getting it right

Originally published in Comics Feature #10 (Spring 1996).

Gary Spencer Millidge chews over the hows and whys of self-publishing his critically acclaimed new ongoing comicbook series, Strangehaven.

Introduction

It feels rather odd to be asked to write an article under the title, "Getting it Right" when I actually have no idea if I have done so. Maybe this should really be entitled, "I Did It My Way," or perhaps, "the Blind Leading the Blind." So please bear in mind that this is in no way to be interpreted as a complete guide to self-publishing, merely a personal account of how I have so far stumbled through the odd architecture of the comics industry.

Conception

Strangehaven was conceived as a vehicle for as many of my ideas and interests as practical. If I was going to be spending all my free time and cash in the foreseeable future producing a comics title, I wanted it to be as flexible as possible. I have always been inspired by ongoing storylines and the soap-opera format which I opted for would enable me to tell a number of different stories without being tied to any one main character.
I did however decide to revolve the early episodes around the central character of Alex Hunter - an visitor to the village through whom I was able to introduce the various inhabitants and locales to the reader.
I was inspired as much by TV programmes as by comicbooks - 60's surrealism from The Avengers and The Prisoner, as well as diverse modern series such as Twin Peaks and even The Darling Buds Of May. The success of comics like Gilbert Hernandez's Heartbreak Soup, Gaiman's Sandman and Moore/Sienkiewicz's ill fated Big Numbers all gave me the confidence to attempt the creation of Strangehaven.
Being a lover of the medium, I have always tried to support comics which attempted to push the boundaries beyond the stale superhero format, and I still consider comics to have massive unrealised potential both as an adult entertainment and an art form. My humble ambition with Strangehaven was to try to create a quality title to appeal to both existing comics readers and yet be easily accessible to a mainstream, comics-illiterate audience.

Creation

Originally I conceived Strangehaven to be drawn in a minimalist, Ted McKeever style for the sake of speed, but I eventually decided on a more photo-realistic approach as this is what I tend to do best. It's also more acceptable for any readers unfamiliar with comics. Anything I was going to devote a large portion of my life to should come naturally.
I spent a fair amount of time at the local library researching the various subjects I would be dealing with in early issues of Strangehaven, including rural village life, freemasonry, witchcraft, Amazonian tribal legends, quantum mechanics, Devon, dialects and suchlike. I also began taking reference photographs of possible buildings and locations in the village. I wanted to make the village - and my series - as realistic and richly detailed as I could.
I had no idea at this stage where Strangehaven would eventually be published, so I plotted and wrote the script in eight-page chapters so that I had an option to offer it to anthologies (e.g. Deadline, Dark Horse Presents, A Suivre). I also attempted to use "industry standard" materials such as Bristol Board and dip pens in the unlikely event of a sale to a mainstream publisher such as DC's Vertigo imprint. Up until then I had always used line boards (very soft and too heavy for transatlantic carriage) and technical pens for inking. I resolved this by choosing four-sheet Bristol Board (I found two-sheet warped and buckled far too easily) and Gillott 303 dip pens. I did experiment briefly with brushes, but found I preferred the tactile feedback of a steel nib. Page One of Strangehaven #1 is actually my first completed page of art using a dip pen.
Because of the complexity of the storylines and artwork, I decided to implement a nine-panel grid. This can be somewhat restrictive in some instances, and eats up stories and scenes alarmingly quickly, but I find it's a good discipline and helps pace my storytelling.
I also wanted to use other art media in addition to pen and ink. The inclusion of flashbacks, retelling of stories and dream sequences has allowed me to experiment with halftone illustrations and even photographs mixed in with regular panels, as well as full-colour painted covers. My covers have often been cited as one of the reasons for Strangehaven's success, and I would recommend full colour covers to anyone thinking of publishing their own title for sale through the international distributor network. It's expensive, but almost essential.
The CCG offer an excellent "Collected Submissions Guidelines" which spell out all the industry standard specifications for the major comic publishers. Even if you are self-publishing, it contains useful information in respect of the fact that you may be dealing with printers who are probably set up for these specs.

