submissions

 HOW TO SUBMIT TO SMCOMICSNAIJA

SMCOMICSNAIJA is only publishing creator-owned material— We publish YOUR original, completed content. We do not contract creators; we’re only interested in publishing original content for which you would retain all rights. 

Please do not submit any work that utilizes already-existing characters from pop culture or any other established brand aside, from your own—SM characters or otherwise—as they will automatically be declined.

WE DON’T PAY PAGE RATES. 

SMCOMICSNAIJA only takes a percentage of overall sales from the books published and it will be the responsibility of the creators to determine the division of the remaining pay between their creative team members. As the creator, we expect that you will have negotiated with whomever you end up working with, and we’ll do our part to get your book(s) published in the best format possible. We will also distribute to as many retailers as we can, including your fans, new and old. 

Things often change from concept to coin. If the intended title of your book is unbecoming, unoriginal, or unwieldy, we may suggest changing it. If your logo is unreadable, we may suggest changing it.  We may suggest a change in logos, redesigned characters, and cover mock-ups. However, no changes will ever be made without the creator’s approval. 

Artists: We accept inking, penciling, lettering, or coloring samples. These will be kept on file and you may be contacted if and when the occasion presents itself. If your art-only submission is not kept on file, you will not get a response. DO NOT MAIL IN ORIGINAL ART as your work will not be returned.

Writers: We accept proposals only (see Proposal Requirements below)—please do not send storyboards, scripts, notes, or manuscripts—anything other than a proposal that meets the below specifications will be automatically declined.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS:

Writer-only proposals will not be reviewed. All proposals must have all the elements from our submission requirements (below). Submissions that don’t contain all the elements will be discarded, and unread. PLEASE DON’T just send us writing samples.  ALL concept proposals must include a black or Indigenous lead/main character 

This includes: African heritage/lineage, African American, African Asian, African Arabs and black people in General.

1. Log-line.This is your book in a nutshell/ the elevator pitch. Tell us everything in one or two sentences. From reading the log-line, we should be able to understand who the main character is and what they want or are trying to accomplish. 
2. Cover letter.Introduce yourself and launch into the pitch. If you’ve had published work before, you could let us know about it but we’re more interested in the book you want to bring to SM than in your resume.  Your cover letter must include your CONTACT INFORMATION (Name, email address, and phone number).  We respond to all submissions via email.  Tell us what sets your story apart from other comics and be clear as to who the target audience is (“DO NOT SAY IT’S FOR EVERYONE”) there is no such thing and an indication you don’t know your audience. 
3. A-One Page Synopsis of the Story.Don’t give us a single-issue synopsis—we want an overview of the ENTIRE series or story arc. GET US PUMPED UP! However, be specific about characters and the world they inhabit. Where will they start, what will be revealed, and where will they end up? Why is the audience going to be interested in this series and walk away after the first arc floored by your awesomeness? That said, KEEP IT SHORT! One Page max. If you can sell us your book with a hashtag, do it.
4. Six (6) Pages of Hi-Resolution Full Inked and Lettered Art.If you have MORE than six finished pages, groovy! Send ’em our way! At the end of the day, we want to SEE what this story will look like and know that you and your team know what you’re doing about telling a story in your chosen genre. Colors give you extra bonus points! 
5. A Cover Mock-Up.Yes, five inked and lettered pages of storytelling, do the best job of showing us you can tell a story, but a cover mock-up shows us you understand the power of marketing and advertising. A striking and intriguing image with an awesome, easily readable logo tells us, “This brilliant creator gets it.” With creator approval, this may go through a redesign if we decide to acquire your project.

You can tell us whether you see it as a full color or a black-and-white book, a miniseries or an ongoing series, a prestige book, or an original graphic novel. There are times, however, when we may suggest what format, we think will be most successful for your story in the current market. 

Email all submissions to; submissions@smcomicsapp.com

We do not accept physical submissions. 

Just a heads up:

• The creative team in your pitch is the one we expect to see working on your book. If the artist you pitched with leaves the team, you will need to re-submit your proposal with the new creative team line-up. This also means that with all ongoing titles we need to be made aware of and approve all changes to the creative team.
• Do not hand SM representatives or employees’ submissions at comic book conventions or the like as your submission will be discarded.
• Due to an expected high volume of submissions, we are unable to respond to each proposal individually. If you do not receive a reply within one month of submitting consider your proposal declined. If you do not include an e-mail address in your proposal it will automatically be declined. 
• If the email you provided in your proposal is invalid it will automatically be declined as we DO NOT have the time to track you down for corrections.
• Please do not include praise or testimonials. We are only interested in your work as it stands on its own merits.
• We are looking for comics that are well written and well-drawn, by people who are dedicated and can meet deadlines. Please do not submit a proposal with low-quality artwork as it will be denied. Ask yourself if the quality of your proposal can stand out on the shelves next to Marvel or DC books or other SM titles.
• Sign Musea Ltd (SMCOMICSNAIJA) doesn’t seek to own any intellectual properties, outside of our in-house publications so you can be assured—accepted or not—that your property will remain yours.
• If your submission is accepted SMCOMICSNAIJA may choose to retain adaption rights to your IP for a limited time of 36 months to pitch your IP for adaption. If your IP hasn’t been successfully shopped or picked up to be adapted into tv/animation or a movie within the allotted time 100% of adaption rights go back to the creator.