More Syndication News: The Fate of The Malcontents

So not long ago I received another rejection from a syndicate, this time from the Washington Post. Once again, I was given notes, and this time I was even encouraged to resubmit at a later date, since they were not taking on any new work at the time of my initial submission. Considering this is a rejection letter, I find it extremely heartening to get a letter like this. So I'm currently developing a new idea that I hope to submit down the road. While I work on that I thought I would share the strips I made for last submission.

That strip is a more family-friendly version of Malcontent that features our main Malcontent character, his awesome girlfriend, his crazy dog, and his best friend, who just happens to be a bear who can talk and who hates fish. It's called The Malcontents.

I will be posting full-color versions of the strips on Malcontent every week for a while. I hope you like them.

The Rejection Process

I got my first syndication rejection this week, on Tuesday, February 5, 2014. I'm not surprised, by any means, but it's naturally still a little sad. 

There are good sides to it, though. For one, I can now count myself among some of the best company in comics. Bill Watterson was rejected by syndicates for five years before he got a nibble for a strip submission that would eventually become Calvin and Hobbes. (That's right, even Calvin and Hobbes was initially rejected.) During that time he made six (six!) attempts at getting syndicated. And now I've made my first. I've completed one revolution around the sun, made my first round trip, completed my first full lap. I have a sense of accomplishment, success or no. A sense of achievement: I have achieved, if nothing else, rejection. And there is some success in simply having made the attempt, because that, in and of itself, is no easy task. 

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The other good thing is that my rejection included notes. Some kind soul at Universal Uclick Editorial took the time to give me a really good critique. You'd think criticism would be hard to take, a difficult pill to swallow, but strangely it's just the opposite. Not only do I totally agree with the critique, but again I feel a certain pride at having gotten it via this process that artists go through. I haven't really been a part of that process as much as I'd like over recent years, but it's one I respect and enjoy a great deal. Engaging in it with industry professionals makes me feel like I'm actually doing this thing — whatever this thing turns out to be — in a real and earnest and tangible way. 

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Moreover, this reviewer had some really encouraging things to say. He or she liked my drawings and storytelling and was really positive about the parts of the strip that I liked best myself. Hearing things like this from an essentially anonymous industry professional — someone who looks at this kind of thing all the time, with no motivation to sugarcoat anything —  has really helped affirm for me that my work is decent and worth pursuing. That really means a lot to me. 

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Of course I'm a little bummed by being rejected. But I see now why people recommend focusing on process rather than goals. The process of seeking syndication has been incredibly edifying, challenging and rewarding for me. It's forced me to try harder, to push myself and to think really hard about my work. It's given me a much clearer understanding of who I am as an artist. And it's made me a better cartoonist on every level.

Taken all in all, it's really hard to be that sad.

Syndicate Submission

Today I accomplished something I've wanted to do for a very long time. Today I submitted a family-friendly version of Malcontent — called The Malcontents — to two syndicates.

Putting together the syndicate package has been a lot of work, but I've enjoyed the process immensely and I think it's driven me to produce some of my best work yet. I've worked really hard on character development, storytelling, joke writing and, of course, my drawing. I think it's all gotten a lot better, though there's still tons of room for improvement.

Since developing The Malcontents I've started thinking more in stories, and come what may, I plan to use these stories in the future, whether that future involves syndication or not. Which is just to say that, if The Malcontents doesn't get picked up, I'll be using it in the webcomic in the future, as a part of the Malcontent universe.

In the meantime, I wait. It can be several months before you hear from a syndicate regarding your submission. Until I get a response, I don't want to reveal this work — I might need it for my big syndication deal, after all. In fact I'm sitting on a bunch of ideas, on the off chance I get a deal.

But let's be realistic. Getting syndicated is about as likely as winning the lottery (though it's a lot harder to play). I have no illusions about my chances. They are close to zero. And I'm okay with that.

In fact, I'm pretty jazzed. Because today I accomplished a major goal, one I've been working towards for months, and one I've always wanted to try. And I have some great experiences and new ideas to show for it.

Even if I don't get syndicated — and it's almost certain I won't — it's all very, very good.