Breaking into the Comic Industry as a Writer....

[DavidC]

Hey Guys:

I have spent some time researching various comic book publishers (independents) and their submission guidelines for writers and have found that none will accept unsolicited manuscripts. Which begs the question, how the hell does a writer break into comics, if publishers are unwilling to review manuscripts?

Granted there are a myriad of new writers out there hoping to break into the comic industry -- some talented and good, others not so much. But, it appears that unless your Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Micah Ian Wright, Brian Holguin or an established writer from the film or TV industry, a new writer has a snowball's chance in hell of breaking in. It's literally a closed door to the new writer, unless you know someone in the industry who's willing to help.

I get the impression that the comic industry eats its own young, before they're given any chance to mature and flourish as writers. Each of the publishers offers the same advice--"write, write and write, then read, read and read." Really? How much more reading and writing must a writer endure, before a publisher is willing to read his/her script?

Yes, I am aware there are thousands of potential submissions out there that would overload these publishers, and that requires a lot of reading. But, can't they take a page from Hollywood and hire script readers? It's the script readers that give a screenplay a go or no go. If literary magazines can accept and read through numerous submissions, why in the hell can't a comic publisher?

It seems that a new writer has better chance of getting his/her story published in a literary magazine, than having it published as a comic book.

Your thoughts?