Creating and writing a book or graphic novel is no small feat to be sure, but it is not in many cases, complete when the prose or script is finished. Preparing a pitch for a publisher or preparing your book for self-publishing is so much more than a compelling an original story. Communications, Marketing, Digital Art, Graphic Design, navigating your country’s copywrite and ISBN/ISSN systems, Being your own Advocate, and Believing in yourself are just a few of things I have discovered as part of the job when you are making a professional impression on the literary, comic, or publishing world. Please check back periodically for information as well as my personal experience with each of these topics, and how I was able to navigate them to an end that I was pleased with.
Comms Specialist
Spearheading your own project is very rewarding, but takes a great deal of organization, drive, motivation and the ability to lead people. The fine art of professional, but direct communication between colleagues, strangers, business partners, collaborators or someone that is a friend simply helping you out is a difficult one to master. The old adage of “do no harm but take no shit” applies to being your own comms specialist in my experience. Motivating yourself to be organized, and driven is one thing, but when the majority of your connection with people is online, motivating them to meet your needs can be challenging. I have found that if the original agreement is laid out in writing, even in a formal contract style, then there is a greater understanding between both parties, and much less room for disappointment. You can take direction from any management text, but at the end of the day, positivity is a great asset and tool. Be sure to thank your contributors and find things that are great about what they are doing, not just what they could be doing differently (to fit your vision) or better (because its not exactly the way that you have imagined it in your head for the past 3 years). At the end of the day, these people that you may choose to employ to assist you in making your creation a reality are necessary to do so. You can't do it without them, so make sure you treat them with the level of respect that they deserve.
