faitherinhicks:

You’re in luck: you may be physically far from the major comic book industries (Japan, France, the US), but you have the power of the internet at your disposal. The internet, email, etc, has made it possible for people who live far from the North American comic book industry to promote their work or break in to comics. As for the best way to promote your work online, that’s kind of a mystery to me as well (if anyone has any good article links or wants to share wisdom, please do!). 

I tend to follow these three covenants:

1) Make good work

2) Post it online

3) Make your contact info easy to find (this is so important)!

That’s how I broke into comics, and how I promote my work.

A few years ago I was at a dinner with a bunch of people I knew casually. They all worked in the arts, mostly in animation. I was the only one who worked full time in comics, although other people did comics in their spare time. One guy who I didn’t know started talking about how he went to the Joe Kubert comics school in New York, but that it never lead to any paying work in comics.

“You have to live in New York to work in comics,” he said. I was like, no, you don’t. I work in comics full time and I don’t live in New York. I lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 2005-2015 (I just moved to Vancouver for my boyfriend’s work last month). During those 10 years, I started getting comics published. I had 10 books published in about 8 years. For the most part, I’ve found publishers don’t care where you live. If your work is good, they’ll hire you.

Also, with the internet helping to broach geographical distances, I personally haven’t found conventions to be the key to breaking into comics, although they can be helpful. For years I didn’t go to conventions, mostly because I was shy and poor and lived in Nova Scotia, a plane ride away from most good cons. I was extremely socially awkward for many years, and the idea of going to cons to “promote” my comics was terrifying to me. So I focused instead on making a lot of comics and putting them online. That turned out to be the right thing for me, and eventually publishers noticed and started hiring me. 

I didn’t start going to conventions until I started getting published, and then it was very few. My first convention was in 2007 (when my first book was published), and I’d do one or two a year until about 2013, when I started getting invited to conventions, which was super cool! 

I’ve never done a portfolio review or chatted up an editor at a party. I’m bad at parties, and the idea of having an in-person portfolio review is terrifying to me. Those methods of breaking into comics don’t play to my strengths as a cartoonist and a person. 

I have another dumb story. In 2008 I went to San Diego Comic Con. I was very broke at the time and spent (for me) a huge chunk of money. At the Con, I got to talk with the editorial director at First Second Books, and pitched him my graphic novel Friends with Boys. A month after the convention, First Second bought the comic. I was thrilled! I was so sure that being at SDCC in person had tipped the scales for the book, that my publisher had bought it because I was so winning while pitching it. It was my great shining moment. 

In 2013, I brought up this moment to Mark. This is what happened:

HE DIDN’T EVEN REMEMBER THE MEETING.

The moral of the story is: sometimes being physically in the same place as the people who publish comics can be a very good thing! Sometimes it doesn’t matter one bit. 😛

Still had a great time at SDCC 2008!