I'd like to be in an anthology...
You've heard of the Paper Jam Comics Collective and want to get involved in the next anthology? Great! Here's what you need to do to be eligible:- Come to a meeting.
We meet every month, currently in Tilleys bar in Newcastle on the second Thursday of the month at 6.30pm (current events permitting). Any anthology plans in progress will get discussed at these meetings, including deciding on the theme and deadlines, sharing ideas, determining who's going to do what to make it happen.
Paper Jam is a loose collective. Our anthologies aren't 'open' submissions, they're created by the collective. But: we're a loose collective, you don't need to attend all meetings to be part of it.
So, whilst it's better to come to a meeting when we're planning a new anthology, as long as you've been active with us in the past, if you can't make it to a meeting right now, just email paperjamcc@gmail.com for the latest info.
Indeed, if you're interested in keeping up to date with Paper Jam's activities (meetings, anthologies, events), the simplest thing to do is email us and say you'd like to join our mailing list (no spam, no automatic mailers, just monthly-ish emails sent out BCC to the group, and if you ever want to stop, just say).
What should I submit?
Having gotten all the details about theme and deadlines (ideally from a meeting), you can now make your awesome comic for our anthology. Our guidelines are:- Pages must be on the theme. Oblique or cunning interpretations are generally fine, but this depends on the anthology.
- Up to two pages per person. If you collaborate with another person you get four pages between you, if you're a team of three you can fill up to six pages. One-page submissions are totally fine. Two separate one-page submissions are fine. If your best idea really can't quite fit in your allotted space, you could ask the group whether an exception can be made for an extra page or two - it will depend on what everyone else is doing and likely total page count; it can happen, but isn't the norm, so don't assume!
- Pages should be in a comic format, i.e. some type of sequential images. Experimentation is encouraged though - if you think it's a comic, it's probably a comic. Full-page illustrations are generally not appropriate.
- There are some topics that may not be suitable for every anthology so please run your idea past the collective at a meeting or by email before starting. General content guideline: don't submit comics you'd be uncomfortable showing your parents.
- You don't need to demonstrate amazing artistic finesse. We actively want to help everyone produce the best work they can, but Paper Jam's ethos is participative, we want you to get involved, whatever your level of experience. If you've tried your best, your comic is on-theme, on-time, correct-format, and within appropriate content parameters, YOU'RE IN AND WE WILL BE DELIGHTED FOR IT TO BE PART OF THE ANTHOLOGY.
Our standard anthology format is:
- Black and white (greyscale)
- A5 (148mm x 210mm) at 300dpi
- If you want your images to go all the way to the edge of the finished page add a 2mm bleed around your pages. If you're not sure what this means we can show you examples at a meeting. Simplest though is ignoring this, working at exactly A5 including leaving at least 7mm gap round the edge.
(In pixels, 300dpi A5 is 1748x2480 pixels, if adding 2mm bleed that's 1795x2528)
If you're submitting a two-page story they will usually be printed facing each other. If you want a page turn for dramatic or layout effect, please run it by the group at a meeting as it's harder to coordinate (and not always possible).
Where should I send my pages?
Send your finished pages to paperjamcc@gmail.com as a JPG, PNG, TIFF, PDF or PSD file (300dpi resolution is generally ideal - lower res may look blurry, higher res is ok but could clog up in the inbox if everyone does it). Please include the following so we can credit you:- Your name as you'd like it printed in the credits.
- Your comic title.
- One link to your website, social media or blog where people can look for more comics or other things you do (optional, but say if you don't want a link).
- Sometimes we'll have room for a little biography or have silly themed names, these options will be discussed at a meeting.
If you've drawn your pages physically (pen and paper rather than all on a computer), please scan them in if possible - if you're unfamiliar with the process, scanners are available in most local libraries, and other collective members can offer tips. Alternatively, if it's not going to be possible for you, bring your pages in physical form to a meeting and you'll likely find someone helpful who'll scan them for you.
Our comics are currently printed using Inky Little Fingers printers.
Every contributor gets one complimentary copy of the comic. If you want additional copies you can buy them at contributor rate (generally: print-cost-price-rounded-up-to-the-nearest-50p).
We sell the rest at events and hopefully sell enough to have the funds to print the next anthology! BOOM! THE PAPER JAM COMICS COLLECTIVE PUBLISHING BEHEMOTH RUMBLES ONWARD ON IT'S UNSTOPPABLE WAY!
(And when we eventually sell out of an anthology, we'll likely post it up on the web for posterity.)
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