So you want to write comics? Comixology, the largest distributer of digital comic books, is going to be taking submissions from anyone in the world to publish comics right alongside Marvel, DC, Image and all the other big-name companies.
According to a VentureBeat exclusive, the service, Comixology Submit, will start as an invite-only beta. Creators will be able to price their books however they want (down to 99 cents), write in colour or black and white, and write however many pages they want. Want to write a 700-page black-and-white graphic novel and sell it for a buck? Go ahead.
You’ve just got to pass a quality review from Comixology, which is obviously looking for stuff that actually has a chance to compete against what’s already out there. A “small team of reviewers” who are up on their indie comics will be going over submissions. Eventually, they’re going to try to let users whose work is rejected exactly why that happened.
Comixology will take 50 per cent of all sales, after platform fees like Apple’s 30 per cent tax.
In all likelihood, this is going to be hugely popular. Every comic nerd thinks he or she can write comics. In its infancy, Kickstarter was dominated by self-published graphic novels, and even now comics are a significant portion of projects. So a self-publishing system on the major digital platform is a really big deal. At the very least, this should mean a lot more talented creators getting a shot, and a lot more great comics (and total chaff) for you to read. [VentureBeat]