11/02/2024
I saw yet another writer looking for an artist to help him work on his 50+ issue epic comic book series. He wants the artist to work on every issue.
Unless you have the funds to produce the entire thing upfront, you’re gonna be waiting for a while. 50+ issues is a huge (at least 5 years) commitment. Have you considered your overhead versus potential sales? How many copies do you need to sell in order to turn a profit? Keep in mind you have to keep track of discounts to distributors and retailers as part of that overhead. Oh…and shipping costs.
If your answer is, “I just figured…” You’re probably wrong.
I’m not trying to rain on someone’s parade, but what you might consider is hiring someone to set your house style, then getting a group of artists to work on specific chapters. We have a book like that now that we’re developing, and it may not come out for two years. But when it starts coming out, it’s because the material’s done.
We have a baseline figured out of how many copies we need to sell in order to keep going. Our story, even though it’s 50 issues long is fully plotted and partially scripted RIGHT NOW. Artwork is just beginning. 
Here’s the reality: currently, there is literally NO independently financed comic book project that has lasted 50+ issues with the same creative team of UNKNOWN talent. You are asking someone for at least a minimum of a five-year commitment on your project. Based on the sales in today’s comic book market, I would begin to guess that, unless your material is knock it out of the park amazing, that you probably have about 8 to 10 issues before you move to something else, because the sales will not sustain you.
We recently just had to cancel a potential ongoing series, because the creator did the first issue and it’s six years later… Still no follow up.
From now on, we will only look at titles that are episodic in nature. They don’t have to be done in one, but I’m loathe to publish anything that has “to be continued“ at the end of the issue. Everyone has a saga to tell, but can barely manage to get the first installment done. The mentality of “we’ll do the first one, and if it sells well, then we’ll keep going” shows a clear lack of commitment to your project. if you were doing a long form narrative, you should submit at least 2 to 3 issues of your proposed book. If I’m going to publish anything that says to be continued, I will only do so if I have the next issue already in house. Issues should be consecutive, and not sporadic unless the stories are complete in one issue.
If you stagger in producing your book, and choose to cancel it for whatever reason before you hit your goal, you have potentially killed any future hope of creating a new saga because fans tend not to trust Indy publishers who do not complete projects.
My honest recommendation? Put together a one shot, shorter package. Something that tells a complete story in one issue. This will show people what they can expect from you, and you can begin to build a reputation (and audience!) for yourself. After you’ve done a few books, like that, then attempt your 50+ issue saga.
We are always looking for short stories, in pretty much all genres.
I’ve been in this market for 45+ years, so trust me that I speak from experience.
Again, if you wish to proceed, I understand, and I wish you the best of luck.
