How I Pitched Dark Horse and Why They Accepted

Working with Dark Horse Part I: From pitching the series to signing the contract

Five years ago, Dark Horse Comics published the comic series I wrote, House of Fear. Readers have found value in the information I’ve shared about the process, so I’m providing a remastered and updated deep dive into the whole thing.

Instead of one long post, I’ve broken this retrospective into three parts:

• Part I looks at the process from the pitch through contract signing.

• Part II examines the solicitation, the book's release, and marketing.

• Part III covers the end of the Dark Horse deal and the final sales data, plus general thoughts on what went right and what went wrong. 

In an effort to make this as valuable as possible, I'm including lessons I learned from each step of the process. 

I hope this helps in your creative journey.

Why Dark Horse?

In 2015, I wrote and produced a scary comic for kids called “The Curse of Cottonwood Ct.” I printed 50 black & white copies to sell at a local comic convention and to give out to kids in the neighborhood.

When I started, I didn’t set out to create a series. I had no dreams of having it published. I produced it strictly for the experience of making a comic, knowing I’d give the final product to my son and his friends.

I had so much fun that I wrote a second one and created the House of Fear series name and branding.

Not long after, online news outlets started mentioning how comics for kids were growing in popularity. Publishers saw the market potential for books aimed at middle-grade readers—kids in the 8-12 age range—and they were rushing to sign creators.

At the same time, comic publishers, including Dark Horse Comics, were making a push to get into bookstores. 

Now that I had a few issues wrapped up and more in the works, I decided to send Dark Horse a query for the series.

Lesson:

The entire collaboration with Dark Horse worked out, in large part, because I knew what they were looking for and I had something that matched their needs. If you're sending out pitch packages, focus on publishers or agents who are looking for stories similar to what you’re working on.

There is one warning here: if you plan to write something based on what others want, you might have already missed the boat. The market shifts quickly, and if it takes six months to a year or more to produce a book, you might be pitching based on old data.

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The Query Letter

Back somewhere around 2010, I edited a webcomic called Kill All Monsters, written by Michael May, drawn by Jason Copland, and lettered by Ed Brisson.

Michael and Jason finished the series, pulled it all together into an omnibus edition, and published it through Dark Horse in 2017.

When I decided to pitch House of Fear to Dark Horse, I first reached out to Jason for intel. He walked me through the steps they went through, and he even mentioned me the next time he spoke with his contact at Dark Horse.

Jason gave me his contact’s email address (with his permission), and I sent my pitch directly to him on January 10, 2018.

My query letter was short and direct:

Hi [Dark Horse Contact],

I was chatting with Jason Copland about pitching House of Fear to Dark Horse, and after mentioning that to you, Jason suggested I email you directly. I appreciate you taking the time to review my submission.

House of Fear is an anthology series of scary stories for middle-grade readers. The attached proposal includes a short overview of the series and six completed pages. We've finished two stories and are inking the third. If you'd like to see them, please let me know.

I look forward to hearing what you think.

Thanks again,
James

Note: I attached the pitch package PDF to the email.

Lesson:

It’s all in who you know.

Seriously, if I didn’t know Jason, if I hadn’t worked on a book with him, and if he hadn’t published Kill All Monsters with Dark Horse, none of this would’ve happened. Sure, there’s a slight chance my pitch would’ve gotten noticed through normal channels, but the odds are against it.

But it’s not as simple as adding people to your contact list. Working on projects together is a great way to form bonds with other creators. I had a blast working on Kill All Monsters, and I cannot understate the value I provided as an editor. I proved my worth by doing a good job while being a friendly, punctual person that others could count on. Meanwhile, I developed my friendship with Jason and maintained it through the years because I enjoy having him in my life.

So yes, technically, I was able to find a back door into Dark Horse thanks to my connections, but I earned those connections by making good comics with creators I enjoyed working with.

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The Follow-Up

The person from Dark Horse did not reply to my email, so after 34 days, I sent a follow-up, knowing this would be the only follow-up I’d send.

