I do a lot of consulting/editing on comic book pitches.
Last week I was contacted by a creative team that was finishing up their pitch package and decided they should have an outside set of eyes look it over, just to make sure everything was tight and polished.
First, as I’ve said numerous times on this site, get your consultant/editor in at the beginning. In this case, the art was done, so my input was really limited. (Rarely are folks open to scraping a bunch of work for a more effective pitch even if it means getting a contract vs. not getting a contract.)
The key to a successful pitch is 1 part what you showcase and 1 part presentation.
Second, unique to this situation, the creative team decide to create a separate pitch story based in the comic world. In other words, they’re working on their 6 part mini-series. But instead of pulling and showing pages from that material, they created a little 6 page side story to send in as the pitch.
I 99.9% advise against this, unless the publisher you want to pitch specifically states somewhere in their guidelines this is ok.
Editors reviewing pitches want to see what they’re considering publishing.
Presenting a supplemental story may show the quality your team brings to the table. It may even deliver an understanding of the story. But it doesn’t show the actual book they’ll be putting on the shelves.
And the first thing an editor is going to ask is “why?”
If you’re story/book is awesome, it doesn’t need a set up.
You don’t need to explain why it’s awesome. You shouldn’t need to sell it… JUST SHOW IT and let the book sell itself. ▪
About the Author —
Nick Macari is a full-time freelance story consultant, developmental editor and writer, working primarily in the independent gaming and comic markets. His first published comic appeared on shelves via Diamond in the late 90’s. Today you can find his comic work on comixology, amazon and in select stores around the U.S. Visit NickMacari.com for social media contacts and news on his latest releases.