Rejection

I managed to finish my first 24-page, three chapter dummy issue in time for UKCAC '94. Despite an encouragingly positive reaction from almost everyone to whom I presented my Strangehaven preview - including UK's Vertigo editors and Dark Horse (but with the exception of Marvel UK), no offers were forthcoming. I had also posted off 20 full previews to various US publishers, complete with IRCs (not a cheap exercise) but I did not receive even a single reply. It was the overwhelmingly positive praise and support from my friends inside and outside the comics fraternity which kept me going. Even more encouraging was the delighted reaction of acquaintances who hadn't read a comic since they stopped reading Beano.
But If I were to make any kind of impression on the comics market, it looked like I'd have to do it myself. Good signs were the emergence of self-published titles like Hepcats, Strangers In Paradise and Thieves And Kings. Dave Sim's editorials in Cerebus were a mine of information, advice, motivation and inspiration. I would highly recommend anyone intending to self-publish picking up the last two or three years' worth of Cerebus if for Sim's nuggets of wisdom alone - particularly issue #171 which also contains Gary Reed's superb Guide to Self-Publishing.
In addition, both Paul Grist and Nabiel Kanan were having at least critical success with their British self-published Kane and Exit respectively. Paul Gravett of the National Museum of Cartoon Art (and former editor/publisher of Escape) was also a tremendous source of encouragement and wise words. It was he who first
suggested that I self-publish Strangehaven, and my initial reluctance was replaced by enthusiasm and determination. I had actually published a fanzine during the late 70's/early 80's, and although my first issue contained around 70% of my own material, the final issue produced contained only a single page, and at the time it seemed like I was merely spending my own money promoting other people's work (later issues included future talents such as Alan Davis and D'Israeli).

Solicitation

The comics industry, for better or worse, works several months ahead of itself. An item which appears in your shop in May or June is actually solicited for by the publisher in January! Distributors require information and artwork for their advance order catalogues (e.g. Diamond's Previews) six weeks before the catalogues are printed. Retailers have two or three weeks to return their advance orders to the distributor, where the distributor collates the totals before sending out a purchase order to the publisher - usually a week before the month in which the comic is due to ship! This allows a little time to adjust print runs according to the advance orders, or to cancel if orders are too low.
The package I sent out to distributors included the newly-enlarged 32-page first issue in photocopied form, plus the full-colour painted cover which was rather expensively colour copied and stapled together, plus my terms and conditions (which were pretty much standard across the industry before the distributor wars) and a polite covering letter. Within a few weeks I received phone calls from both Diamond and Capital, as well as letters and useful solicitation information from Styx and Heroes World (neither of which now carry Strangehaven for differing reasons). I was lucky enough to receive a Hot Flash in Capital's Advance Comics catalogue, and a Small Press Snapshot in Diamond's Previews, both of which presumably helped to increase initial orders.
By this time I had already considered two strategies regarding printing; a lot depended on how many copies were ordered and what percentage of these were from the UK. The cost of shipping copies from the UK to the USA (or vice versa) is considerable, and must be taken into account. Printing in North America tends to be significantly cheaper, although virtually all printers insist on a minimum run of 3000 copies. Printing a US standard comicbook size in the UK can prove to be troublesome as domestic printers only deal with 'A' and 'B' sizes of paper. Some British printers will however be prepared to produce a considerably smaller run, albeit at a higher unit price. Colour scans, separations, film and the like also tend to be more expensive in the UK.

Production

My confidence in my project at this point should be illustrated by the fact that I committed myself to purchasing a PC based computer system (including laser printer and internal fax card) which despite teething troubles, has so far proved worth its weight in gold. I was now able to produce professional looking text pages for the comic, overlay text for the covers, set up a mailing database system and communicate easily and cheaply to distributors and printers on the other side of the Atlantic (via the fax card). In retrospect it may have been wiser to invest in an Apple Mac (as Macs are well established as the machine for graphics and printshops), but almost everyone I knew either owned or used an IBM compatible machine, and no-one I had ever met owned a Mac. In my past experience with computers, I found it helped a lot if you knew someone who could help you out of a difficult situation.
Fortunately my advance orders from the distributors were enough to warrant printing Strangehaven #1 in the US. I couriered my artwork - along with computer diskettes (containing data for the cover overlays and additional text pages), material for halftoning, detailed instructions for printing and shipping and a large International Money Order- via International Datapost to my chosen printer, Brenner in Texas. Brenner also handles all the shipping arrangements for Strangehaven, and both Diamond and Capital make weekly pickups from there.
A few weeks (and several neurotic faxes) later, I was holding the finished product in my hand, and despite a few niggles, I was very happy with the way it turned out. The trouble was, it didn't quite look like a 'real' comic... in fact it didn't even look real -just a figment of my imagination (which is what it was, in actual fact). Over the next few days and weeks though, these weird objects slowly became to look more and more like 'real' comics, and I gradually got back into some kind of routine.

