In the last couple of years I have written more than a few articles on self publishing and promoting comic books. Along the way I have read some comics that deserved to be read, and quite a few that didn’t. The books that left an impression on me were reviewed and posted on one Blog or another. The rest slipped away; lost in the sea of mediocrity that seems to haunt my email inbox and U.S.P.S P.O. box.
Yes, there are a huge amount of boring, been there done that, completely ridiculous, horrifyingly written and disturbingly illustrated comics out there. Most of these books are self published (big surprise huh?) and aren’t worth the cash, sweat, or tears that were necessary to create the sad specimen. I’d like to say that I’ve never given a mediocre comic a good review, but that wouldn’t be the truth. I wouldn’t give a truly bad comic a good review, but given the right circumstances and frame of mind I have given a kind of dull but well produced comic a thumbs up. Guess what? I’m not the only one who’s done this. So today I thought we would talk about presenting your comic in order to solicit the best possible review.
A single good review of your new comic book can go a very long way. Promoting, soliciting and selling a book require good buzz, and great reviews are the foundation this buzz will stand upon.
#1. Create the best possible comic book
born in east l a online Without a doubt this is the critical step. Make sure your grammar is perfect, fix all typos, and if the artwork isn’t spot on, do it again. You must present a professional product, otherwise you will be ignored. It doesn’t matter how fantastic and original your idea is. When a comic is created poorly it will fare poorly.
#2. Submit for review
Do not send your comic to anyone without asking first. Most Blogs on the net are interested in reviewing new books, but you can’t just send out a PDF of your comic and expect that the more well known sites will read it. If you would like to have your book reviewed, go to the sites contact page and send them an email. Tell them who you are and what your books about. Ask if they would be interested in reading and reviewing it. Please, don’t forget to ask where and to whom you should send the copy to.
Asking is important, asking is polite, and more important, asking increases your chance of being reviewed. Just a side note here, asking also opens up dialogue with people that can help you, along with creating a nice list of contacts for future networking.
#3. Always send a hardcopy
I find that most comic geeks are partial to receiving comics in the classic hardcopy format. If they ask you to send a PDF, tell them that it would be easier to send a hardcopy if that would be okay?
A hardcopy of your book will cost you money, but it’s worth it. Here’s why: A) You will almost certainly receive a better review. B) It gives you the opportunity to write a thank you letter, which I can promise you from personal experience, goes a long way. And C) A hardcopy floats around and will be looked at by many eyes. An electronic copy of your book will be deleted after being reviewed, and that’s if it even gets reviewed.
#4. It’s a numbers game
There are many websites, Blogs, newsletters and newspapers that may be interested in writing a review for you. This is where you begin to test your metal with the sales aspect of the Indy comic scene. The more places you submit your book to, the more likely that you will be reviewed or at least mentioned. The goal here is to create buzz! It’s a lot of work but it pays very high dividends.
Remember that these are only guidelines that I have put together from personal experience. Use them as you will. Tweak them as you like, but try to avoid breaking them to much. They seem simple because they are, but what makes them important is that they work.
