If you’ve spent time in the comics world, you’ve probably heard people talking about pitching their comics to publishers, awards, review sites, collectives, and so on. But what are pitches? And should YOU be thinking about them?

A pitch is, at its core, a presentation whose aim is to convince someone else to check out your idea or project – and maybe help out with it, like a publisher deciding to pick it up, or a grant agency offering funding. Depending on the target of the pitch, there might be some differences in the process, but the skills you can develop by working on them can be very useful along the way!

What sort of things have you pitched in the past, and what was your process for putting it together? Walk us through the basics!

Claire has pitched once for Hiveworks and was accepted. Hiveworks provides details on what to include in your pitch, but for Clam it included a cover letter introducing yourself and data like view counts and trends in readership. For comic specifics, there was the elevator pitch, the main summary, and Claire focused on the part of the comic she was most proud of: the character art. Then came an interview, and then she was asked to complete some edits to the prologue and then bam! She was welcomed into the bee site.

Krispy had a similar experience when pitching to Hiveworks. They created a pitch packet that included details about the team working on the comic and the division of labor and creation, the story so far, and the plans for the project. There was an interview and eventually acceptance into Hiveworks.

Thane’s pitch to Spiderforest included a title, synopsis, five page samples, and what their comic would bring to the collective. It helped them figure out what they wanted out of the community. They’ve looked into graphic novel pitches to traditional publishers, all of whom have different and specific requirements. Many require cover letters and prefer those that are applying to have publishing experience. In pitches like that you’re often pitching something that doesn’t exist, which is very different from pitching a webcomic that already exists. They’ve also applied to grants for funding a webcomic project, Netflix, and crowdfunding where you’re essentially pitching to your existing readership.

Delphie does a lot of micro pitches at conventions where you have a few seconds to grab peoples’ attention. She’s also pitched to Spiderforest. With a collective like Spiderforest, the focus also includes how you would fit in and contribute to the community, rather than solely about the comic itself. She has also been involved in receiving and reviewing the pitches for Spiderforest and looks for experience, reliability, and that you know your comic and how well it meshes with the already established collective.

How do you evaluate a pitch, whether it’s your own or someone else’s, and figure out whether it’s getting its point across effectively?

The pitch is a simple view into a complicated entity. You need to be able to grab people’s attention and leave them wanting more. A pitch should show you’re reliable, share what you can bring to the table, and what makes your story unique and stand out. Show what you have to say and how well you can say it with your work.

Make sure you know your work. Make sure you’re pitching to places and positions that fit what you want. Recipients of pitches are often looking to form long term relationships, so you need to be able to show that you can commit to long term and be reliable.

Make sure that your pitch conveys the tone and genre of your story. Know your target and make sure you’re meeting the requirements.

Practice being concise. Show the breadth of your ability, be clear about where you’re going with it and what your end goal is. Avoid whiplash!

[hmm. this kind of turned into advice. But that leads us to the last question -> ]

What’s your advice for listeners who are thinking about putting together a pitch of their own?

• Make sure your pitch is accessible and readable. Double check your link works, the font is readable, it meets the requirements.
• Show your pitch to at least two people, one who knows the work and one who has no idea.
• Show your passion and your desire to bring something to the table.
• Convey your genuine enthusiasm for your work
• Don’t assume the worst. Be brave. Go for it!
• Save your pitches and the ideas/phrases/bios that don’t make it. They’ll maybe find use in the future.
• Brace for rejection. It happens
• Listen to how others describe your work and use it!
• Don’t pitch to early. You need enough time to know your comic and prove your ability and consistency.

Bonus Questions!

Do you need to pitch?

Figure out what suits you best by researching where you were thinking of submitting. Each place has its own set of rules, guidelines, potential, and scope. Making sure the place you’re pitching for meets the visions you have for your work and read the contracts carefully if ever faced with them!

How to write a pitch: what’s usually required?

Logline: A short, quick sentence that describes the overall feeling or intent of your work.

Summary:This could be a summation of the comic itself, the story so far, or a longer paced break down of the work and it’s intent.

The scope: How long your comic will take, how much work you’ve done, the process of the work. This is where you show the people you’re submitting to how serious you are for this! (Most will ask for about 3 to 10 pages of sequential art, so be prepared)

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Episode Release Date: June 8, 2022

Episode Credits:

Kristen Lee (@feathernotes) - she/they, ghostjunksickness.com lunarblight.com

Renie Jesanis (@renieplayerone) - she/they, kateblast.com

Christina Major (@delphina2k) - she/her, sombulus.com

Ally Rom Colthoff (@varethane) - she/they, chirault.sevensmith.net wychwoodcomic.com

Claire Niebergall (@phantomarine) - she/her, phantomarine.com

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The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.