DC Conspiracy[dots pattern]

6.16.2005

Here's the Thing... #2

Last time, on Here’s the Thing...

I tried the “You don’t know me but I’m really good” thing only once. I finished putting together my second pitch since I started it before Philly but then just shelved it. It wasn’t the right way to do this, there’s a better way.

I decided to go smaller; I started to think about anthologies. I hooked up with this one guy, you know that guy that’s putting together an anthology? Yeah, that one. I hooked up with him. No anthology.

I went to Chicago and walked around, meeting people and keeping tabs on what anthologies where available. I met up with an acquaintance (who’s now a good friend), Jay Busbee, who told me that he had a story that was being published in Western Tales of Terror, a book that features master of horror Steve Niles.

Steve Niles! With a Tony Moore cover! And look at the promo ad for issue 2 – Phil Hester, Todd Livingston, Eric J…

I instantly realized that this was the company to get behind and I forgot about everybody else. Everyone else was small potatoes. These guys come out of the gate with heavy hitters, they know what they’re doing. Hoarse & Buggy became my goal and I focused all of my energy on them.

I wrote my story, sent it into Greg (who was doing submissions there at the time) and waited.

Nothing.

I started checking the Hoarse & Buggy message board. I saw a message from Josh in which he said that they’ve been slammed with submissions and Greg is trying to get through them, it should be a while before we get a response. Instead of backing-down, maybe writing another submission and continuing to wait I decided to take advantage of the situation. I’ve always been the one to seize an opportunity.

I wrote Josh and told him I had submissions experience with a theater troupe in Boston. He contacted me instantly and after talking to him and Greg I became submissions editor.

I busted my ass. I gave feedback on every piece, what worked and what didn’t. I was banging out two or three submissions a day, building up a queue of passable scripts for Greg to see which of the bunch he liked.

Josh was impressed with my work and asks me if I’d be interested in editing his new project, Elk’s Run, and taking some of the work off of Greg’s shoulders. I agree and he sends me the first script as a trial run.

Excuse my language but I edited the fuck out of that script. I turned on track changes and laid down so much red Josh’s eyes must have hurt from looking at it. I took another chance. I could have pissed him off, people get very touchy with how others perceive their work. But I was confident in my criticisms and suggestions and most importantly, most of them were good points.

A month later I was editing Western Tales of Terror as well. Now we have several new projects in development and I’m the editor of all of them. I forced myself into an integral position in a hot company.

There are two lessons here. The first one is, you have to look for an opportunity and go for it, never hesitate. And if you seize that moment and make your move and get your shot, bust your ass. Set up your own system, establish your own voice. Take chances and think big. Your first move is the most important one – my first move was to implement a system where submitters get more than a “no thanks”. And everyone was happy, it made us the friendly company that wants to help – that wants to see people improve. I would go to message boards and when people would ask what companies to submit to, people would say Hoarse & Buggy almost immediately. They commented that Jason is a good guy that’ll treat you right. You’ll actually learn something submitting there. When subsequent initiatives didn’t work as well, I was still riding off of the first one enough to not lose any face. Nothing shuts up a jeering crowd better than a home-run in the first inning.

Second lesson - watch your back and never get too comfortable. When Josh offered me the Elk’s Run gig and the Western Tales of Terror gig I didn’t once think to myself, “How will Greg feel about this” and I like Greg. Greg is a great guy. But he was somewhere I wanted to be.

Now, there’s a caveat to this lesson. About a year ago I left my day job to go on to a new company where I would have people underneath me. Not a manager on paper but I would still rely on people to get the work done and make sure it all comes together. When I was leaving, the VP of my old company sat me down and gave me some advice.

Always surround yourself with talented people even if it means they’re going to eventually pass you by. Down the road, it’s better to have to deal with a superior that you helped along the way than with someone you tried to screw.

If I were putting something together, Greg would be one of the first people I would contact because he helped me along the way. I’m pretty sure he knows that, too.

And that concludes this little piece. Next week I think I’m going to get into the importance of information. Hiding it, sharing it and warping it. Like I said in the first article, I’m going to help you by telling the truth. Well, the truth is, sometimes you need to exaggerate it. Here’s a primer: I didn’t really do submissions for a theater troupe in Boston, per se.

EDIT: After plotting out the third article I realized it didn't make sense to do the lying one yet, next week will be about your worth.

Jason at 11:39 PM  |  link to this     

3 Comments

Wait a minute...you mean I bear some small responsibility for all this?

Well...sorry, comics industry. Don't hate me too much.

Jay at 6/17/2005 7:29 AM   

Jason's comments about meeting people seem to be the single greatest way to make the leap forward from the "slush" pile to getting looked at.

When this group began to take shape earlier this year, I noticed how much everyone wanted to share information about their respective corners of the comics world---for me, that was unusual.

Deb at 6/17/2005 2:35 PM   

The only reason I'm in Western Tales of Terror is 'cuz I have talented friends, and wouldn't back down on those dicks Josh and Jason.

Well, I didn't have to back down once I layed "Tony Moore will pencil it" on the table. Suddenly they wanted to read my scripts. Heh.

Matty Field at 6/25/2005 12:17 AM   

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