Operation

Cash flow is a real consideration. You should always bear in mind that you will need to pay the printer before your books are shipped, and distributors will pay you around six to eight weeks after they receive them. American distributors may also pay you in US currency, which will take several further weeks before you receive cleared funds. Even on Strangehaven's quarterly schedule, I rarely get enough money in from one issue to pay for the printing of the subsequent issue. For a bimonthly - or if you intend to publish reprints or trade paperback collections alongside your regular issues, you will require several thousand pounds at your disposal, or a very friendly and understanding bank manager.
It may seem strange that I decided to register for VAT., but as publications (including comics) are at the present time zero-rated, it meant that although I would have no VAT to pay, I could reclaim any VAT paid out on genuine business expenses - art materials, photocopying, stationery and even a proportion of my phone bill! It's worthwhile for the sake of a couple of hours spent every quarter working out the figures, but you do need the advice of an accountant when registering.

Promotion

To coincide with the appearance of my first issue in the catalogues, I chose 100 of the likeliest retailers in the UK (from the pages of Comics International) to send a direct mail shot. I had no information regarding the 4500 or so retailers in the US - and obviously it would have been prohibitively expensive to mail shot all of those - but out of the 100 UK shops I received only one response (from Page 45 in Nottingham - real champions of self-publishers and small press). There are options offered by distributors for the distribution of flyers, but this too is expensive, as is advertising in the various advance order catalogues.
More successful was the widespread mailing of complimentary copies. I received helpful and encouraging letters from seasoned professionals, and reviews have appeared in such diverse publications as Overstreet's Fan Magazine, the Twin Peaks fanzine Wrapped in Plastic and the weekly music newspaper Melody Maker. Dave Sim reprinted the first eight-page chapter as a Cerebus Preview in Cerebus #198 without my knowledge (until I flipped through it at the local shop). I have been interviewed on local radio, and my local paper also ran a short piece on Strangehaven, but unfortunately, in addition to several factual errors (as you would expect), it failed to mention the title of the comic, the publisher, or any mention of where it would be available. You can't win 'em all.

Conclusion

Self-publishing (as Paul Grist would say) is not an easy option and is no get rich quick scheme. It requires business skills in addition to creative skills, as well as determination, professionalism, investment, hard work and luck in order to succeed. You will find you will probably have to say goodbye to your social life, sleep and life's savings. You will also require the self-discipline to produce good quality work on a regular basis.
What's interesting is how each self-publisher approaches the same problems differently - you should believe in your own vision - genuine enthusiasm for your own creation will shine through. Don't try to pander to the market, or to contrive a 'commercial' product. Concentrate on what you're best at and listen carefully to any constructive criticism. I don't believe that I would have had the same degree of success if I had tried to produce a superhero or 'bad girl' comic.

Remember that as a self-publisher, the buck stops with you. If your book is late, there will be a long queue of disgruntled distributors, retailers and readers asking awkward questions. A stable domestic background helps, as does keeping clear of illness, depression and creator's block.
Probably the biggest problem I've had (as regular readers of my Strangehaven editorials will know) is finding the time to actually write and draw! If you're not very well organised, the business and promotional side of things can quite easily take over the entire day. I have only scratched the surface of some of the various activities of a self-publisher in this article, new obstacles and distractions seem to occur on an almost daily basis.
So why bother? The advantages of self-publishing are clear - complete creative freedom and creative control, and the potential to maximise your profits should your creation turn out to be a success. But you must be motivated from within; to end with a quote from Dave Sim, "if you really want to self-publish, nothing can stop you. If you don't really want to self-publish, no-one can help you."

Useful Addresses

Brenner Printing, 106 Braniff, San Antonio, Texas 78216, United States. Phone:001 (210) 349-4024
Capital City Distribution, 2537 Daniel St., Madison, WI 53708, United States. Phone:001 (608) 223-2000 Fax:001 (608) 223-2010
Cold Cut Distribution, 1729 Angela St, Unit 2, San Jose, CA 95125, United States
Diamond Distributors, 1966 Greenspring Dr., Timonium, MD 21093, United States. Phone:001 (410) 560-7100 Fax:001 (410) 560-7148
Diamond Distributors, PO Box 250, London E3 3LT, England. Phone:(0171) 538-8300 Fax:(0171) 987-6744
Page 45, 9 Market Street, Nottingham NG1 6HY. Phone:(0115) 9508045
Oakley Press, South Yorkshire printer of Kane & Greenhouse Warriors. Phone:(01709) 582608
Collected Submissions Guidelines @ £2.95 from The Comic Creator's Guild
165 Badric Court, 5 Yelverton Road, London SW11 3SP.
Cerebus (Aardvark-Vanaheim) most issues from around #166 to #189 contain a great deal of good advice in editorials, letter col and speech transcriptions.

© 1996 Gary Spencer Millidge. All rights reserved.

All text and images (c) copyright Gary Spencer Millidge/Abiogenesis Press All rights reserved.