Some Advice to a Fellow Creator

From an e-mail I wrote in reply to some specific questions. I thought it might contain some potentially helpful advice for those of you who make comics (or art/writing of any kind). Please keep in mind that it was written off the cuff, is pretty basic and generalized, and is unedited, except to remove some personal stuff (including apologizing for the very late response). Also, I will add that when it comes to pitching a (comics) project, I'm sure there's online discussion and resources for the nuts and bolts stuff, structure, what to include, etc. This is far from an end-all, be-all essay on the subjects mentioned. 

Anyway: 

I find it difficult not to put my self-worth on my pricing, pitching etc. It's a struggle. I talk to my therapist about it from time to time. It's like an actor's voice or looks, it's hard to not see your work as yourself. And feel judged by every aspect of it, from line work to pricing commissions. I try to err on the side of "act as if", as if I'm worth the pricing, worth any attention, worth hiring. It doesn't always work but it sometimes helps me disassociate from myself and remove a step in the anxiety. pretending doesn't always work, but sometimes I can do it and block out the self-criticism and occasional self-loathing. The relationship between an artist and their art can be super complicated, especially if the artist has anxiety or self-confidence issues (like many of us have, like I have). A price can always be lowered, a pitch re-pitched, work will create work. People hire and buy because they like our art, not because they're being overly kind (or insane!). It just can be hard to mentally and emotionally build up some confidence from previous sales and jobs.

Pitches are the hardest thing for me out of the whole process. I actually have limited experience with it --  I didn't pitch a cold comic project until Blackwood. I was always able, until maybe ten years ago, to have enough work, from the momentum of previous work and contacts and ongoing projects. If I pitched anything it was because I was asked to. But that all changed. Humor comics withered and died in the direct market, DC and Marvel tightened up and stopped doing "fun" projects/using alt/indy talent on stuff, magazines went out of business and many people I knew left the industry. So I don't have great advice regarding pitching material other than just jump in the cold water and do it and try not to talk yourself out of things. Just get it done, have someone look over it that you trust to catch anything confusing or off, and send the damned thing in. Keep it to the point and include everything necessary and not much more. Don't go overboard over-explaining everything, it's a pitch and not a Wikipedia page. if it's a pitch to folks you have a relationship with, you can always include a separate more detailed document they can explore if they want (my pitches can get ridiculous because I tend to work things out as I write, but I don't show the work unless it's an editor I have worked with who expects my nonsense). Otherwise, be specific, clear and put your best work forward. And see what happens. Sometimes pitches will get you work even if the pitch itself doesn't get accepted. It's a business card with benefits. Get past your own mental hurdles and get it down on paper like a script of drawing. Structure it, fill things in, clean it up, send it. See what happens.

Most of our pitches were for animation and don't exactly apply here. But I tend to do an overview and then break it down into aspects the editors would expect. Overview, concept, characters, future plans/stories, themes, approach. Basically here's the concept, here's the characters (how they'll interact, their motivations and flaws or whatever, in a nutshell), here's the approach to handling the material, and briefly, without being obnoxious (hyperbole, pushiness, bragging), why the publisher/editor should take the project on, who the intended audience is, etc. The boring sales stuff.

And obviously pitch to appropriate entities. It's amazing how often people have sent a memoir to a genre publisher, or straight mainstream genre stuff to art publishers. It just shows a lack of awareness of the publisher's work, and an ignorance of how these things work in general. See if the publisher has specific rules for submitting and follow them. Only follow up after a reasonable amount of time has passed if you haven't heard back. There's people online discussing pitching etiquette, I'm sure. See what you can find. You'll see you're not alone being anxious about pitching.

I'm sure folks have also discussed dealing with a collaborator, including splitting from someone to try on your own or with another person. It happens all the time. It's not easy if you're friends or worried about breaking up a relationship. On the one hand you want to be loyal, on the other, you can't tie yourself down to something that isn't working or isn't benefiting you in the long run. If the writer needed to pursue an opportunity I assume you wouldn't make a racket over it. You're not married, the writer is not your lifetime working partner. There's nothing wrong with saying you want to try your hand at a solo project. I'm a very loyal person and like to avoid confrontations, which is why I stayed with SLG years longer than I should have. All I did was hurt my career, my income and my family. It sucks to disappoint someone, but it also sucks to not be able to move forward because you feel stuck in something.

Hopefully that all makes some sense. I've mostly made mistakes and been hesitant when it comes to these things. So I might not be the best source of advice. I guess a rule of thumb is, if something feels wrong, don't do it. Whether it's on the page or in dealing with a publisher or collaborator. If something feels right, try it. Be honest in your dealings and advocate for yourself -- be your best friend in order to get the best results. What would you tell a friend in the same situation? That's often what we should be telling ourselves. It's hard! At least for many of us. We just want to make stuff, not deal with real life issues. But it's part of the whole mess.