No, I didn’t plan to wait exactly 34 days. Instead, I sort of forgot all about my query. Then one day, I realized I never heard back, so I sent another email:

Hi [Dark Horse Contact],

I wanted to take a moment to see if you had a chance to review my proposal for House of Fear, the series of "scary" comics for middle-grade readers. Jethro Morales has agreed to take on the primary art duties for the series, and he's just finished the art for the story, "Dead Lake."

I think the series would be a good fit for Dark Horse, and I hope you agree. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks,
James

He responded three weeks later, saying he liked the proposal. 

In his very first reply, he started discussing creator-owned contract details.

Lesson:

It’s bad form to send multiple follow-up emails, but I think you can get away with one gentle reminder roughly 4-6 weeks after sending the original query. If I hadn’t, I never would’ve published through Dark Horse.

Please note that I was cordial and brief. This is not the time to double down on how great your project is. Instead, it’s little more than a gentle reminder.

Also: Read the solicitation guidelines. I would not have sent a follow-up if Dark Horse made it clear that they only responded to pitches they were interested in.

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The Pitch

Over the years, I’ve sent pitch packages to many publishers and agents. I agonized over every one of them.

This time, I chose to bypass perfectionism. I wrote a draft and rewrote it the next day. I then sent it to a friend, polished the text based on his feedback, and sent the query email. The entire process took maybe five hours spread over a few days.

With the pitch, I wanted to clearly express what the series is and who it’s for. And I used action words throughout to ensure I captured the excitement I was shooting for. I think it does that fairly well, but you can judge for yourself by clicking below. 

Note that I pitched it as a collection of stories, not as individual issues. Dark Horse was looking for books they could sell in bookstores, not monthly issues to sell in comic shops.

Also, note that I originally planned to use a different artist for each story, something that had already changed when I reached out that second time.

Lesson:

You want your pitch to count, but it might not be worth spending months agonizing over every word. Remember, the whole point of the query is to intrigue agents or publishers enough for them to ask for more. So share only enough to showcase your book’s potential and let the synopsis and the sample pages you include do the heavy lifting.

Side Note I: As a professional editor, I edit pitch packages pretty consistently, and I’ve researched what works and what doesn’t. If I were writing one today, I’d include a section on comparable titles. I do mention Scooby-Doo and Tales from the Crypt in my logline, which does well enough, but I’d include more modern examples and maybe explain what House of Fear has in common with those well-selling books.

Side Note II: I pitched a comic series, and I knew the art would catch a reader’s eye. If I were pitching a novel, I’d have spent more time improving the language I used. I’d choose words that helped set the tone of the horror elements and the pacing of the action/adventure elements.

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The Preliminary Discussion

In my first email response after Dark Horse showed interest, I expressed my thanks, shared our current progress, and asked several preliminary questions about what the publishing process might look like.

Here are the questions I asked, plus a summary of the answers he provided:

Q: How long do you normally own printing rights?

A: As long as Dark Horse has 100 copies left for sale.

Q: Do you have estimates on how many books might be printed?

A: The publishing committee’s review process includes sales projections, which aren't set until right before it goes to press.

Q: How long would it take to go from acceptance to publication?

A: It’s a kid’s title, so they recommended we take advantage of the full book market solicitation cycle, which is roughly 12 months ahead of the on-sale date.

Q: Does the 50/50 deal come with any advance against royalties?

A: It could, but it would increase project costs, which might decrease the likelihood it would be green-lit by the publishing committee.

Q: How much editorial oversight would Dark Horse expect to provide, if any?

A: As much as I wanted, but at minimum, Dark Horse would quality-check the book in all aspects.

Lesson:

I’m sharing this to point out that writers and creators shouldn’t hesitate to start discussing the process and the potential contract immediately. At the time, these questions were the most important questions I needed answered. If I did it again, I’d likely ask the same questions, but you might have other pressing concerns.

I don’t recommend bombarding them with questions right off the bat, but if you have a few things you’re looking for most out of a publishing deal, it’s good to know those answers up front.

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The Publishing Committee

At this point, despite the interest, it still wasn’t a done deal. The person I was working with mentioned he’d take the proposal to the Dark Horse publishing committee. The group meets weekly to discuss various items, including proposals that might be a good fit for their publishing schedule.

