more relaxed to have fun at Comic-Con—because the qualification you need as much as any other to be successful in the comics industry is that you love comics and love what you do.
