The five years I spent creating the artwork for Dickens’ BLEAK HOUSE was not only a labor of love, but it was a process where, as I went along, I pretty much knew what I was doing, and if I didn’t, I knew the ways to figure it out.
Selling this project is another horse of a different color! I knew at the outset that an illustrated classic novel had no natural niche in the current publishing market, but I considered that fact against the marketability of Charles Dickens, and happy to say, Charles and I won.
So Step One was a smashing success. Step Two, a little trickier. I have some friends (or friends of friends) who are published writers, and I did ask one for “advice”, but the fact is, you’ll get the same advice in one form or another from everyone: Pick up a copy of The Writer’s Market and do the research. There are no shortcuts and no preformatted path to success, but this book has a wealth of information. You just have to be determined to dig for it.
In my last post I talked about a friend taking my artwork to the MOCCA festival in New York, and not long ago he sent me a great list of publishers, many of whom saw my work, and most of whom are not suitable for my book, but who may have contacts or ideas about other publishers. Following up on this has already resulted in some interesting leads and positive feedback.
But getting back to the Writer’s Market, this book is packed with information, which automatically makes it a little intimidating. Ignore that part! Open it and start reading! Ignore the parts that aren’t relevant, e.g., I skip over the magazine editors section because I’m not trying to publish articles.
I started with the agents, a section of about 60 pages. Listings are detailed, with individual agents’ tastes and areas of interest and expertise, so it becomes easy to zip through them, ignoring those who want spy novels or travel books, etc. I marked those I would be contacting, but left that for a separate task.
Above all, follow their rules! If they say no emails in June or July, or they’re currently not accepting submissions, or they don’t want anything with vampires, or they just want vegan cookbooks, take it seriously.
Many agencies use an online app called QueryManager, and will only accept submissions using it. I used it for about a half dozen submissions. It requires a lot of details on you and your project, but once I got the hang of filling in the fields, it became easier.
I began a diary on April 28, with dates and all submissions, responses, and other activity. In addition to the electronic submissions, I also send a follow-up postcard. Does it help? It can’t hurt!
I’ve been pitching various projects, comic strips, and ideas off and on for most of my career, and it’s important to know that rejections are a perfectly normal part of the process. In fact the most negative thing I’ve experienced was being completely ignored. A rejection letter may often be just a form letter, apologizing that it’s a form letter, but sometimes an editor will include a personal note encouraging continued development, or suggesting another path. Such comments are worth gold! It’s nice to hear that your work may have merit, it’s just not a good fit for that particular editor.
So the process is ongoing. The truism you have to hang onto is that you only need one person to say yes. It’s never really that straightforward, but the truth of it is self-evident.
Thanks again for stopping by to catch up on my progress! You can always drop me a line at dickens@mooneyart.com
