Submissions should be sent to:
2000 AD
1 Chapel Court
London
SE1 1HH
Always remember to enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
| 1. | Study the publication before submitting and ask yourself, 'is my proposal or work comparable to or better than what I see in the publication?' |
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| 2. | Be clear, be vigilant, be brave. |
| 3. | Make sure that your address and daytime telephone number are clearly marked on every item submitted. |
| 4. | Be patient. Editors have mountains of submissions to get through each week. But don't worry, if your work is up to par, you will be noticed. |
| 5. | Be polite. In comics, as in life, nobody owes you a thing. |
| 6. | Don't approach editors at social occasions (eg conventions) unless they are obviously engaged in examining portfolios or unless you're willing to be brushed off. |
| 7. | Do not appear unannounced at Fleetway Editions offices. You will not be seen. |
| 8. | Do ask other writers and artists their opinions. Many are more than happy to give you free advice. |
| 9. | Be persistent. Take on board the feedback, re-examine and redo your work, then submit new work. |
| 10. | Remember: comics are not your personal fantasy; the industry is primarily a business. |
| 1. | Don't send full scripts. Submit a TYPED, single-page plot synopsis, detailing story, characters, setting, etc. Enclose a SAE if you want a reply or your material returned. |
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| 2. | Don't send in ideas for Judge Dredd. Only a select few, our best writers - Wagner, Ennis, Grant and a few others - chronicle his adventures |
| 3. | Don't revive old characters - if we want to bring back our old characters, we'll ask the original writers to do so. Don't waste your time by using old characters as a crutch for your stories. Create your own characters. |
| 4. | Don't use old continuity elements from other series as the basis for your stories, eg. the Apocalypse War, Necropolis or even Judgement Day. These stories are history and most readers weren't around to read about them in the first place. |
| 5. | Be original! Regardless of what you've been told, editors are looking for new ideas. |
| 6. | Don't duplicate characters or ideas already appearing in the publications. Be original! |
| 7. | Remember: be original! |
| 8. | Don't submit proposals for 12 part mega-epics, no beginner starts at the top. For 2000AD, initially submit proposals for 4 or 5 page Future Shocks. Short stories with a 'Twilight Zone' twist at the end. For the Megazine, concentrate on one-offs of no more than 6-8 pages. |
| 9. | Don't telephone the offices a week after you've made your submission and expect it to have been read. The editors will be in touch with you in time. |
| 10. | Definitely, be original! |
| 1. | Don't send in your original artwork! We can't guarantee to return it. Send colour copies if your work is in colour, good B&W copies if it's in B&W. Enclose a SAE if you want a reply or your material returned. Don't send lettered pages unless you've written the story as well. |
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| 2. | Don't just send pin-ups. Send at least two pages of sequential artwork ie. two pages of strip art that tells a story. Make up your own story or copy a plot from a comic (but don't copy the art!). |
| 3. | Megazine stories are set in the world of Dredd so Dredd samples are the obvious character to focus on but try other characters too - Anderson, Hershey, etc. 2000AD have a host of characters to choose from, pick your favourite. Better still, invent a character of your own that could exist in the world of 2000AD. Be original in your style wherever possible. |
| 4. | If you are working in colour, we prefer art that doesn't use colouring pencils - they always come out looking less than adequate. For colour work, try acrylics, gouache or water colours. |
| 5. | Don't stick panels onto your artwork, or any kind of collage - it just makes hassles later. |
| 6. | Don't try and be Simon Bisley, he has enough trouble trying to be himself and you'll only confuse him. |
| 7. | The ideal artwork submission is a page partly inked and coloured and partly pencilled to show what you can do. |
| 8. | Don't be afraid to submit black and white work. |
| 9. | Concentrate on figurative drawing of the human form, anybody can draw spaceships and aliens. |
| 10. | If you are taking an existing page of artwork as your reference, show what you can do with it, new layout, your style etc. Be original in style and approach! |
| 11. | Think about the characters you are drawing. Could you see yourself drawing them over and over again from different perspectives? |
| 12. | Ask yourself if you can work to strict deadlines over a long period. Delays cause problems for everyone. Deadlines are your religion. |
| 13. | The same applies to artists as it does to writers: be prepared to wait. If your work has potential it will be noticed! |
| 14. | Keep working. No one's a natural. Take on board feedback and keep improving. |
| 15. | Be persistent. Keep improving and re-submit. |
Many thanks to Steve McManus for being the only editor to provide pay guidelines, which are as follows, and apply to full colour magazines only:
| Script | UK40 per page | |
|---|---|---|
| Artwork | Pencils | UK60 per page |
| Inks | UK60 per page | |
| Colour | UK60 per page (usually painted) | |
| Lettering | UK20 per page (done on acetates) | |
This page was originally published on the internet by Iain Purdie.
