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We are always looking for new artists who are willing to stretch themselves and develop their craft to progress. As such, anyone looking to submit artwork should send in the first instance an introductory email following the checklist below, along with either low res (100dpi) jpegs by email , a link to an online portfolio , or photocopies of previous work, a minimum of 5 pages of sequential art, and certainly NOT ORIGINALS . Any files sent as zip files will deleted automatically. These pages should show your ability to tell a story simply and effectively, without the need for heavy text. Consider carefully what you are sending. An editor wants to see that you can draw sequential art, not pinups. Include quiet scenes as well as action, utilize a wide variety of faces, figures (male, female, normal people as well as superhuman characters, etc.), and well-realized settings. Ask yourself the following questions: Does the angle you've chosen take full advantage of the dramatic potential in a scene? Do the backgrounds establish where the characters are in relationship to their surroundings and to each other? Is there a well-defined foreground, middle ground, and background? Is there a clear, readable story even without word balloons or captions? Have you left adequate room for the dialogue and captions? If the artist prefers to letter their own work, again please send samples showing this. The artist should also give an indication as to what format, length, genre they prefer working in. Please be realistic as to what you are able to commit to; it's easy to get excited about working on several cool projects but there are only so many hours in the day, and drawing comics is a heavily labour-intensive job. Also take into account that many times things outside your control will crop up in life that will delay the completion of a project. This is completely understandable, so if this occurs, an email or letter goes a long way to advise the editor to reschedule. If you need a sample script to work from to submit, then go HERE . Artwork: Lettering: ______________________________________________________________ There are many upcoming writers about now, many who are experimenting with the form and looking at subjects outside of normal superheroes. These are the writers we are looking for and want to develop into the next generation of Alan Moores and Grant Morrisons; however, the ratio of writers far outweighs the number of artists available, so writers should be aware that their maxi series my have to wait for the time being. As with any publisher, editors will want to see shorter pieces to show the writer can tell a story simply and effectively without pages of exposition. To begin with, Engine would want to see 8 page self-contained stories to show the writer's ability, then from there can progress to larger projects. The limit in FUSION is for nothing longer than three-parters, again 8 pages in length each. Anything longer than three parts should be rewritten into a more contained oneshot format. As a rule, only two out of four stories running in FUSION can be ongoing, so it will be a long time till a slot becomes available. At present, Engine is not looking at any long form maxi-series or graphic novels, unless there is an artist already attached and the work is already completed. If you have a massive project that you think is earth shatteringly, pant- wettingly original and brilliant, that's all well and good, but you'll need someone to draw it, and most artists are unwilling to commit to anything over 10 pages without money up front. Scripts: When preparing to send your story, consider the following questions: Are my characters believable and consistent throughout the script? Is the plot clear and easy to follow? Is all the necessary information—including subtext, symbolism, essential background detail, communicated clearly to the artist? Does the script allow the pictures to tell the story rather than relying on captions or other forms of exposition? Does the story work as a comic book, taking into account the conventions and the language of the medium? _____________________________________________________________ Whereas comics are still considered to be in an adolescent stage of development, the internet is practically barely born and in an incubator. The full potential for sequential narrative on such a versatile medium is immense. Many creators choose to just have pages of artwork to be read or printed as if they were on paper, and indeed that is the method we PREVIEW our printed titles. Others use the format of strip cartoons, reflecting the ratio of a web page (600x800 pixels), while others use Flash animation (such as that used as the intro to this site). Many examples of all of these can be found on the LINKS page. One of several projects in development at Engine, called SNOWFLAKE, is experimenting with the mechanics of a web-page, playing with the infinite canvas of cyberspace, with sounds, motions, and interactivity. We're looking for people who have ideas on progressing in that direction and who are eager to push the boundaries of what can be done with pixels. _______________________________________________________________ Q: I'm a writer without an artist, or an artist without a writer, how do I submit work? A: I'd prefer already established teams, or writers who are also artists, as pairing up the right artist and writer takes a lot of time and effort. I can match-make, but it is important that both parties when first submitting complete the checklist