Hello Fan-Netnites,
Entry:103102
Hello Fan-Netnites, I hope all is well with every one of you. I am sorry I have not been writing to you as of late. I am still recuperating from the move Chicago to San Diego. In this editorial I would like to mention about Professional Networking. Andrew J. Pepoy gave a workshop on professional networking and this editorial is based on that. So lets get started.
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1. Start locally - Meet other aspiring creators. You could meet them at school, or your local comic shop. Doc and I met at a 7-11 store in California. We hook up again when I moved to Illinois. Now that I am back in California we still talk about future projects. Right now our concern is Inter-fan Productions Ink. As partners and friends we critique each other’s work through our points of view. No matter what if you are working with someone or by yourself, you need to get your work critiqued.
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2. Fanzines - Now that you have a partner and trying to find work as aspiring professionals, you could start a fanzine to assist or train you to meet deadlines. There are comic book shops that carry fanzines/independent comic books to help their local talent with a consignment fee of course.
3. Local Conventions - What is nice about local conventions is that you could meet other aspiring creators, see other fanzines, and share trade tips. You could even show your work samples to other professionals that is in the business or to comic book vendors that might want to sell your fanzine. Be open to critique and be polite. Always be thankful for their time.
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4. The Big Conventions - I urge anyone to get to one of the big conventions. Personally I prefer Independent friendly conventions. Make sure you are prepared with sample packets before hand. The sample packets are a taste of what your product you want exposed. You have a sample cover and a few pages of your story. With these you have your portfolio you carry to the portfolio lines. These lines are long and you need to be patient. It is not uncommon to be crabby after a long day. Ask the reviewer for advice. Again be polite and follow up with your contact. While in line network with others so you have continuous contact information. Don’t waste your time just waiting your turn. Talk to the person next to you. You never know when or where you will find your next collaborator. In those portfolio lines you will talk to artists, writers, editors, and hopefully publishers. Don’t limit yourself to just the portfolio lines, go to the independent tables and seek their advice as well.
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5. Syndication - The goal of your aspirations but most difficult to do. From the publisher of choice you would want to get submission guidelines. These days you could get it through the Internet. There are trade magazines that indicate the guidelines required for the popular publications. Again prepare packets. Attend the National Cartoonists Society Convention and contact other cartoonists. I will try to find out more of the NCSC and share with you in the future.
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6. The bottom line to all of this is to keep in touch with your contacts. Use snail mail, e-mail, phone, or by website. Be very much a professional instead of a fan. Always send sample packets even if you are working. Make other products such as holiday cards, be creative and do the work yourself. I hope this helps.
Anthony Gagliardo
Editor-In-Chief Please E-mail me with comments at: submissions@inter-fan.org |