Martin Steeton - Publishing in the comics industry.

Martin Steeton - Publishing in the comics industry.

Martin Steeton is  a publisher. He started a blog for his passion in comics after a failing music career. Avoid the future.com is a good source for news and reviews on French comics. Hopefully I can find a way to use the information supplied in it over the summer and in third year. Martin also works as a translation editor and has a large skill set.

One of the main points that was made was a strong emphasis on getting the eyes of the world onto your work, as well as tips on how to approach a publisher. What different publishers might look for was also mentioned. Pitching directly to the publisher is good if you can manage it. Making sure to only take your best work and to study the house style, to see if there’s anything about your portfolio that may fit in twith their house style (if they have one.

One of the publishers who keep their eyes out for new talent is Blank Slate. Who might be worth looking into. Finding a way to get a foot in the door means researching as many publishers as possible. I feel it’s something I need to do more as the third year comes closer.

If attempting to get work published it’s important to have a complete skillset. Being a good writer, artist and having a good grasp of layout, composition and text will make you an easier sell. Sometimes a publisher may want a completed work while at others a work in process might be required. Just remember to only ever take your best work and to never try and try to avoid showing anything you don’t want to, or that they’ll obviously not have an interest in.

Knowing how to sell your work is very important. Being aware that other people will want to read your work and knowing what sort of audience you’re targeting and tailoring your pitch towards a specific publisher is just as important as having a good porfolio. There’s not much point submitting to a publisher at all if your way of working clashes too heavily with what they normally sell. (And we all know that Marvel and DC are terrible.)

I’m especially interested in trying to make my work up to a publishing standard, especially for Self made hero, though their standard is very high. Steeton mentioned them having an interest in historical based fiction, a genre I have an interest in getting into and focusing on. Although I also have an interest in wider areas such as independent superheros and possibly comedy or general. It’s something to work towards at the very least. Blank slate is also worth looking into, as they have a wider scope and finding a place to fit in would be a little easier. Regardless of actually getting published or not, I think it’s important to try and have as high a standard as possible.

If I can I’d like to try and work on expanding my connections and getting references. I’ve already got a number of friends and connections, but nowhere near enough. Going to a few conventions and showing off work might be a step forward as well as social networking despite how afraid I am of that sort of thing. It’s also good to make friends and alliances with as many other creative’s as possible. Getting the help of older, more established artists can also be helpful, they can be sympathetic and helpful due to knowing what you’re going through. The worst they can do is tell you to clear off, but you don’t need help from folks like that anyway. Getting a few good quotes from your peers can make all the difference and help you explain why readers might enjoy the work.

Don’t be arrogant.
Don’t be…is that a cup of tea I see? Er, unfocused.
Don’t take any crit badly.

If talking to a publisher always try and give them a physical copy of your work, as it will at least be there for them to find later. Digital files get lost on a computer. Having a self published copy of your work might also be a good step to take, a hard backed book isn’t too likely to get thrown away. They’ll at least appreciate it as a coaster or something.

When at a conventation make your table as nice a space as you can. Since you are essentially a shop, be polite and friendly and only bring your best. Interaction with people is great and doing small commissions can even earn you some bonus money.

The UK has been refered to as an extension to the US in terms of comic book publishing. The US has a huge range of work, though most of it is more mainstream. The UK market is still smaller in comparison. France has a large market that’s more interested in loose art based styles and is perhaps a good place to consider going for me.