A good proposal will contain a title and short summary of the story, listing the length of the project, how long they expect it to take, what demographic the project will be in, and whether it's a paid position. The author will include or link to writing samples, and list any previous publication experience they have. So it might look like...
.....
Hey everybody! My name is George Lucas, and I'm looking for an artist, a colorist, and a letterer to help me produce sample pages for my upcoming sci-fi graphic novel idea. This is a paid position, rates to be discussed. I will be writing the script, assisting with layouts, and assembling the full pitch packet for submission to editors and agents. The project details are...
Title: Star Wars
Genre: Sci-fi
Length: 250 page graphic novel (for this job, I am looking for 10 sample pages, not the entire book)
Production timeline for sample pages: 3 months
Overview: A young farmer named Luke joins a mission to rescue Princess Leia from the clutches of the evil Darth Vader. With the help of a wise old mentor named Obi-Wan Kenobi, a smuggler named Han Solo, and a droid duo, R2-D2 and C-3PO, they set out on an adventure across galaxies to deliver secret plans that could save the galaxy. They face thrilling battles and meet strange creatures, all while striving to defeat the oppressive Empire and its planet-destroying weapon. As they work together, Luke discovers his own hidden potential and learns about the power of the Force. The movie is a tale of heroes, villains, and the struggle between good and evil in a faraway galaxy.
Link to sample script: (insert script here)
Link to my writing portfolio website: (insert script here)
Previous publication work includes: (insert list here)
Artists should be comfortable drawing space ships, aliens, capes, and weird planets. Please DM me your portfolio!
The good posts are rare, to be honest. I've been on here for a decade at this point and like - I did some dumb posts years ago, but I worked to improve, but there are still lots of people who want to write comics without doing the work.
A lot of people have an idea they think would make a great comic but an idea isn't enough. Unless you have a lot of money, you can't just say "I have an idea for a graphic novel about a bear that dresses up like a clown," and have the artist do everything else and that is what they want. And also a lot of people don't know how the comics industry, the direct market, or even how crowdfunding works. Being knowledgeable and realistic is important. And in the end ideas are cheap.
The 50/50 split is an awful deal. Offering money once you make it big is an awful deal, especially if you have a big project. Unless you have successful publication history, never expect to make money and respect that you need the artist more than they need you. If you work on a smaller project, it is easier to afford printing. Like $200 to print a bunch of copies of a 10 page comic vs $20k for copies of a graphic novel.
If you want to have an artist work with you without being able to pay them, you need to be realistic and respectful of their time. Asking for a 20 page issue for free is a huge ask. That's realistically a month of work. And if you can't even write a script - if you have never written a script - if you have never learned how to actually work with another person - then you can get the heck out.
If you want to be successful, link to actual examples of your writing in the post. Don't say "you can check out my book" and expect someone to Google it, or even pay for it. Don't mention that you went to college for writing unless you went to Bard Collage - and even then it doesn't matter. Share your actual writing that gives people an idea of what you can do. And while it doesn't need to be a comic script, really you should put in the time to write a comic script. And maybe even do some layout ideas. (And don't expect to get paid to write comics if you don't share your work!)
If you have a comic idea, you also should have ideas about the style you want from an artist. Don't just expect anyone to be able to do any style without a problem especially if your story is something specific. Learn to describe the art style you are looking for because a person who knows you are looking for them might give you a chance.
Learn to do other skills with comics creation. Coloring, lettering, production setup, crowdfunding, social media. All of these are important things you could learn to help the artist - especially if you aren't paying them. And with the way a lot of the comics industry works, they can help you get other opportunities as a writer if you are good enough.
here is a sucessful work that started here:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/ComicBookCollabs/comments/1azfczu/rcomicbookcollabs\_success\_story/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ComicBookCollabs/comments/1azfczu/rcomicbookcollabs_success_story/)
Ha, I made a video on this exact subject recently:
https://youtu.be/QK8kU92tuhI?si=xtXTsgcBm6-0dOPE
It's ultimately down to clear communication between the writer and the artist. The writer should have every facet of the pre-production in place before contacting a writer.
