We are thrilled to announce Going Steady: a brand new project from POMEpress. Going Steady will be a print-only comics anthology about stable, solid couples who are in it together — stories that show the romance of everyday, loving partnerships. Most stories about relationships focus on endings and beginnings. But here at POMEpress, we believe that there are plenty of fun, exciting stories left to tell about the moments in between. We love romance comics, and with Going Steady, we want to show that the excitement of love doesn’t fizzle out the moment you and your partner decide to build a life together. Sometimes the most thrilling adventures are the ones you tackle as a team!
Going Steady is a paid project; POMEpress is offering creative teams $50/page for black and white comics. See the “Financial Information” section below for more details.
GUIDELINES
Submissions must be comics that range from 7-21 pages (odd numbered pages only please).
All stories must stick to the following rules:
- Must be about a stable, committed (not new) couple in a romantic relationship – think stories about being in love, rather than falling in love.
- Relationship should pre-exist story and continue after it ends
- The story’s focus should not be on an internal conflict – those are fine to explore, as long as they’re a story element and not the driving force. We highly encourage stories about couples facing external conflicts together, rather than internal ones. Either way, the relationship itself should not be at stake!
- Stories do not need to be completely focused on romance — all (PG13-appropriate) genres are OK
- We’re looking for stories about more or less healthy relationships. Please do not submit stories focused on relationship violence, partner abuse, or similar themes.
- Submissions should be original, fictional stories – lifted from life, maybe, but not autobiographical
We are NOT looking for:
- Meet-cutes
- Break-ups
- Near break-ups
- Repeated break-ups followed by periods of getting back together
- Stories ending in Nicholas Sparks-esque death(s)
Art Specs
Submissions must follow these specifications:
- Please design comics for 6.625 inches x 10.25 inches
- Please make sure that art stretches to the bleed of the page – learn more about bleed here
- 0.125 inches of bleed, with a 0.25 inch safe zone
Dates and Editorial Guidelines
Going Steady submission applications close on September 5th, 2019 at 11:59PM CST. All final files will be due in February 2020, to be printed in time for TCAF in May 2020. If your submission is chosen, we will send you a follow-up email with editorial deadlines within the following week.
Submission Application Guidelines
Submissions to this anthology will require the following items/attachments:
- The title of your comic
- Your pitch: a short summary of what your comic will be about and who your characters are — as well as the total number of pages
- Identifying info for all creators involved, including names, email addresses, and the contribution each creator will make to the piece
- An example of previous comics work (at least one page from a comic you have created)
- At least one rough character sketch or piece of concept art — does not need to be inked; does not need to be a fully paneled page; we just want to get an idea of what you’d like to do (any concept art will only be used for evaluation purposes — POMEpress claims no ownership to use, distribute, or do anything else with it!)
- Please be sure that links to dropbox or GDrive folders are public (not password protected) and will not expire. This gives our editorial team time to review your work.
- Failure to follow these guidelines will result in disqualification.
To submit your pitch, please fill out our submission form.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
- This is a paid project. We will be paying $50/page per creative team.
- After the success of the GROUP CHAT and ETERNAL WITCHCRAFT Kickstarters, we are also planning a Kickstarter for GOING STEADY, and we will include stretch goals for increasing the page rate.
- If your creative team includes multiple creators, we will issue the check to one individual and allow you to determine how best to divide it.
- In addition to payment, we will offer the creative team 10 comp copies for you to sell or distribute however you want.
- You will be able to purchase additional copies of this book for half of its final cover price.
LEGAL INFORMATION
All of the works that run in Going Steady will be creator-owned. However, we ask for first publication rights for one year after publication. After that point, POMEpress reserves general publishing rights in perpetuity. Basically: during the first year, POMEpress has the sole authority to reprint Going Steady (online or in print). After the first year, you can reprint your submission, sell it online, or submit it to another publication. However, POMEpress will also reprint and sell Going Steady as a whole.
We are only looking for original content created for this publication. We are not accepting submissions for previously printed or digitally published work.
You must be 18 years old or older to submit to this anthology.
FAQ:
What do you mean by “stable relationships?” Do characters need to be old and married?
No. Couples don’t need to be older and/or married – a younger couple can be stable, not everyone chooses to get married, and there are plenty of ways to be in a loving partnership. With this in mind, we’re not looking for: stories of abuse, relationship violence, or other similar dynamics. We’re desperate for that #wholesome #content over here!!!
What do you mean by “the relationship should not be at stake”? Does that mean that couples can’t argue or have difficulties?
Absolutely not – couples within these stories can disagree or work through conflicts – we’re not requiring you to write about 100% perfect people. Internal conflicts over bad habits, or traditions, or hobbies, or friends could be interesting story concepts — as long as that stuff is an element of the story, rather than the whole story itself. And look: in a bad enough relationship, any conflict might be enough to lead to a breakup. But, the “vibe” of this book is such that the conflict itself shouldn’t endanger the relationship, so keep that in mind as you write. (On the other hand, we’re OK with throwing your couple into external danger or putting the entire world in danger!)
What about polyamorous partners?
As long as all involved parties are in it for the long haul, go for it!
How sexy/violent can my comic be? (i.e. Can I show a nipple or just partial boob?, etc)
Consider this book PG13+; submissions should be appropriate for early teenaged readers. Please limit cussin’, avoid f-bombs and intense graphic violence, and limit nudity and overt sexual content. While POMEpress may publish a book with more mature themes in the future, we are not planning to do so in Going Steady.
My creative team includes multiple creators/an artist and a writer/etc. Will we both receive financial compensation?
We will issue a check for $50/page to one member of your creative team. We leave it to you to divide it accordingly.
How many pitches can I submit?
You can submit more than one, but only one project per creative team will be accepted.
Can I submit a prose/poetry piece to this anthology?
No. This is a comics anthology.
Can I submit an illustration to this anthology?
No. We are looking for comics only.
Have questions for our team? Reach out at hello@pome-mag.com.
SOME FINAL THOUGHTS
After the success of GROUP CHAT and ETERNAL WITCHCRAFT, we at POME have been itching to bring you more of the sweet, sweet comics content you crave. We are so excited to contribute Going Steady to the greater canon of romance comics, and we can’t wait for you to fall in love with this charming book.