Samantha Robertson, Submissions Editor, Dark Horse Comics

Jim has been using this space to go over the ins and outs of portfolio preparation and the in-person portfolio review. With convention season upon us, you couldn’t be reading his words at a better time. But I’m here to talk to you about another side of things, a side empowered by the dark realms of that venerable institution known as good ole’ snail-mail… That’s right, read on for my advice on how to really stand out from the crowd when you put together a mailed-in submission.

I’m the current submissions reviewer over at Dark Horse Comics. During an average week, I read through about thirty to forty submissions. That’s over a hundred submission reviews a month! I’ve spent a lot of time finding out first-hand what works and what doesn’t, and I’m here to share some of those observations with you so that when you put together a submissions package, it gets noticed for all the right reasons. And with that, here’s my rundown of (drum-roll please…) the top five things NOT to do, and show you how looking at the flip-side of each huge mistake reveals a way to really make your submission stand out from the rest of the pack (or, in this case, from the rest of the envelope pile). So, here we have…

The Top Five Ways to Totally Sabotage Your Submission

1. Assume that you can feel free to mail in whatever you want.

Submissions guidelines exist for a reason: different companies want to see different things included in a submissions package, and they all want you to know what they expect. It’s in your best interest to find out what the companies you want to submit your work to want you to send in, material wise, rather than making your best guess at what should be included in your envelope.

*To avoid this mistake, follow instructions!

You’d be amazed how many people don’t. By following the instructions laid out in a company’s submission guidelines (which are almost always available on their website), you’ll tell them that you’re attentive to details, can follow direction, and are serious about the submissions process and the business without having to say a single word.

2. Flood your reviewer.

I don’t care if you’ve produced a perfect page of pencils every day for the last three years and have already polished off a two hundred page script for The Great American Graphic Novel. Regardless – and trust me on this – nothing will make a submissions reviewer go cross-eyed and numb like staring down the three-inch thick stack of pages that constitutes your latest masterpiece. Trust me.

* To avoid this mistake, choose your materials wisely!

The truth is, a handful of really strong sequential samples or script pages will serve your cause far better than your Anthology of Complete Works, circa 2000-2006. They’ll get a strong sense of your skill level across, and save your reviewer’s eyesight (have pity, we do a LOT of reading!).

3. Botch your cover letter.

You wouldn’t go to a job interview at, let’s say, a bank, wearing ripped-up jeans and a t-shirt, then kick your feet up on your interviewer’s desk and start chatting with them as if they were one of your drinking buddies, would you? Of course not, because you’d remember all those times your mom nagged you how important first impressions are, “because you only get to make them once.” Don’t blow your first chance to impress by being overly casual, crude, or personal. And don’t play the name-dropping game. It’s just tacky, and ultimately meaningless since there’s no way a reviewer can know for sure whether or not you really did receive such glowing praise from industry legend so-and-so.

* To avoid this mistake, be focused and professional!

A mailed-in submission is a job interview in an envelope, plain and simple, and your cover letter is that first smile and handshake, so make sure that it’s a strong one! So you’re a wonderful parent, spouse, humanitarian, and origami master, and have the largest comics collection in the tri-state area. I commend you on all these achievements, but since they have no actual bearing on the task at hand – demonstrating your skills as a creator – I wouldn’t recommend filling up your cover letter with these kinds of personal details. After all, your submission doesn’t exist to try to make you a new best friend, it exists to try to get you a job. When writing your cover letter, imagine that you’re going to an in-person interview for whatever job in the comics industry you want and you have to anticipate the kinds of questions you’ll be asked. These are the questions to answer in your cover letter. So which question do you think is more likely: who your favorite super-hero is, or how many year you were able to keep that self-published project of yours going?

4. Break the bank on packing materials.

A terrible submission in a twenty dollar, holofoil-covered, bullet-proof binder triple-wrapped in multi-colored ribbon and hundred-dollar bills is still a terrible submission. ‘Nuff said.

* To avoid this mistake, be realistic with your packaging!

You don’t want to go blowing loads of money on a slick portfolio case that you’ll mail away and never see again, but you also don’t want to shove everything into a coffee-stained little envelope you found under your couch, either. After all, you want to make sure that your work arrives in one piece, looking clean and professional. A cardboard reinforced envelope is usually more than sufficient and cost a buck or two, tops, and can be paired up with a basic presentation folder for added protection if you so desire. You’ll also want to make sure that when someone opens up your envelope and takes out your material it stays organized, so remember that paperclips and staples are your friends. They’re just as effective as more complicated binding techniques when you want to make it clear which pages go together, and in what order they should be read.

5. Be a follow-up monster.

Hounding a company with calls, emails, or letters demanding an immediate response to your submission is a sure way to leave a negative impression. Oh, and if you haven’t heard back about your submission, the way to deal with this disappointment is NOT to send in the exact same submission, to the exact same company, over and over again until you elicit some kind of reaction. Sure, this might get you a response, but it probably won’t be the kind you want...

* To avoid this mistake, respect company policies with regard to submissions responses!

I know that it can be hard to be patient, to put your submission out of your mind after putting so much hard work into it, but it is important to remember that your submission is one of many, and that even the most well-meaning of reviewers gets busy with other responsibilities sometimes. By being patient and respecting a company’s policies with regard to if, and how, they will respond to mailed-in submissions, even if this time around your submission didn’t make the grade you can submit again at a later date knowing you haven’t earned yourself a reputation as a nuisance.

Granted, the chances that your unsolicited submission will attract an offer of employment are slim. This is an extremely competitive business, after all. However, the possibility is always there... That’s why you’re sending your work out in the first place, right? Before you enter into this process, my last piece of advice is to ask yourself this: are you pitching your idea just because it’s something cool you would like to see, or because it is something you are actually willing and able to create? Are you sending in your artwork or writing because you think making comics must be easier and more fun than your current job, or because you are truly invested in the craft? If your answers resemble the latter set of responses, you’re ready to get down and dirty and get that submission package ready. I wish you the best of luck, and hope that the advice presented here can of help you along the way.