As you may know if you have visited my blog before, I’ve now completed a five-year project: illustrating Charles Dickens’ epic novel, BLEAK HOUSE. It was a task of love and devotion, heartbreak, missed connections, long nights, big dreams…and I think that may have been the easy part.
Finding a publisher (which mainly means finding an agent) is no easy task under the best circumstances. Agents have specialized areas of interest and it’s easy but arduous to look them up in the extremely helpful Writers Market. As far as I understand, agents break down into two main areas: literary agents, who assist in matching authors and publishers, and illustrator’s agents, who, due to the present genres in publishing, specialize mainly in children’s books, children’s book illustrators, graphic novels, matching up writers and artists, and putting them together with publishers.
The bastard child I have inadvertently created, a classic novel with new illustrations, doesn’t fit into any existing genres, so finding an agent or publisher is largely a matter of working my connections, asking questions, and getting it in front of as many people as possible. Of course there are publishers who already have a line of Dickens books in print, and since all of Dickens’ work is in the public domain, there is no need for an agent or agency hustling to promote it.
That’s the one strong thing in my favor I think: the seemingly eternal interest in the work of Charles Dickens. It’s my ace card, the one thing that helps this project rise above whatever it is I’m trying to rise above. If I’ve spawned a bastard, it at least has a father who is one of the most famous names in literature.
This month over March 16-17 in New York, there is an independent comics and cartoons festival called MOCCA which is one of the most prestigious and most downtown arts events of the year, and I do mean “downtown”. I attended MOCCA about ten years ago when I was promoting “Sister Mary Dracula”. At the time it was in the Puck Building, with all four floors jammed with exhibitors and attendees, and I will tell you I was the ONLY PERSON IN THE BUILDING without tats or piercings!
However the festival is also full of publishers who may be open to looking directly at projects. Unfortunately I will be unable to attend MOCCA, but a very good friend, who is in the middle of getting his own book published and who has contacts there, will be attending MOCCA and has offered to take around the presentation I show here in this video. These aren’t original prints; the binder is comprised of computer scans of my linocuts, some postcard handouts, and a page of Q’s and A’s that I imagine a publisher might have about the project.
I’m not expecting this to be a deal-making event, but it would be nice to get some callbacks, emails or views on the blog from interested people. Mostly I would love to be there myself!
Please stay tuned as this is only the outset of this adventure. I’ve built the boat, now let’s see if it’s seaworthy. I promise you won’t get wet.
Once again, thanks for stopping by. You can send me a comment if you wish at dickens@mooneyart.com.
