Dino Pollard
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- Mar 10, 2007
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Like many fans, I've always wanted to work in comics. Unfortunately, my lack of drawing skills and my lack of funds to self-publish are roadblocks to making my dream a reality. But now I've got an idea.
Self-publishing has gotten much cheaper with the advent of digital printing and print-on-demand services. Places like ComiXpress and Ka-Blam provide printing services at low costs to creators. Unfortunately, one thing they don't offer is major distribution.
There is one POD outfit that does, however. Lulu. I've printed my first novel through them (available for distribution soon). For a distribution fee of $150, you get an ISBN number and your book gets listed in Books In Print. Which means Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc all have it in their catalogue.
The downside is that Lulu's printing costs mean it's not very cost-effective to produce 22-page issues through them. Graphic novels, however, are a different story. The problem is that assembling a 200 page graphic novel can be very time-consuming.
Here's a solution I came up with. Instead of having a graphic novel with a ten-part story, for example, have a graphic novel with ten individual stories from ten different creative teams. A graphic novel anthology. This way, instead of one person footing the bill for $150 distribution, that cost is split up among all the creators. So we're talking $15 per creative team, which can amount to as little as $4 per person. And this way, the work is available through major distributors. That makes this a low-cost, low-risk way for creators to get their work out there and noticed by other publishers.
Unfortunately, financial return won't be much. However, the potential exposure and the low-cost make up for that at least somewhat.
We have more than enough writers assembled. But what we really need is pencilers (especially pencilers), inkers and letterers. If anyone's interested in this or would like more information, please drop me a line at my professional e-mail, [email protected].
Also, I should note that all work remains creator-owned. This is not a work-for-hire gig. And distribution will be global, so it's not limited only to artists in the U.S.
Self-publishing has gotten much cheaper with the advent of digital printing and print-on-demand services. Places like ComiXpress and Ka-Blam provide printing services at low costs to creators. Unfortunately, one thing they don't offer is major distribution.
There is one POD outfit that does, however. Lulu. I've printed my first novel through them (available for distribution soon). For a distribution fee of $150, you get an ISBN number and your book gets listed in Books In Print. Which means Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc all have it in their catalogue.
The downside is that Lulu's printing costs mean it's not very cost-effective to produce 22-page issues through them. Graphic novels, however, are a different story. The problem is that assembling a 200 page graphic novel can be very time-consuming.
Here's a solution I came up with. Instead of having a graphic novel with a ten-part story, for example, have a graphic novel with ten individual stories from ten different creative teams. A graphic novel anthology. This way, instead of one person footing the bill for $150 distribution, that cost is split up among all the creators. So we're talking $15 per creative team, which can amount to as little as $4 per person. And this way, the work is available through major distributors. That makes this a low-cost, low-risk way for creators to get their work out there and noticed by other publishers.
Unfortunately, financial return won't be much. However, the potential exposure and the low-cost make up for that at least somewhat.
We have more than enough writers assembled. But what we really need is pencilers (especially pencilers), inkers and letterers. If anyone's interested in this or would like more information, please drop me a line at my professional e-mail, [email protected].
Also, I should note that all work remains creator-owned. This is not a work-for-hire gig. And distribution will be global, so it's not limited only to artists in the U.S.
