[Resource of the Day] – Get a Comic Book Grant!

As I’ve written my business plan for Army Ant Publishing, I’ve done extensive research on the world of publishing. Here is an article I found useful:

The Xeric Foundation. (Thanks to Roynne Gillespie for reminding me about this!)

Back in the 1980s, two guys made a lot of money out of a single, self-published comic book. The guys were Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, and the comic book was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which made both guys a bundle once they sold the toy, television and movie rights to their property. They even started a company called “Mirage Studios,” which was a joke since there were no studios; just two writer/artists creating books.

Kevin Eastman went on to take over Heavy Metal magazine, which is basically a magazine with comics featuring scantily clad (or even nude!) women fighting monsters and killing stuff, including the inevitable gory aftereffects. Peter Laird went on to found the Xeric Foundation, a group that distributes several grants to would-be comic book creators every year to get them started.

Now, these guys aren’t just going to write you a blank check; you need to put together a formal application packet:

Grant proposals must be submitted in the form of a written request and must include the following:

1. A cover letter (include the project title and the amount requested)

2. A creator’s statement of purpose (A page or two explaining what your book is all about and why you want to self publish. This should be separate from the cover letter)

3. A traditional resume (for each contributor, if more than one)

4. A financial statement (for each contributor, if more than one) — use the form provided by the foundation and include attachments as required

5. A detailed, proposed budget/disbursement of funds for the amount requested (in US dollars), including an intended time period

6. A presentation of the work to date in clean, clear 8.5″ x 11″ and/or 11″ x 17″ black and white and/or color photocopies (ashcan size OK), Do not send original art! Applications will not be returned. No SASEs please

7. A total of six collated copies of the entire application, including the artwork, preferably separated into folders, binders or large envelopes (No Styrofoam packing peanuts!)

Still, if you’re serious about self-publishing an independent comic book (and you know that I’m a big advocate of self-publishing, since I’m setting up my own publishing business solely to publish my own books!), here’s one way you can raise some money to help cover printing and production costs. And since Xeric has handed out almost 2 million dollars in grants over the last 15 years, it’s probably not a bad idea to start getting that application started!

The next application deadline is January 31 for Spring 2008 disbursements. Here’s a link to the site again — check it out!.

Writing Scraps

by Sean J. Jordan