Mood: Sleepy.

Well, I never thought I'd ever be able to get one of my mangas published for the simple reason that, at the time I gave up on wanting to have one published, I was lacking the skills, talent and means to ever have a shot at it. That aside, when I was younger, there was no market for American/Canadian manga, because there was next to no one willing to publish that sort of thing.

To make a long story short, time passes, things change. I have the means, the skill and Tokyopop has actually been publishing original manga by artists everywhere.

Now, slow down, they're not actually publishing my comic! I don't want to hear one congratulations, because even if i submit my proposal, odds that they'll reply to me are very slim, and that is mostly because they get hundreds of submissions, and many of them are and will be much better than mine.

I just thought it would be fun to see if they'd consider; I'm past the point in my life where I'm pissing around in school, trying to see what I wanna do. Anyone who knows me well can tell you that more than a job, more than money, more than art, I live for love, which is the singlemest important thing on my list right now. I *have* a good paying job, I have the free time to do a submission, and it'd be an added bonus if RANSOM actually were published. If it isn't, then no big deal, because I'll still have my job, I'll still have Cory, and I'll have the answer to that ever-niggling question, 'I wonder if I was ever good enough to be published?'

Also, if not, I'll be going back to school in the next few years for business management, and when I graduate, I'm going to open a *gasp* pornography shop. Yeah, don't act so shocked. I'm probably the most desensitised person on earth, and on top of that I'm smart enough to know that sex ALWAYS sells--it never goes out of season, and it never goes out of style. People will ALWAYS want to buy dirty magazines, joke presents to their mortified friends on their 18th, 19th and 20th birthdays, and scary exotic toys and oils and videos and costumes, because people will always have sex. But I veer wildly off topic...

So just for fun, here is my Tokyopop checklist:

<sub>[ ] Print and sign Submissions Release Agreement.

[ ] Complete and choose four to six pages of finished sequential art (inked, toned and lettered) from any part of the story.

[ ] Write one synopsis page selling the series concept. This should include a two-sentence "log line" summary, a story arc suitable for three volumes plus a summary of the main character's journey and the antagonist's motivation.

[ ] Write one to three pages giving them an idea of how the concept would break down into three 160-page graphic novels. Keep in mind that each volume should be self-contained.

[ ] Write one page giving some information on the main characters (name, background, role and personality, as well as how they will develop throughout the story arc, what path they will take and why).

[ ] Draw one to three pages with finished character designs (inked and toned) of your three most important characters.

[ ] Five or so bullet points about the target audience appeal, competing stories from other manga-ka or in other media and reasons why Tokyopop should consider publishing this series.

[ ] Mail it all out.</sub>


Who knows, mayble I'll get lucky?