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Hey guys. (This is not a job offer) I've got this graphic novel project in the works but my illustrator bailed. The book ("Ten Suns and Ten Moons") is my attempt to depict the life stories of ten Tibetans I interviewed in India in March, interspersed with life in Dharamsala, where they live now. I wanted to do it graphically because (a) I knew I didn't really have enough for a traditional book and (b) it hasn't been done before while there are a lot of normal refugee story books, and people like to check out new things. It's already gotten one big endorsement from Robert Thurman, and it'll probably get at least Tibet House in NYC and the office of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Women's Association. I'm pretty familiar with publishing - I have ten books published (all historical or YA fiction) and I work for an agent - and I'm working on getting an agent to represent this material, which may not be possible because so few agents are handling graphic novels right now as the traditional market for that (action/sci-fi) is in flux and no one knows quite where it's going with new technology. I have gotten some good responses to the initial query - 4 out of 40, a good percentage - so I'm waiting on that. I'm sort of tepid about approaching publishers without an agent even though I could negotiate my way around a contract easily because publishers don't like unagented material. I did speak to several graphic novel publishers at the Book Expo of American in June, and asked them what they were looking for in a pitch (I couldn't pitch there; it's rude). They all said the same thing: finished script, partial storyboards, 5 pages of finished art, then they would give me money to pay my illustrator. I've also heard conflicting stories that some people have in-house artists for projects like this. Also I know I'm going to have to pay the illustrator out of my pocket for the five pages of finished work. So that leaves me with the illustrator. My Tibetan thangka painting teacher, who is a very good cartoonist, was going to do it, but it turns out putting together a whole book is different from scribbling interesting drawings of yaks, so he's backed down for all but the segments of the story that take place in pre-1959 Tibet. I'm looking for someone who can do slightly cartoon-y art ala Maus or any of Guy Delisle's work, and I do want color. I just don't know what kind of budget to expect at all, having seen wildly different things on the internet, and I don't know what the publisher will give me. Oh, and I have this magical fantasy that the publisher will give money enough to pay the illustrator and leave a couple thousand for me, because I would like to make money from this project and royalties can take years to see. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to move forward? Publishers that can be approached directly for this kind of project? Illustrators who don't just do sci-fi concept art? Because when I searched for illustrators I got a LOT of that. Good art, but not art I need.
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Dec 10, 2012 22:02
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| # ¿ May 5, 2024 14:34 |
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Pheeets posted:Many illustrators have agents too, I used to work for one of them. I would recommend her but she's semi-retired and only deals with existing contract matters. But if you google for illustrators agents you may get some websites that show samples of various artists' work, then you could make inquiries about specific artists that you like through their agency. I know my former boss was well-versed in all aspects of book/illustration contracts and how to shop for publishers, and was always willing to give advice; you might find another illustrators' agent who could help guide you. Oh wow, I didn't even think about that. That's an area of publishing I have no experience in. I just looked some up and got a nice listing on linkism. How would you say I would go about approaching one, sans book contract? If it were a literary agent I would say query letter, but that's a VERY specific format.
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Dec 11, 2012 01:51
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