Closed for the Holidays - any open orders will ship in January!

ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSIONS

Introducing HOW TO TOUCH GRASS, a comics anthology about literally and figuratively (but even then still kinda literally)...

...touching grass, of course!

This is a three-panel photo comic depicting a person's finger touching a blade of grass.

[Like this, see?]

I know what you're thinking: "Um, I already know how to touch grass, thanks." But think about it for just a second longer; you might realize that you don't actually. Not really. I mean, when was the last time you even did it? Can you even remember?

It's okay if you can't. After all, it's not your fault: our overlords have been working for quite some time to ensure those of us with... let's say "any bright ideas"... have as few grass-touching opportunities as possible.

This non-fiction collection will bring together personal stories, informative essays, original journalism, foraging recipes, how-to guides, amateur philosophy and more, all in the comics form.

In the coming war against grass and grass/human bodily contact, we must arm ourselves with knowledge... on how to touch grass!!

GUIDELINES

HOW TO TOUCH GRASS is a comics anthology about connection, isolation, and accessibility, all through the lens of "touching grass," balancing humor with sincerity.

"Touch grass" is a fucking funny command, yet everything this metaphor represents is deadly serious: losing touch with our immediate surroundings, our ability (and willingness) to organize, the blurring lines between facts and falsehoods, the decline of public spaces where we can exist outside our homes, the danger of isolation for disabled communities especially, and of course, our collective mental health when trapped in online sinkholes.

The thing is: even literally touching grass is harder than it sounds when you're overworked, disabled, in car-dense areas, or can't afford to leave the house anyway. This collection exists for us to muse about all of these things: the problems, the solutions, the obstacles to those solutions, and the strategies for moving forward together...

(In a fun way, so we don't fray our last nerves doing it!!)

Submission Period

Submissions will be open to the public from October 21st, 2024 - Jan 12th, 2025 (11:59 PM Pacific Time).

    Who Can Submit

    The submission process for HOW TO TOUCH GRASS is open to everyone. However, preference will be given to perspectives from marginalized people and subject matter experts. That means BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, neurodivergent, low income, immigrant, and female (trans or cis) perspectives will receive priority during the selection process. The writer's experience or familiarity with their chosen subject will also be weighed (in the event of a cis het white applicant named Chad with a PhD in Grass Studies).

    Age Restrictions

    All contributors must be 18 years of age or older. All content must be suitable for readers as young as 16 years old.

      Specifications

      • Comics from 2 - 10 pages long (must be an even number)
      • 6.625" x 10.25" trim size (template will be provided)
      • Full Bleed, limited color, 400 dpi

      What We Want:

      • Comics (not illustrations, not prose, not poetry).
      • Previously unpublished works.
      • Non-fiction: how-tos, guides, histories, autobiography, reflective essays, etc.
      • Good-natured humor! 
      • Kayfabe: all scripts must involve grass and pretend that touching it (like, with our literal bodies) is a crucial factor. For example: "It took over a year, but we eventually touched so much grass that we grew a community vegetable garden. Here's how to start your own."

      What We DON’T Want:

      • Fan works. Prose. One-off illustrations. Narrative fiction. 
      • Comics that are already finished or that you’ve already started drawing.
      • Ahistorical Takes: any works that erase, deny, or revise real-world history. (This editor fact checks.)
      • Pop Science: any works that make unsubstantiated scientific claims. (Again, facts will be checked.)
      • "Universalizing": framing issues or advice in such a way that implies everyone has the same background, experiences, and abilities.
      • Cursing is permitted as long as words aren’t used literally (i.e. “Shit, you scared me!” as opposed to “Let’s go shit in the woods!”) and are used very sparingly when used at all.
      • No porn. No references to specific sexual acts. No explicit nudity whether sexual or non-sexual (sorry, folks). “Consensual fade-to-black sex between legal adults” is fine.
      • No depictions of abuse (sexual, physical, psychological) whether pictorial or written. Characters may reference (in non-graphic language) abuse that they have suffered in the past if doing so serves the work or is integral to the topic.
      • No gore. People can get hurt, bleed, die, etc, but not in a grossly over-the-top way that fetishizes violence.
      • No slurs, no racist statements nor imagery, no misogyny, no transphobia, no ableism, no xenophobia, and no white supremacist nonsense in general. (You may discuss these topics without depicting them happening.)