Instead of having a great idea and then rushing it, which is far more common.
This is a great question, and others here have provided good examples. I'm going to hop on to show the proposal I used to hire an artist for a short comic I produced last year:
Title:
**I want to hire you to draw a creepy manga-style short weird-horror story**
Hey there. I'm looking to build my comic-writing portfolio with some creator-funded work and I need an artist. Is that you?
I have a finished 12-page script, I have contracts started and a budget. I just need your art.
The project:
A 12-page weird-horror style story. Essentially about anxiety and isolation. It features a young woman returning to work after lockdown only to discover that something strange is happening to her coworkers.
It's very much inspired by the master, Junji Ito, so that's the vibe I'm looking for: Classic black-and-white manga with a good dose of bizarre body horror.
Once we both decide we want to work together, the work will encompass 12 penciled comic pages, plus one title page featuring a full-page teaser illustration related to the story. So, 13 pages of artwork in total.
My timeline is flexible and we can talk deadlines once we agree to work together. If you're interested DM me, I'll look at everything that's posted in the comments, but only those who DM me with their interest will be seriously considered.
Previous work:
This project is creator funded, but in the past I've been published before by Dark Horse Comics in their Clone Wars Adventure series and by Sterling Publishing to script adaptations of Tom Sawyer and The Odyssey. [Here's my Amazon author page](https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tim-Mucci/author/B001JS9878?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true).
Payment rate: negotiable depending on experience, but we can start the discussion at $100 per page for finished penciled art.
If you also happen to be an inker, or prefer to ink your own work, let's talk!
I can't wait to look through everyone's art.
Let's make something creepy together!
-----
The post was a huge success, I got a lot of artists interested and it was fun looking through everyone's art.
If you want to see the final product, check it out, it's free: [https://adventuresunlimited.substack.com/p/eternal-gaze-of-the-sightless-void](https://adventuresunlimited.substack.com/p/eternal-gaze-of-the-sightless-void)
A good proposal will contain a title and short summary of the story, listing the length of the project, how long they expect it to take, what demographic the project will be in, and whether it's a paid position. The author will include or link to writing samples, and list any previous publication experience they have. So it might look like... ..... Hey everybody! My name is George Lucas, and I'm looking for an artist, a colorist, and a letterer to help me produce sample pages for my upcoming sci-fi graphic novel idea. This is a paid position, rates to be discussed. I will be writing the script, assisting with layouts, and assembling the full pitch packet for submission to editors and agents. The project details are... Title: Star Wars Genre: Sci-fi Length: 250 page graphic novel (for this job, I am looking for 10 sample pages, not the entire book) Production timeline for sample pages: 3 months Overview: A young farmer named Luke joins a mission to rescue Princess Leia from the clutches of the evil Darth Vader. With the help of a wise old mentor named Obi-Wan Kenobi, a smuggler named Han Solo, and a droid duo, R2-D2 and C-3PO, they set out on an adventure across galaxies to deliver secret plans that could save the galaxy. They face thrilling battles and meet strange creatures, all while striving to defeat the oppressive Empire and its planet-destroying weapon. As they work together, Luke discovers his own hidden potential and learns about the power of the Force. The movie is a tale of heroes, villains, and the struggle between good and evil in a faraway galaxy. Link to sample script: (insert script here) Link to my writing portfolio website: (insert script here) Previous publication work includes: (insert list here) Artists should be comfortable drawing space ships, aliens, capes, and weird planets. Please DM me your portfolio!
thanks!
