I’m half a page from finishing “Civilised People”! Ever since I finished my Real estate course last week, I’ve jumped right back into it and now is almost done on that last story. Great progress there…

• This is part of an on-going blog series called “Being a Professional Manga Artist in the West“. The Table of Contents is here.
• You can buy my “Queenie Chan: Short Stories 2000-2010” collection as a $4.99 ebook. Get it from Smashwords, Amazon, Apple iBooks, Nook.

Part 2b: Putting Together a Submission

Here is a list of things a manga submission should include. Just because this is a list, it does not mean that this is the list. Use this only as a guide, not as the gospel.

1. A Title Page – This should have your name, the story’s name, and your contact details on it. It’s best if you put your contact details (address, email, phone) on the header/footer of each page, but it’s not a big deal if you don’t have that.
2. Table of Contents – Not necessary, but makes it look more professional.
3. A One-Page Summary of your Story – This is extremely important, and should be no longer than 1.5 pages. This page is the first impression of your story the editor/publisher is going to get, so you need to summarise your story well and show that you understand what it’s truly about. Never waffle, and keep your language simple and minimal, almost report-style. This is often the hardest part of the whole submission, because if you lose the editor’s attention here, they’ll stop reading and move onto the next submission.
4. Character Summaries – This will include a full-body shots or head shots of all your major characters, plus half-a-page summary of each character. This is the section you get to show that your characters are interesting and well-developed, so keep that in mind when you write your character descriptions.
5. Volume Summaries – If your story is told over multiple books, then it’s best to summarise the plots of each in point form. Even if your story is told in a single book, it’s best to show that you have a well thought-out, orderly plot. Only a few sentences for each chapter will do, and preferably no more than 1-2 pages per book.
6. Manga Page Samples – Always make sure you have 6-12 finished pages of your story, to include as part of your submission. If the editor made it this far into your submission, then they’ll want to see your drawing and story-telling skills. Mind you, don’t send illustrations or character profiles unless you’re looking for work as a cover artist. The point here is to show you can tell stories in comic format, and if you can’t, the submission gets put aside.

This has covered most of the basics of a manga submission. Remember to use a legible font, to always use spell-check, and to structure your submission in a way that’s easy to follow. Watch your grammar and punctuation, and to not ramble or waffle. If you’re submitting via a submissions guideline, always check your submission against those guidelines before you send it in.

For people who still need guidance, I have here an old PDF submission from 2004 to TOKYOPOP (all the manga pages have been removed. Read them here: http://www.queeniechan.com/manga/twinside/1/). It’s for ‘TwinSide,’ a romantic comedy set in a high school, and it shows an example of how I structured my submission. The way I write these things haven’t changed much, but you should only use it only as an example. Download it here: www.queeniechan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/TwinSideSub.pdf

Part 2c: Sending a Submission

These days, most submissions are done via email, so it’s rare for a publisher to even want paper submissions. If you do send a paper submission, make sure you never send originals, because an editor will just lose it in the piles of papers in their office. Always send copies, and if you want your submission back, include a self-addressed and stamped envelope for the editor to use. No one is going to send your submission back to you on their dime.

The best piece of advice I can give someone trying to get published:
You should never, ever just send your work to a publisher, then sit around waiting for a reply. That’s the worst thing you could possibly do. There’s no guarantee that you’ll even get a reply, so what you should be doing is starting work on a new story or a new pitch. If you’re a manga artist, that can mean self-publishing, working on and hopefully finishing your web-comics, starting a new story, or just doing work in general. In other words: continue working, drawing/writing and making pitches. Don’t stop working.

*****

Next Wednesday, I talk about getting rejected… which happens to everyone.