      TIMELINE

      Selection Process (October 2024 - January 2025)

      • Open Submissions: Oct 21st - Jan 12th
      • Acceptance Emails & Feedback: Jan 19th
      • Paperwork: Jan 20th - 31st

      Production Period (February - July 2025)

      • Final Files Due: July 15th, 2025

      Preorder Campaign (July - August 2025)

      • Payment Period: 2 weeks following the preorder campaign

      COMPENSATION

      Contributors will be compensated at a rate of $125/page. Contributors also receive a minimum of 8 complimentary copies of the anthology, and a share of profit on all print and digital sales proportionate to their page-count contribution. ("Profit" will be every cent the anthology earns after paying for its own production costs; said profits will be split 50/50 between the publisher and the creators.)

      WRITERS will receive $50/page, with comp copies and profit share split evenly between themselves and their artist. 

      ARTISTS will receive $75/page, with comp copies and profit share split evenly between themselves and their writer.

      The same applies to CREATIVE TEAMS unless they come to a different agreement around rate split or comps split among themselves. (Profit share will remain evenly split for the accounting person's sanity.)

      All contributors will have the right to purchase additional copies of the anthology at 50% off the cover price for as long as the anthology is in print.

      RIGHTS

      Creators will cede exclusive first worldwide print and digital rights to their comics for a full calendar year from the date of publication, and non-exclusive worldwide print and digital rights in the English languages, in perpetuity. Ownership remains with the creators.

            HOW TO PITCH

            You may pitch as a SOLE CREATOR: a cartoonist making the whole comic by yourself. Solo Creators with a strong pitch but not-as-strong art samples may receive an offer to be paired with a different artist (vice versa for pitches with stronger art than pitch idea).

            Or you may pitch as a CREATIVE TEAM: two people committed to making their comic together or not at all. Creative Teams' pitches will be either selected outright or rejected outright (i.e. no pairing offers).

            Or you can pitch as a LONE WRITER: a comics scriptwriter who we will pair with an artist. This option was designed to give voices with limited connections in the comics scene but with relevant expertise / experiences a fairer shot!

            Or you can submit a portfolio as an LONE ARTIST: a comics artist who we will pair with a writer's script. This option was designed to give artists and cartoonists with no pitch in mind (or no creative partner) a chance to participate!

            Here’s what you’ll need to complete each form:

            SOLE CREATOR

            1. Working title and page count for your comic (doesn’t have to be exact).
            2. Brief description of your comic idea: what it will be about, what the point is, how you'll make your point, how it will involve grass, etc. No more than 100 words.
            3. Link to your portfolio and to any relevant publishing credits. (Self-published works and webcomics count as credits!) Choose examples that best reflect the cartooning style you intend to use for this project.
            4. Tell us about yourself, your cultural and creative background, and your knowledge / experience(s) relevant to HOW TO TOUCH GRASS. Short and sweet is best!

            CREATIVE TEAM

            1. Same instructions as for SOLE CREATOR, but your form will include fields for two people. Have only one team member fill out the team form.

            LONE WRITER

            1. Working title and page count for your comic (doesn’t have to be exact).
            2. Brief description of your comic idea: what it will be about, what the point is, how you'll make your point, how it will involve grass, etc. No more than 100 words.
            3. Link to your writing portfolio.
            4. Links to any relevant publishing credits. (Self-published works count as credits!) If you have a ton, choose examples that best reflect your ability to meet the project brief.
            5. Tell us about yourself, your cultural and creative background, and your knowledge / experience(s) relevant to HOW TO TOUCH GRASS. Short and sweet is best!

            LONE ARTIST

            1. Link to your portfolio.
            2. Links to any relevant publishing credits. (Self-published works and webcomics count as credits!) If you have a ton, choose examples that best reflect the cartooning style you intend to use for this project.
            3. Tell us about yourself, your cultural and artistic background, and why you want to be in HOW TO TOUCH GRASS. Short and sweet is best!

            More Questions? Ask away by emailing us!