Subject: MISC: Caliber Guidelines
From: [s--ru--y] at [cbnewsk.cb.att.com] (sylvia.a.rudy)
Company: Caliber Press
Address: 621-B S. Main Street
Plymouth, MI 48170
Phone: (313)455-3599
Fax: (313)455-3099
Text of Letter:
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
At Caliber Press, we try to keep everything as
simple as possible, hence this brief letter of what our
guidelines are.
First off, all of our books are strictly paid on a
royalty basis after publication. No page rates, no
guarantees, and no advances. We have tried different
methods and this is what works best for us and our creators.
The amount earned is totally dependant on sales. If the
books does well, then the creators do.
All of our books are in black and white. We have
done color in the past but are very reluctant to do so now.
Creators maintain complete ownership of their
material right from the beginning. We allow creators a
great deal of control of the production aspects as well.
Our motto is "it's your book" and we truly feel that way.
We don't put together teams on books. We don't
match up writers with artists, pencillers with inkers, etc.
Proposals should come in with writer and artist set already.
We will help you with the lettering, but that too comes from
the creator's royalites. We allow creators to do their own
coveers if they want (virtually all of them do and most do
fully painted covers.) We don't have a great need for
colorists or cover artists because of this as well.
What we want to see on a proposal is a rough idea of
what the series will look like, where it's going, etc...
Artwise we need to see at least a few pages of finished
continuity so we can have a feel for what it looks like.
Script should include some dialogue.
Please, do not plan on doing a 38 issue epic. Most
series never get that far. Plan on 1 - 6 issues. If you
want to continue after that, you can always do another mini-
series or continue past the original storyline.
The most important thing to realize is that when
working in the independants, you're not likely to make a
great deal of money. Some people can make a living from it,
but most can not. Over half of the over 400 comics that
come out every month have sales of 3,000 or less. Be
realistic in what you're expecting. The best way to
approach it is to do the work for the love of it or think of
it as a stepping stone to prove yourself, or to do a project
you really want to do regardless of sales. We're not trying
to be overly pessimistic here, but comic work is hard and
frustrating so be prepared.
On the other side of this sheet are come of the type
of material that we are looking for. Please remember that
we get in 100's of submissions a month and sometimes we
can't answer them as fast as we would like especially during
busy times of the year such as the convention season and
major holidays like Christmas.
We hope this letter is taken as an honest approach
and does not discourage you from submitting to us and other
companies. Always make sure that you check out titles from
the company that you are submitting to so you are aware of
what they do. Sometimes a proposal will be rejected because
we're doing something that is very similar. Other times, it
is evident that the submitter has no idea of what the
company does that he is submitting to.
Be sure to enclose a SASE (self addressed stamped
envelope) if you want a reply. If you want you work
returned, send along an envelope big enough with enough
postage. If you do not send a SASE, more than likely, you
won't hear from anyone. After all, if you don't care about
your work enough, why should we? Besides, the expense is
enormous when added up over the course of the year and this
for material we don't want to use!
Please don't call us a day or two after you have
sent in your proposal. We probably haven't had a chance to
even open it yet. We allot certain days for looking through
submissions and sometimes our schedule just can't fit it in
on a particular week. Do not send submissions Next Day or
Federal Express. Its a needless waste of money.
Best way to show your stuff is send letter sized
photocopies. NEVER SEND ORIGINALS!! Do not send scraps of
paper that are not connected. If you're sending out a lot
of proposals, the best thing to do is invest in a rubber
stamp and stamp your name, address, and phone number on
every page.
(page ends)
WHAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN
This may sound flippant but what we're looking for
is material that is good, regardless of subject matter. We
do a lot of material that is different from what is out
there but we also do some of the more conventional stuff as
well. Caliber is a very diverse company that has done
zombies, westerns, war, punk detectives, horror, science
fiction, superheroes, slice of life...you name it, we've
probably done just about every genre.
Things to generally stay away from unless its
something very different and/or good. The science fiction
epic...Dungeons ando and will do:
TOME PRESS
These are the titles that are based on history,
imaginary characters, or real people of the past. We're not
too interested in doing "current day" biographies but
depending on the subject, we might. If based on a real
person or event, you must utilize a variety of sources who
offer different viewpoints. We don't want sanitized
versions yet we also do not want a version that just trashes
ther person either. Previous subjects and characters have
included the Alamo, El Cid, Zulu Wars, True Spy Stories, and
Emelia Earhart. We also do a great many literary
adaptations and we prefer short stories or poems rather than
trying to condense down large novels. Titles we have done
in the past include some Jack London stories, Pied Piper of
Hamelin, Byron's Prisoner of Chillon, and Goblin Market.
Always check with us before proceeding as we have many
projects in the works.
ICONOGRAFIX
These are the titles that are called cutting edge,
slice of life, avant guarde,etc. These are out of the
mainstream and usually reflect a strong creator vision.
Examples are Lowlife, Tad Martin, Dadaville, and other
similar titles.
GAUNTLET
These are titles of action and adventure and that's
where the focus lies no matter what the genre is. Can be
science fiction, horror, the dark vigilante, superheroes,
etc. These are hard to determine since so many ideas and
proposals we get in this line read so similar. Give us
something a little different.
CALIBER
One one hand, a catch all line for what doesn't fit
elsewhere but also these titles may have a uniqueness to
them yet still have somewhat trditional art and story. Most
of these titles are more sophisticated but not adult. Hard
to categorize but titles in this line include Baker Street,
Taken Under, Silencers, Warp-Walking, Fringe, and also
Deadworld and Realm. The last two will be undergoing some
changes that will bring them closer in line with the rest of
the Caliber line and away from their more derived influences.
We also have a few anthologies that can be submitted
to. Again, these will be based on pure royalties. Most of
the time, we would prefer complete stand alone stories, but
we which line you want, we'll decide that if and when
we accept it. Wish you the best of luck.
:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
:) "Why do you wear a mask?" :) Do you think I smile too much? :)
:) "Look, I'm called the Masked :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
:) Wonder, right?" :) Sylvia A. Rudy - whamt!sar.att.com :)
:) "Yes..." :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
:) "Well then, I'd look pretty damn :) Do you think for one second AT&T :)
:) stupid going around without :) even cares what I think and say, :)
:) a mask, wouldn't I?" :) let alone endorses it? :)
:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)