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Advice and Insight on Comic Book Syndication
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There are many comic strip creators with dreams of one day reaching syndication and seeing their work in newspapers nationwide. However, becoming syndicated is no easy process. What follows is a brief description of the syndication process, along with some insight and advice from Patty Leidy, whose comic strip ZERO HOUR is currently being considered for syndication.
The first step towards seeking syndication is sending packets of one's best work to every major syndicate. ALL syndicates want to see at the very least 24 strips.Then the waiting game begins. Leidy says patience is one of the most important qualities to have during this time, as syndicates can take anywhere from a few weeks to months to respond to a submission. This is understandable, considering major syndicates receive anywhere from 2000 to 5000 submissions a year, but it can still be a difficult wait. Leidy also stresses the importance of keeping a positive attitude throughout the submission process. With syndicates choosing approximately five out of the thousands of submissions to develop further, it is very hard to make it past the initial submission phase. Many of the strips seen in newspapers today were only chosen after repeated submissions of different ideas by their creators. Leidy also advises a strip to stay true to itself, even if rejected at first. While a syndicate might not be looking for a certain style of strip one year, who is to say they won't be looking for that style the next. It is also important to refine and hone a strip in between submissions. Leidy herself spent many years fine tuning her strip, ZERO HOUR, before submitting it.
Those that make it past this initial submission face a new set of challenges. This is the stage that Leidy is currently at, and like all others at this stage she is in the process of learning how to make a comic strip newspaper compatible. She works with an editor and must submit strips on a regular schedule. This could be a big change for many self published comic creators who put out a new comic whenever they feel like it, but syndicates demand a steady stream of comic strips. Comic strips appearing in newspapers usually must have strips completed at least 4 weeks in advance of the date they appear, and many comic creators have strips done months in advance. Another important aspect is making sure a strip fits well in a newspaper format. Since newspapers tend to print comics relatively small these days, it is important to make sure panels don't appear clustered. Leidy does her drawings at 3"x11" and then shrinks the image digitally and makes sure it looks good at the smaller size. A critical step during this phase is learning what content is suitable for newspapers. Leidy says a comic creator should not worry too much about self-censoring. If something is too risque for the papers an editor will make it known. Leidy also says that newspapers have cut back on what they censor these days, and many topics or images that might not have been allowed in the past are now given the go ahead. The most important thing is a cartoonist being able to be consistent with strong jokes, and story lines.
Every year one or two comics are chosen for syndication and an internet or newspaper launch. Reaching this point is a great success, but one cannot rest on their laurels if they wish to remain syndicated. A strip is expected to get picked up by new newspapers if it is to survive, and if it is not then it will be dropped by the syndicate. One must remember that the syndicates are businesses and they are spending a lot of money to promote strips, so they expect to see a return on their investment if they are to keep a strip around. It is a constant process of improvement to keep a strip running, even once it has been syndicated. For a more detailed look at the syndication process read Your Career in Comics by Lee Nordling. A big thanks to Patty Leidy for providing her insight into the process of Comic Strip Syndication. Follow her syndication process at her blog: It's the Zero Hour! by Patty Leidy.
Image courtesy of Patty Leidy
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