Exploring Other Genres and Markets

Did you know Saga returns in January?! Saga is a comic book series by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples on hiatus since July 2018. While we could explore the importance of taking a break and letting your writing grow over time, that’s not today’s focus. Instead, I want to talk about Previews. Confused? Let’s rewind.

Since Saga returns in January, I recently visited my local comic book store to set up a subscription. The store, which moved during the Saga hiatus, requires three books to secure a subscription. Having zero ideas about what to add to Saga, the store clerk gave me a copy of Previews to choose titles from.

Previews is the size of a small phonebook and contains every comic book title scheduled for release three months from the issue date. My copy of Previews has everything coming out in January alongside Saga. It’s a lot. There are thousands of titles and, here’s the kicker: Previews doesn’t include anything published by Marvel of DC Comics.

As I flipped through the Previews catalog, I couldn’t help but think of the hundreds of different writers represented in the pages of coming issues. While their books may not be sold in traditional book stores, they are part of a $110.14 million market expected to increase 17.46% over the next few years. That’s amazing! What’s even more amazing to consider, most comic book authors are freelancers who generate ideas and pitch publishing houses. Viewed in that light, the Previews catalog lists freelance writers living their dreams.

It’s easy to view writing (or anything we’re interested in) solely in the light of our experience. Most of the writers I know and follow are online content writers since that’s the same kind of writing I do. However, we should explore the work and success of writers in other genres and markets. Not only does it provide new insight, but it also opens doors for new content, ideas, and modes of creativity.

Do you read comic books? What suggestions do you have to share?