{"id":133,"date":"2008-01-07T11:01:43","date_gmt":"2008-01-07T17:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/?p=133"},"modified":"2010-04-26T11:26:00","modified_gmt":"2010-04-26T17:26:00","slug":"123-pitching-to-erik-larson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/archives\/133","title":{"rendered":"123. PITCHING TO IMAGE"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

San Diego 2006<\/p>\n

So here we are in the heat of the San Diego Comic-Con festivities, I\u2019m at the usual bar, and I\u2019ve just spoken to JH Williams about maybe trying to get published through Image Comics, and I glance over, and Jim is talking with Erik Larsen, the man in charge of Image Comics.<\/p>\n

So I poke over, and I\u2019m nervous and I\u2019m whispering to Jim, with Erik standing over just a couple people. <\/span>It\u2019s as if I\u2019m in seventh grade. <\/span><\/p>\n

Me: I can\u2019t believe you\u2019re standing here with him right now. <\/span>He\u2019s the head of Image. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jim: I know. <\/span>I haven\u2019t really spoken with him before. <\/span>I just met him. <\/span>You should introduce yourself. <\/span><\/p>\n

Me: We\u2019ve met, he actually bought one of my books at Wondercon. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jim: Then go say hi. <\/span><\/p>\n

Me: What should I say? <\/span>What should I do? <\/span>Do I look all right? <\/span>Is my breath okay?<\/p>\n

So I walk sheepishly over, looking down at my shoes, and dragging my feet. <\/span>I introduce myself and tell Erik I do those Kirby-style giant monster comics. <\/span>And he says, Yeah, I know, I remember. <\/span>I liked your book. <\/span>And I\u2019m thinking, wow, not only does he remember me and my book, but he says he likes it too. <\/span>So I say a couple pleasantries, and then a sheepish \u201cWell, so long,\u201d type of exit, before I say anything to embarrass myself. <\/span>And then I hurry back around the couple people back to Jim, and I\u2019m beaming, and I tell him, He remembered me, and he said he liked my book.<\/p>\n

And Jim says, And? <\/span><\/p>\n

So I say, And? <\/span><\/p>\n

And he says, So why didn\u2019t you follow that up with, So what can I do to get published through you with Image? <\/span>And I say, Um\u2026 <\/span>And Jim says, So go back over there and ask him. <\/span>And Jim is practically shoving me, as if we\u2019re at a Junior high school dance, and I\u2019m resisting, and thinking, What should I say? <\/span>What if he doesn\u2019t like me? <\/span><\/p>\n

So now Erik is speaking with someone, and I\u2019m waiting and wondering how stupid this looks that I just spoke with him, and now I\u2019m coming back over. <\/span>When he finishes talking with the other person, he begins to turn like he\u2019s going to walk away, so I catch his attention, and I say, \u201cErik, I just thought I would ask, since you mentioned you liked my book, if you might consider publishing it through Image?\u201d<\/p>\n

So then, Erik gets down to business. He says, Well what kind of numbers are you selling. <\/span>And I think, Uh oh. <\/span>I told him the original Diamond sales were 350. <\/span>And he says, Yeah, those are pretty low. <\/span>I don\u2019t know that Image could help you much. <\/span>I mean, your numbers would go up, but those numbers are still too low. <\/span><\/p>\n

But despite this, I had the impression he would like to publish the books. <\/span>And finally he said to send him an email, and send him the books again, and he would give them a look over. <\/span>So on the one hand, it was problematic that he knew the book didn\u2019t sell well. <\/span>But on the other hand, he was willing to consider it, and look it over.<\/p>\n

What more can I say? <\/span>Erik is, of course, a huge Kirby fan, and has dedicated whole issues of his Savage Dragon to a bit character from Kamandi. <\/span>So it seems to me that if I\u2019m going to have a shot at getting a publisher, it would be through him.<\/p>\n

I hurried back to Jim, once again like a seventh grade dance, to be sure and tell him everything that happened. <\/span>What\u2019d he say? <\/span>I said this. <\/span>And what\u2019d he do? <\/span>He did this. <\/span>You see, <\/span>It wasn\u2019t so bad. <\/span>Just like in Junior High.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

San Diego 2006 So here we are in the heat of the San Diego Comic-Con festivities, I\u2019m at the usual bar, and I\u2019ve just spoken to JH Williams about maybe trying to get published through Image Comics, and I glance over, and Jim is talking with Erik Larsen, the man in charge of Image Comics. 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just spoken to JH Williams about maybe trying to get published through Image Comics, and I glance over, and Jim is talking with Erik Larsen, the man in charge of Image 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