Now is absolutely the best time to publish your own graphic series. Hollywood is at full superhero mast, and graphic novels like “The Walking Dead” are getting tons of new attention due to the success of the adaptations for television. Assuming you’ve already created characters, plotted story arc and laid out the first several issues, you are already well on your way to telling a great story to the world.
Be Like Spider-Man
September is Spider-Man month, and there’s no one greater to emulate in the business than the great Stan Lee. When “The Amazing Spider-Man” first hit shelves in the 1960s, her was the first super hero to: be a teenager, which is usually reserved for sidekicks, and not to have a superhero mentor, meaning Peter Parker had to learn everything on his own. Stan Lee found a way to carve a new path for a hero that went against the trend, and he’s now one of the most popular figures in the world because of it.
3 Key Components
A smart man knows what he knows, but the smartest man knows what he doesn’t know. There’s a reason why successful comics have separate people for writing, illustrating and publishing. Each is particularly skilled at their craft and contribute something to the comic that the other two can’t provide (at least as well). Know your strengths and weaknesses to bring in the right people on your comic book.
Self-Publishing
The greatest thing about publishing a comic in 2015 is that Marvel and DC are no longer the great gatekeepers of the publishing world. You now have the world’s most accessible medium (the Internet) and the world’s most accessible reading tool (the tablets) that is capable of reading any comic book in the world — whether it was made by Stan Lee himself or a teenager in his parents’ basement. Take a look at some of the best comic book readers for iPad and decide which publishing platform is best for you.
Self-Promotion
Since you can’t rely on a major publishing company to do your marketing for you, it’s time to get out and self-promote. Leave no stone unturned. Reach out to a variety of comic book blogs and offer to write content (which is a great way to promote yourself without spamming your own material), and create a landing page with your own superhero music to tease upcoming issues and characters.
Conventions, Conventions, Conventions
No, you can’t just walk into Comic-Con and make your presence known (but you should go anyways), but you can go to any and all conventions in your city and mingle with writers, illustrators, actors and directors to get a feel for what it is like in the industry. Even local street festivals give you the chance to show off your work, but really all the value lies with other people who are already successful. Pick their brains and find out what they did to get to that point. Nine times out of ten, they will be more than happy to share that knowledge with you.
Good Work Speaks for Itself
At the end of the day, good networking won’t save a bad comic. If you know how to tell a story and write captivating characters, then your material will see success just like a good novel would. Focus on your work first and the rest will follow.