of details. However if you're already a partnership then by all means submit your work. Q: I'm both an artist and writer looking for a publisher for my work. What do I send you? A: Send a synopsis of the story you want publishing and copies of the completed artwork. If the work is still in script form then follow the writers guidelines, and send copies of previous completed artwork. Q: Who owns the copyright to my script/artwork? A: All work created under Engine remains the ownership of the creators, the script to the writer, the artwork to the artist. This is termed in the comics industry as ‘creator-owned', and usually comes unpaid until after the work is published and makes a profit after production costs. This is different to ‘work for hire' where creators are paid up front. Engine only reserves the right to be recognized as first publisher of the work in any subsequent printings. Samples of the artwork will remain in the galleries of the ENGINEERS page online and will occasionally be used with full credit for promotional purposes. Q: What do you mean by a synopsis? A: A synopsis is a summary of the submitted story, succinctly telling the entire tale—beginning, middle, and end, omitting unnecessary details. A short-story synopsis should be no longer than a page. A synopsis for a series (limited or ongoing) or graphic novel should be about two to five pages. Indicate issue breaks where applicable. A synopsis should say exactly what happens and how, noting plot and character specifics, how it starts and ends. Do not leave the resolution of the story in question, or ask rhetorical questions (i.e.: “How will they escape this peril?”). This should be the most straightforward presentation of the story as possible, as the synopsis is often the make-or-break point for a proposal. Q: What will ENGINE publish? A: Engine aims to cover every genre, sub-genre and style printable in the comic book form. Whether it's science fiction and romance, horror and crime fiction, historical fiction, humour, all that matters is that it's a good story well told. Q: Where are ENGINE COMICS sold? A: The main problem facing UK independent publishing is distribution. The traditional routes of ‘newsstand' such as newsagents like WH Smiths are far too expensive. The other option is the ‘direct sales market', which is your local comics store, primarily supplied by Diamond Distribution, which again can be expensive (at the moment, REDEYE MAGAZINE is the only publication sold through Diamonds' PREVIEWS Catalogue). As such, more and more people turn to the Internet as a way to sell their comics. Through the ease of the Paypal system, or sending a cheque by mail order, people can easily buy ENGINE COMICS online. In the UK there are a few selected shops selling ENGINE COMICS, including Borders, ACE Comics and Travelling Man. Q: Does ENGINE COMICS reprint material previously published? A: As a general rule of thumb, we prefer submitted material to be original, and not having been previously printed elsewhere. However depending on the quality of the material and special circumstances (i.e. the publication folded before completion of the story, or poor reproduction in the previous title) it can be considered. Q: Who decides on the submissions? A: That would be me, the editor, Barry Renshaw, and my sub editing team, usually over a cup of tea and some jaffa cakes. Q: What criteria are submissions reviewed under? A: There are several. First, we determine if the story is well executed? Is there an interesting concept or an interesting new take on an old concept? Is there a perceived audience for the work? Do we have a high degree of confidence that we can reach that audience? Q: Will I get a reply to my submission? A: Yes, I will endeavour to reply to submissions as soon as possible, though if you've not heard anything within two weeks feel free to email me. Q: What is The Matrix? A: No-one can be told what The Matrix is… but save your money and buy Citizen Kane instead. Next question. Q: What happens to the money from sales of my work? A: All of the books we publish are done for the love of the medium, and to develop our skills. The printing cost is usually only about 50p below the cover price. Taking into account the time and effort in distribution, promotion, mailing costs, organisation and all those things an editor does to get the book out, any money from sales goes directly into producing the next publication, with the aim of breaking even. If one publication proves to be a runaway hit the creators will be contacted and the profits divided accordingly. Q: How often is the ENGINE COMICS site updated? A: As often as possible, usually monthly with the addition of new articles and interviews as time goes on. For more frequent updates however, you can read the Editors blog at http://enginecomics.blogspot.com/ . Q: Why should I choose ENGINE COMICS to print my work? A: Well, we've been doing this a good few years now. We have a growing network of creators and industry contacts, we're committed to reinventing the UK comics industry and developing the next generation of talent. We provide resources for writers and artists, online portfolios for creators, and our books receive great REVIEWS. Our commitment is to purely publish the best comics we can. Can't say fairer than that. So if you'd like to join the Engineers, let me know . When submitting work to ENGINE remember to include: NAME: ____________________________________________________________ For artist and writers resources go to the LINKS page.
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