Press Release for:: Octal Comics Launches Free Pitch Development Workshops for Indie Comic Creators

Octal Comics Launches Free Pitch Development Workshops for Indie Comic Creators

To further assist indie comic creators in securing publishing contracts for their books and series, Octal Comics has launched Pitch Development Workshops. This series of free, semester-long workshops is designed to guide creators through the development of their comic pitch packets with instructional resources, editorial assistance, and regularly scheduled group critiques.

‘The earlier a problem is caught, the faster, cheaper, and easier it is to remedy,’ says Mike Schneider
( Editor of Octal Comics ) ‘Building from the foundation up with regular critiques helps creators avoid throwing good work after bad.’

Writers and artists may enroll without teams in place, however, they are responsible for budgeting and staffing themselves as we move through development. Writing and art will be discussed and critiqued but these are neither writing nor illustration workshops. Our goal is to help capable creators pitch their comics more effectively.

While these workshops break things down from concept to completion, they are also open to creators interested in pitching English editions of foreign language comics, print editions of digital or webcomics, and reprints of self-published comics. Schneider explains, ‘The pieces are all the same whether you’re producing them from scratch or editing them from existing material.’

Some creators may ask, ‘Why not just self-publish?’ To this Schneider replies, ‘Self-publishing is a valid option. It might even be the best option for certain comics and creators but your comic deserves better than assumptions. Pitching is how you field offers, most publishers have no qualms about reviewing proposals for currently self-published comics, and you’re never under any obligation to accept an offer which isn’t right for you. So, if you’re self-publishing or thinking of self-publishing, you can continue down that path while your pitch circulates and only change course if/ when you’re presented with a better offer.’

Octal Comics’s Pitch Development Workshops are currently run through Facebook Groups. The Spring ‘18 Semester has just launched. To enroll, simply join ( www.facebook.com/groups/OctalSpring18/ ) by April 6th. Future workshops and releases will be announced through Octal’s Fan page ( www.facebook.com/OctalComics ).

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About Octal Comics:

Octal ( www.OctalComics.com ) is a curated catalog of comic pitch packets with over 3 dozen publishers subscribed to review its featured proposals. With packets built around 8 page pilots, it reads like an anthology with bonus features. Publishing the pitches in catalog/ anthology form dramatically reduces the liability associated with handling unpublished works, saving hundreds of pages of wavers per volume. Readers making their voices heard for a pitch can help prove its audience and those sales allow Octal to be run without entry fees and be provided free to comic publishers and their staffs. To date, more than half the featured proposals have gone on to further talks with one or more publishers and over a quarter have already locked down series contracts.