How To Get Your Graphic Novel Published by Mark Jones - HTML preview

Afterword

I originally wrote this work back in 2010. I never tried to get it published. Looking back on it I realise it is a very cutting memoir and often stereotypes. I honestly think I was very arrogant in the way I wrote it. I was also short-sighted in that I couldn’t see I was getting a lot of frustration off my chest. But I decided to leave the arrogance and frustration in as I think it shows the industry can be stressful and make some people a little angry. The reason for that was my feeling of being both attracted and repulsed by how the publishing industry worked.

So the question is why would I bother to write this book at all? The intention was to genuinely help others. I understand we live in an age of Machiavellian selfishness, but I look the other way, to be honest.

Some will not reveal their secrets as they don’t like competition. This kind of goes the way of seeing lack in the world: there are more people and therefore there will be a lack of opportunities to be published. I find this type of thinking to be baloney. Right now there has never been a better chance for a hard- working writer to breakthrough. There is more advice on hand to help you succeed, and a great deal of it is free.

There is also less competition. Less? Yes, less. The truth is that there is a growing swell of entitlement festering into the media world. Whether it be books, music, or movies there is far less quality product than there used to be. In 1970s cinema, there seemed to be a classic film out each week. Now, in these bereft times, we are lucky to hear of one film a year that is worth watching. How did we get to this point?

Excessive marketing and rushed distribution are how we ended up with second rate material. Look at any great book or movie and you will see years of planning and writing development. Now the thought is that a book should be written and marketed to take quick advantage of a new fad. The problem is that a new fad is seldom bettered and fades fast.

Quick distribution is always a money decision. Think of great artists and writers over the centuries, their pockets were certainly lighter but their shoulders were too. They did not have to carry the weight of box office success around with them. Now, a quick buck is all that matters. I had said in a previous section that certain genres are looked down upon by traditionalists. You might remember that I also said these lower genres were how the publishers broke even. I stand by that, even today. My main point would be that a tremendous amount of time and effort went into genres considered lower. Far more work than many A list products. I’d even go so far as to say that B-Movies from forty years ago were more polished than anything Hollywood releases these days. In striding for a quick buck, many artists are missing a profitable stroll in a beautiful park.

And it’s not about politics for me. Your politics is your business. I’m old enough to remember when you simply walked into a booth and chose the vote you wanted without having it discussed or questioned by anyone else. I don’t feel politics has ruined the arts whether it be books or movies. I still also don’t believe in mega million-dollar marketing campaigns. Look at any number of high profile flops in recent years and you will find humongous advertising budgets.

Word of mouth is still the key selling point. It always was. A friend tells me a movie has come out which is better than The Matrix and The Godfather, then I will be lining up to see it. For years I never got around to reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. But I’ve read it since and I was completely hooked on it. I often think of the numerous people who recommended it to me and ask myself why I didn’t read it sooner. And that is where your work needs to be: in good word of mouth. Make your books, poems, songs or whatever else you do have that fantastic effect on people. Create something that makes them run to every friend and family member they have, to tell them you crafted a masterpiece that has to be experienced. We both know it is the only way you are going to succeed.

So, how do I feel about this book more than ten years later? I think it’s alright. I don’t use those awful dashes and much as I used to. My sentences also got shorter. But not today. Why’s that? Well, I feel this new afterword should match the style of what passed before it - even if the old work was substandard. See how I put one of those awful dashes into a sentence? Shameful.

So what about you? What’s your story and where do you go from here? I think you should plough headfirst into becoming a writer and never giving up. Deep down inside you know what to do. If you still don’t, then pick up the guides and biographies of other writers. Look at Stephen King’s approach, how did J.K. Rowling make all that money and entertain millions into the bargain? Also, find out if all authors were born with a silver spoon in their mouths. The answer is that most didn’t get that kind of a break.

How do most writers succeed? With hard work and determination that could make soldiers in the special forces jealous. They also didn’t do it by sitting on Twitter at 2 am. Many of them didn’t have the option to publicly broadcast when things didn’t go their way or when a big break fell through.

Please decide where you are going and make it happen. There are millions, possibly billions, of people out there waiting for you to do it. You can see that in the faces of people who queue up to have their pictures taken on Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station. It’s written all over the faces of people who call at Stephen King’s house hoping to get a glimpse of him, or maybe even speak to him. All the fans of literature have one thing in common: they want more of it. They want someone like you to sit down and put together an epic series that they can read while sipping their coffee. Decide if that person to make that come true is you.

Also, remember that no one cares who writes a bestseller. Whatever your skin colour, gender, religious or political beliefs - you deserve a shot at success and don’t let anyone tell you differently. That’s the only way wars against racism or any other kind of discrimination will be won. I looked forward to seeing it.

My final word is on the topic of being positive. This is not to single anyone out, but to simply ask them to think of how they are spending their time. If you’re not happy with how things are with the Star Wars franchise, then please get off YouTube and stop complaining about it. Create your sci-fi saga and fill the void which you think you can see. Take your complaints and turn them into creativity. Our lives on this planet are far too short. No one will remember your tweets, camera reactions to movies you don’t like or hate mail you send to someone who has made it. Remove yourself from poisonous negativity (whether online or offline) and get on with your job. Immerse yourself in creativity and you will see the world with new eyes.

And please don’t worry about perfection. The great thing about writing is that no one masters it. There is so much to learn and do that it is a fantastic lifelong hobby. Behind every great master is a long journey of learning and immersion in an enjoyable craft.

Whoever reads this work, I hope you gain as much pleasure from writing as I have. In this afterword, I think I have found the answer to why I wrote this slim volume in the first place. The answer is to encourage more people, and in doing so to enjoy their literary output in the future.

Thank you,

Mark Jones

Saturday 1st of May 2021

P.S: To help me publish more free books on the topic of writing, please buy a copy of my next children’s book: Rita Wong and the Jade Mask which will be published on the 30th of September 2021. The ISBN is: 978-1-911427-18-6.