Several people have asked me to post up my pitch document for Wayward like I did with Skullkickers. I’ve avoided doing that because the Wayward pitch is filled with story spoilers, but Rob Xara suggested I redact all the bits no one can see yet and that sounded fun… so here’s the original Wayward pitch with big spoiler sections blacked out like a classified military document.
Enjoy!
You’ll notice the whole thing is only 6 pages and the core of it is really just this one summary page. Yeah, it’s lean and mean. As I’ve said before, keep pitches short and focused. If a publisher likes it they’ll ask for more.
Normally you’d also include finished comic pages with a pitch package, especially if you’re new to the industry. In this case both Steve and I were established with a solid body of work and the publishers we were pitching to knew we could deliver pro quality so that wasn’t required.
If you’ve never read Wayward before and the pitch material above has you intrigued, find out more about it by clicking HERE!
 | String Theory (issues #1-5) Rori Lane is trying to start a new life when she reunites with her mother in Japan, but ancient creatures lurking in the shadows of Tokyo sense something hidden deep within her, threatening everything she holds dear. Can she unlock the secrets of her power before it’s too late? |
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Makeshift Miracle
Very insightful post as to how its done and I’m surprised by just how short and presice it has to be.
Awesome insight. Thanks for posting. Looking forward to your TCAF pitch class.
Perhaps Image has modified its requirements since this was posted, but it doesn’t seem to be in line with what they’re requesting anymore. Image is looking for a 1 page synopsis, and mentions nothing about character sheets. Not sure if the latter is something I should still prepare.
Once you’ve had a series approved/published at Image you’re not as restricted to the exact format they have on their website when it comes to pitching. I’d already done Skullkickers at Image so I pitched Wayward a bit differently.
So would you recommend preparing charcter sheets for a first cold pitch at image?
It really depends on the story you’re telling. If you can keep the descriptions brief and it helps the person reading the pitch visualise what you’ve put together, I think it can be an asset, but the 1-2 page main pitch is still the core. Nice character sheets won’t save a poorly thought out story pitch.
Hey Jim,
As a first time cold pitch to Image, did you have to include a cover letter? I know their requirements change, and this is currently one of them.
Also, I have the first issue of my comic fully printed as a proof-of-concept. Image’s current requirements say “a minimum of 5 black and white pages with lettering, coloring optional”. Would you recommend sending in just sequential pages that best represent the book, or would a printed copy of the book be better, since they get a complete idea of what the book will be like?
A cover letter is not required, but it also can’t hurt to have it included.
a printed copy of the book can be nice to give a full sense of it, but in the end it’s really all about the quality. If it’s a quality concept with professional art , that will turn heads, whether it’s a printed book or a digital sample of a few pages.
Thanks so much Jim! Your site has been an indispensable resource. It’s seriously great of you to be open and so helpful to aspiring creators. Much appreciated!
Hi Zub!
I know that this post is from 2015, but do you think that Image stills wants to find original talent, I preparing a Pitch for a series and I thinking in sending to Image 🙂
Absolutely. Obviously the competition is stiff given how many creators are jockeying to publish books with them, but if the work submitted is high quality I have no doubt that they’d be interested.