Before he took it to the committee, he asked if I could complete the book by December 18 for publication, tentatively slated for April 2019. I said yes.

To help make our series more enticing for the publishing committee, I mentioned I was working on a fifth script that would bring the book closer to 130 pages of content.

At this point, it was March 7, 2018, only four days after I received the first email response from Dark Horse.

Lesson:

The overall process seems slow, but things move fast, and things can change as you go. I was open to hearing feedback and taking steps to increase the book’s likelihood of success. At this point, I felt like I was collaborating with Dark Horse and that they were interested in making it a success without simply dictating everything. We weren’t having long conversations about the project or anything like that, but I did sense they wanted the book to succeed, which made our interactions feel like a team effort.

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Other Media Deal

While the publishing committee was looking over my proposal, Dark Horse Entertainment (DHE) showed interest in the series. DHE works with creators to get their properties into other media outlets. I met with them briefly and learned they wanted to pitch the title as an animated series or potentially as a live-action show.

After I signed with Dark Horse Comics, I also signed a contract with Dark Horse Entertainment. The DHE contract was completely separate from the publishing contract, and it allowed DHE to pitch the series to studios. I didn’t give them any rights to the series itself, but I gave them the okay to act on my behalf in discussing options with Netflix, HBO, etc.

I was excited by the possibilities, but DHE mentioned how few properties go on to be produced. So after enjoying a few moments of daydreaming that Netflix would make me a household name, I quickly forgot all about it.

Lesson:

One thing the DHE contract did not stipulate was how long they had the right to pitch on my behalf. If I were to do it again, I’d give them a strict amount of time before I could do my own searching. I’d also be more proactive and contact them more frequently to see how things were going. I had so much going on at the time of publication that I sort of lost track of DHE.

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Acceptance and Contract

On March 30, 80 days after my initial query and 25 days after they first showed interest, Dark Horse approved the publication of House of Fear with the following parameters:

$12.99, 6x9, 144 pages, no advance, 50/50 profit split

It took a few weeks for Dark Horse to work up a contract, which I received on April 18, 2018.

Note: Before Dark Horse wrote the contract, the other creators who worked on the series signed an agreement that allowed Dark Horse to work directly with me. I didn’t get any special deal or anything, it just meant they allowed me to talk for the group.

The contract was pretty standard and was only three pages long. Here are some of the highlights:

• I retained all rights and granted Dark Horse the rights to print/publish/distribute.

• The license term was not a specific date, but instead, they owned publishing rights for as long as the book remained in print. (As long as they had 100+ copies available for sale, it would be considered in print.)

• The license term could be nullified if both parties agreed to cancel it.

• I did not get an advance.

• I would receive 50 percent of the net profit. (They’d add up all the money they brought in selling the book and deduct the costs they put in to develop, produce, market, and distribute the book. Whatever was left, we split.)

• Royalties would be paid quarterly.

• I could purchase copies of the book at a discounted rate (40% of cover price).

• I would receive 25 copies at no cost. (Although it wasn’t written in the contract, every creator I included on the credits page received copies.)

• Any non-story pages were reserved for Dark Horse use. (If they wanted to place an ad on that final page of the book, they could have.)

Before I signed the contract, I asked about their expected costs. That way, I had an idea of how many books we’d need to sell before I started earning royalties.

Lesson:

It’s important to fully understand what you’re getting and what you’re giving. I had discussed the basic elements of the contract before I received the final version to sign, so there were no surprises. The standard contract looked fine and I was comfortable with the number of books we might need to sell before I earned royalties, so I didn’t ask for any adjustments.

I’ve since learned that some other publishers offer better discounts on author copies. If I were to do it again, I’d ask for additional “free” copies and a steeper discount on copies I purchased for myself. The Dark Horse contract seemed like something they use for all “new” creators, so I'm not sure if they would've accepted those requests, but I would’ve at least asked.

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Okay, in an effort to keep these short, that's it for Part I. Be sure to check out Part II (book promotion) and Part III (sales data).

Next time, I'll share information about soliciting and marketing the book...