submission

[bak]

Dylan Williams and I go way back, he operates Sparkplug Comic Books and his publishing/business philosophy is very unique. Basically, he's always looking for new talent, but he focuses on publishing work that he feels is overlooked. Creators retain all rights and have complete creative control over their work, too. Meanwhile, Dylan was/is my first publisher and probably the nicest person in the comics industry, a real gem. He knows old comics backwards and forwards, too.
If you haven't heard of or submitted work to Sparkplug, at least check out the site and some of the recent work

www.sparkplugcomicbooks.com

[Colleen]

Thanks for the info! I'll send him a package tomorrow.

[morgan]

I'd love to send his some stuff; should I put together a package with a little of everything, or just 2 or three of my strongest pieces? is it better to show variety or quality?

-M

[bak]

As a general rule, I would send at least 2 of your strongest things but probably no more than 4 (unless you've got 5 or more awesome self-published things, which would make me wonder why you haven't already been working with a publisher, but whatever). Always look at the work that the publisher is already putting out, consider the aesthetic and determine whether or not your work is a good fit. Remember, a lot of small publishers are themselves artists and while someone like Dylan is focused on quality art and well-written work, his tastes may seem varied and eclectic, there are aspects to his aesthetic which are consistent within the Sparkplug pantheon. This applies to many publisher-artists. You guys should ideally have a press kit full of stuff to send to publishers, agents etc.

[bak]

Shoot publishers an email directing them to your site before you send them anything, too, introduce yourselves professionally but amiably, make them aware of what you're doing and tell them you're preparing to send them new work. Don't put yourself on their backburners for them, keep up with them. Remember: you're the newbie on the block and your shit is fresh. Once they forget about you, they don't care whether your newest work is awesome because they're already checking out the latest from Dopey McHipshit. Then you will discover the blessing that is prescription painkillers.