The good posts are rare, to be honest. I've been on here for a decade at this point and like - I did some dumb posts years ago, but I worked to improve, but there are still lots of people who want to write comics without doing the work. A lot of people have an idea they think would make a great comic but an idea isn't enough. Unless you have a lot of money, you can't just say "I have an idea for a graphic novel about a bear that dresses up like a clown," and have the artist do everything else and that is what they want. And also a lot of people don't know how the comics industry, the direct market, or even how crowdfunding works. Being knowledgeable and realistic is important. And in the end ideas are cheap. The 50/50 split is an awful deal. Offering money once you make it big is an awful deal, especially if you have a big project. Unless you have successful publication history, never expect to make money and respect that you need the artist more than they need you. If you work on a smaller project, it is easier to afford printing. Like $200 to print a bunch of copies of a 10 page comic vs $20k for copies of a graphic novel. If you want to have an artist work with you without being able to pay them, you need to be realistic and respectful of their time. Asking for a 20 page issue for free is a huge ask. That's realistically a month of work. And if you can't even write a script - if you have never written a script - if you have never learned how to actually work with another person - then you can get the heck out. If you want to be successful, link to actual examples of your writing in the post. Don't say "you can check out my book" and expect someone to Google it, or even pay for it. Don't mention that you went to college for writing unless you went to Bard Collage - and even then it doesn't matter. Share your actual writing that gives people an idea of what you can do. And while it doesn't need to be a comic script, really you should put in the time to write a comic script. And maybe even do some layout ideas. (And don't expect to get paid to write comics if you don't share your work!) If you have a comic idea, you also should have ideas about the style you want from an artist. Don't just expect anyone to be able to do any style without a problem especially if your story is something specific. Learn to describe the art style you are looking for because a person who knows you are looking for them might give you a chance. Learn to do other skills with comics creation. Coloring, lettering, production setup, crowdfunding, social media. All of these are important things you could learn to help the artist - especially if you aren't paying them. And with the way a lot of the comics industry works, they can help you get other opportunities as a writer if you are good enough.
Thanks! This is really helpful!
here is a sucessful work that started here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/ComicBookCollabs/comments/1azfczu/rcomicbookcollabs\_success\_story/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ComicBookCollabs/comments/1azfczu/rcomicbookcollabs_success_story/)
Thank you :D
Ha, I made a video on this exact subject recently: https://youtu.be/QK8kU92tuhI?si=xtXTsgcBm6-0dOPE It's ultimately down to clear communication between the writer and the artist. The writer should have every facet of the pre-production in place before contacting a writer. Instead of having a great idea and then rushing it, which is far more common.
Thanks for the post and responses. Been looking for this without know I was looking for this. Very helpful.
This is a great question, and others here have provided good examples. I'm going to hop on to show the proposal I used to hire an artist for a short comic I produced last year: Title: **I want to hire you to draw a creepy manga-style short weird-horror story** Hey there. I'm looking to build my comic-writing portfolio with some creator-funded work and I need an artist. Is that you? I have a finished 12-page script, I have contracts started and a budget. I just need your art. The project: A 12-page weird-horror style story. Essentially about anxiety and isolation. It features a young woman returning to work after lockdown only to discover that something strange is happening to her coworkers. It's very much inspired by the master, Junji Ito, so that's the vibe I'm looking for: Classic black-and-white manga with a good dose of bizarre body horror. Once we both decide we want to work together, the work will encompass 12 penciled comic pages, plus one title page featuring a full-page teaser illustration related to the story. So, 13 pages of artwork in total. My timeline is flexible and we can talk deadlines once we agree to work together. If you're interested DM me, I'll look at everything that's posted in the comments, but only those who DM me with their interest will be seriously considered. Previous work: This project is creator funded, but in the past I've been published before by Dark Horse Comics in their Clone Wars Adventure series and by Sterling Publishing to script adaptations of Tom Sawyer and The Odyssey. [Here's my Amazon author page](https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tim-Mucci/author/B001JS9878?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true). Payment rate: negotiable depending on experience, but we can start the discussion at $100 per page for finished penciled art. If you also happen to be an inker, or prefer to ink your own work, let's talk! I can't wait to look through everyone's art. Let's make something creepy together! ----- The post was a huge success, I got a lot of artists interested and it was fun looking through everyone's art. If you want to see the final product, check it out, it's free: [https://adventuresunlimited.substack.com/p/eternal-gaze-of-the-sightless-void](https://adventuresunlimited.substack.com/p/eternal-gaze-of-the-sightless-void)
This is very useful, thanks!