"The City We Chose" submissions are now open!
TO Comix Press is starting up an exciting new anthology, and we want you to be a part of it!
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Specs
Payment
Submitting a Script
Applying as an Artist
Comic Formatting
Kickstarter
Milestones
Roles
About Us
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario for their support.What we’re looking for
We're looking for a mix of fiction and non-fiction narrative comics, exploring the paths that brought us to our home cities, and the decisions that shaped those places. What fantastical metropolises might have existed if things had shaken out differently?
We’re especially interested in stories in genres not commonly found in western comics; sports, romance, scifi, politics, history, slice of life, and so on!
The stories
We want creators to lean into their identities, their passions, and their unique perspectives.
Every story in the anthology will be chosen based on merit; it must meet an expected standard of quality based on the strength of the pitch and the evidence of the creators' previous works. Once we've chosen stories that meet those criteria, we will also consider the overall balance of the book in terms of diverse representation of characters, diverse representation of creators, and diversity of genre.
Stories should stand on their own without any prior knowledge of your work. Stories should be aimed at a wide audience, and rated PG13.
Stories should be between 8 and 16 pages long.
The limits
Stories cannot be sexually or violently graphic. However, stories can be about sex or romance, and may contain sexual themes. Sensitive themes can be included as long as they are treated respectfully. We’ll include appropriate content warnings in the finished book.
The creators
For grant eligibility reasons, the majority share of our creators must live in Ontario, Canada.
Specs
| Dimensions: | | 6” x 9”
| Release date: | Jun 2024 |
| Length: | 150 pages. +-130 pages of that will be artwork. |
| MSRP: | $25 CAD |
| Artwork: | 300dpi CYMK full-colour pages submitted digitally. |
Payment
Writers will be paid
$15 CAD per page, to a maximum of $240 ( 16 pages ).
Artists will be paid
$40 CAD per page for pencils and inks, to a maximum of $640 ( 16 pages ).
Colorists will be paid
$20 CAD per page, to a maximum of $180 ( 320 pages ).
Creators who perform multiple roles will be paid for each, to a maximum of
$1,200 CAD ( 16 pages ).
If a script receives first-draft approval, even if it is not illustrated or included in the final book, the writer will be paid the page rate.
If a comic is drawn, but for content, quality or space reasons is not included in the final book, all creators involved will be paid for their work.
Comp copies
All contributors will receive three free copies of the printed book, and will be able to order additional books at a reduced cost. The reduced cost will be about $9 a book.
Fast track bonus
If the comic is fully complete before
April 1st, 2024, so that it can be used in marketing, each member of that creative team will receive an additional ten complimentary copies for a total of thirteen copies.
Payment schedule
Creators will be paid one month after the Kickstarter completes, or
June 1st, 2024, whichever is first. Creators will still be paid if the Kickstarter is not funded.
Rights and ownership
Artists and writers retain all rights to their work, and give us indefinite reprint licence to include it in this anthology and reprints, as well as for use in digital copies and marketing materials. You will always be credited for the work.
You’ll grant us the right of first publication until
Jan 1st, 2025. After that, you can submit the piece to other anthologies, display it in your website, or distribute it however you please. If you need a special exemption, just give us a shout and we can work something out.
Submitting a story pitch
Submit Pitches!Due September 10, 2024Script pitches should be submitted via Google Forms. Pitches are due end-of-day
Sunday, September 10, 2023, and should include:
Plot summary
One to three paragraphs describing what happens. You don’t have to list everything in detail, but include enough to explain why an audience would be intrigued, and why the resolution will satisfy them.
Story length
An estimate of how many pages long the story will be.
Brief bio
One to three paragraphs describing yourself and your writing experience. If you’ve been previously published, let us know!
Artist details
If you’re intending to draw the story yourself, or have an artist already interested in working with you, please mention that as well!
Applying as an artist
Submit Application!Due September 10, 2024Artist applications should be submitted online via Google Forms. Artist applications are due end-of-day
Sunday, September 10, 2023, and should include:
Portfolio URLs
If you don’t have a portfolio site, please upload the images to www.imgur.com and send us a link.
Brief bio
One to three paragraphs describing yourself and your art experience. If you’ve been previously published, let us know!
Writer details
If you have a writer in mind you’d like to work with, please mention it!
Comic formatting
Stories will always open on the right hand page, and should have an even number of pages. Dramatic page reveals should be planned with this in mind.
Where possible, stories will have a blank page of space at the end to clearly separate them.
Title Pages
Stories will have a standardized typography-only title page on the left leaf, listing the story title and all creators involved in the story ( ie., penciller, inker, letterer, etc. ).
File Specs
Artists will be submitting their work in 300dpi CYMK TIFF files to a Google Docs folder.
Kickstarter
The City We Chose is projected to cost
$27,150 CAD. For the Kickstarter, we're going to ask for less to fund the project, and plan to exceed the goal.
We’ll be asking artists to donate pages or original artwork for the KS. We'll also be asking creators for process work and behind-the-scenes material to use in marketing.
We'll offer page rate increases based on hitting stretch goals.
What is the money spent on?
| Creators | $12,150 |
| Printing 1,000 copies | $8,000 |
| Shipping | $6,500 |
| Marketing | $500 |
| Total cost | $27,150 |
What if the Kickstarter fails?
If the goal is not met, creators will still be paid. We’ll look into printing a much smaller run of books - probably 500 or less.
Milestones
2023
Sept
Sept 10: Submissions close
Sept 24: Editors request first script drafts.
October
Oct 15: First script drafts due
Oct 29: Character designs due
November
Nov 12: Final scripts due
December
Dec 10: Thumbnailed pages due
2024
January
Jan 28: Penciled pages due
Feb
Feb 25: Inked pages due
March
Mar 31: Coloured pages due
April
Apr 21: Lettered pages due
May
May 12: Book sent to the printers.
June
Jun 2: Printed copies are received and fulfilment begins. Project wrap!
Roles
- Coordinate artists and writers
- Help pair artists and writers.
- Perform editorial duties as necessary
- Resolve conflicts
Assistant editors
- Stories will be paired with an editor, who will stay with a story until completion.
- Review pitches for acceptance
- Review first script drafts and help writers build strong pieces.
- Review process artwork.
Writers
- Write an email pitch
- Write a first draft for the editors to review
- If approved, write a final draft.
- Work with artists to create a great story.
Artists
- Work with their paired writer to develop character designs for the stories.
- Work with the story’s editor to create a great story.
- Create 8-16 pen and ink pages.
- If possible, letter those pages.
Colorists
About Us
TO Comix Press publishes comics celebrating upcoming creators and diverse voices. We're dedicated to transparency, and helping build a supportive and kind comics community. Since our founding in 2014, we’ve sold over 12k books and raised over $180k on Kickstarter.
Awards
- Gene Day Award for Best Anthology in 2019 for Wayward Sisters
Nominations
- Prism Award 2020 for Shout Out
- Ignatz Award 2019 for Wayward Sisters
- Gene Day Award for Best Anthology in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018
- Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Associations Aurora Award in 2016.