How to pitch a Novel as a Graphic Novel?

Roly

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I've got a novel I wrote years ago that I think could make a great graphic novel but I'm not sure how to go about it. Is it just a matter of pitching to various publishing houses? Or do I need an artist already on board?
 

Super_Duper

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Was the novel published? If so, by who? How were/are the sales? Have you re-written it into a comic scrip yet? If not, get busy. Do you know any comic editors? Most comic publishers prefer completed projects, but some will be willing to hear a pitch with only 5-10 completed pages. Find a good artist, and be prepared to pay a fair page rate.
 

Roly

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Was the novel published? If so, by who? How were/are the sales? Have you re-written it into a comic scrip yet? If not, get busy. Do you know any comic editors? Most comic publishers prefer completed projects, but some will be willing to hear a pitch with only 5-10 completed pages. Find a good artist, and be prepared to pay a fair page rate.

Hey sorry it took me so long to answer. I've been mostly busy with other projects.

The book was pitched to publishers but never published. I have an agent who would be willing to pitch a completed project, but I definitely don't have a script yet. I wonder, would the script be enough, or would I have to already have an artist attached to the project?
 

AJSchumacher

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The book was pitched to publishers but never published. I have an agent who would be willing to pitch a completed project, but I definitely don't have a script yet. I wonder, would the script be enough, or would I have to already have an artist attached to the project?

Hi there! New to the forums, so I'm not even sure whether or not you'll see this reply. I've been doing this for a while, though, so I figured I'd offer my two cents.

First and foremost, to echo Super_Duper, adapt the prose into a graphic novel manuscript. Don't even worry about finding an artist or pitching until you've done this. A novel and a graphic novel are two incredibly different animals, and if comics are indeed what you want to pursue you will need to utilize the art just as effectively as the text.

Once this step is complete there are several avenues to explore. You can submit to the direct market (Image, Dark Horse, BOOM!, etc.), but you will most definitely need an artist attached. There are forums such as Digital Webbing as well as "Creator Connection" opportunities at conventions to search for a creative partner. If trade publishing is what you're after, as you stated you have an agent, you can certainly ask them about whether or not they'll take on a graphic novel that is script-only. I have found that it is increasingly difficult, and agents are far less likely, to pitch graphic novels without artwork. This is why you see more and more agents who represent graphic novels specifying they are looking for author-illustrators. The other option is to self-publish or garner interest by starting the book as a webcomic, releasing small portions of a page or two at a time.

Anyway, I hope this sheds a little light on the discussion. For a great primer with some further information you can check out https://larawillard.com/2016/03/14/how-to-format-and-submit-graphic-novels/.

Have a great weekend!
 

mentacle

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AJSchumacher's got good advice. I'm in the process of trying to get a graphic novel to trade publishing, but I've also been published in the direct market. In my case, I pitched my script with an artist attached, but I find that since a lot of editors/ agents may like the script but not the art, I suggest you commission an artist for prelimnary designs or one or two key pages under a WFH deal ( with appropriate pay of course), you may want to specify that the art isn't final. That way you're flexible if only the script gets liked.
 

Kevin_C_Vang

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I've got a novel I wrote years ago that I think could make a great graphic novel but I'm not sure how to go about it. Is it just a matter of pitching to various publishing houses? Or do I need an artist already on board?
To my suggestion in life experience, I will NEVER pitch to anybody because they will steal your ideas. My friend, there are no rules to set for ideas since people can just plagiarize an idea. Do you remember what Vito Corleone has said to Sonny? He said, "Keep your mouth shut so that people won't know what you're thinking." I do agree with what Vito said. Pitching an idea to a big fish who is bigger than you, they will just eat you and you can kiss the dream that you have goodbye.