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Feb 2019

Dang.... we can't afford to do two comics... even though we have a spin off idea for Hue are You.

I don't know but i wouldn't mind try it for once!
I've never got the chance to partecipate in this contests but they do seem interesting and motivating :slight_smile:

Oh, we have a great idea here, but I'm not sure really have time to draw new story... The submission doesn't seem too hard, it's just summary, synopsis, concept and sketch, so maybe we'll try if it will be announced again. They did it for 2 years straight, right?

Gahhhhhhh...... This would be a great way to get Hue Are You out by doing the side story that goes with it with the other character... But I don't know. And we don't have another story we are dying to tell right now.

I don't know when the third round will be, but if/when it does come up I wanna share this:

The Incubator program is awesome. For some more than others, however. It won't suit every creator, but if you're willing to work in partnership with Tapas, invest a significant amount of time and effort into the story you pitch, and look to a more long-term vision of continued work in comics and with Tapas particularly, this is an opportunity worth taking.

I'm one of the two that got chosen in the Incubator Class #2, so I'd like to share some insights.

First, making a Pitch is not easy. To create a succinct, interesting synopsis of your story bolstered by a solid logline/1-2 sentence summary, clear themes, and excellent concept art takes a lot of time. That's why they give everyone a huge heads up before submissions open and close.

Last May when they announced the opening of the second Incubator, I calculated they had a 5-6 week window in which to submit. I made an action plan that included a 1 week buffer before the submission date and got to work.

I spent nearly every day in those 5 weeks not only developing the pitch for Swaha, but studying screenplay (Story by Robert McKee; the whole book). All while doing my freelancing cause income is good and there was no guarantees I would win. I only knew I'd regret it if I didn't go for the opportunity.

At one point I even had to scrap the entire story cause the conflict wasn't compelling enough, and this was with 2 weeks to go. But because I had been outlining and creating my background information for the story consistently the first 2-3 weeks I knew enough about my characters to come up with a better synopsis.

The entire last week before submitting was when I did all my concept work. Now, not all stories need the costume changes mine did, and I knew I was going to be a bit on the far end of the spectrum, but I had 7-8 sheets, one for each principle character and a couple sketches of settings.

I submitted my pitch two days before the deadline. Then I promptly went back to my comics and my freelance work. If I got it, great, if not, I still had work to do and it was out of my hands. All I knew at that point was that I had learned a freaking ton of new information about screenplay and storycraft that I could immediately apply to my current comics.

This, as it turned out was a good indicator of the level of work and organization it takes to do the incubator program itself successfully. It is a significant time-commitment.

Because for the Incubator itself, you're working in partnership with Tapas. This is not the same as the Writer's Camp or Premium Comics. This is something wholly new and more involved than either.

The Incubator means getting to work with an editor who will support, guide, and mentor you every step of the way. With my editor's help I was able to make Swaha an even tighter story than my original synopsis (It now has dramatically changed yet kept its core meaning that I had worked out over those 5 weeks) and learnt a TON of things just through the process of creating more concept art and the first episode.

I've also learnt not to overwork myself and rest. Consistent and Persistent work is what's called for, but Tapas doesn't want comics at the expense of the Creator's health and wellness. I will say that if you don't have an established work habit or not willing to create one, the Incubator may not work well for you.

Tapas works with you every single step of the way. They are flexible and understanding and more important than anything, they love comics and they care about the creators. Yes they're a company, but they're a company of fellow creators and the kind of people who not only support creators but know how to help creators too.

In exchange, as creators, we have to bring our very best to hold up our side of the partnership. In the Incubator program, Tapas basically makes a financial and time investment in you and your work in advance. They know life happens and creators may have obligations and they can and will work with you. So you have to bring your A-game too, 'cause they're all in.

I had three comics ongoing when work on Swaha began in earnest (the production phase after my concepts and scripts were done. My personal work method is heavily regimented, to the point Tapas had to teach me to loosen up). Anyway, I do not have time right now to work on any of them because production for Swaha takes ALL the priority. Thankfully however, I'm in a position in my life where I can dedicate to it full time.

So yeah, if you're a creator who wants to grow, I deeply suggest working from the moment they announce right to the deadline to make the best possible pitch you can. Even if you don't win, you'll have learnt some invaluable stuff that will help you either next time or in future endeavors. And I want to encourage creators interested in it to just try, what do you have to lose? If anything you'll gain an entire synopsis for a comic you can then just put into production on your terms if you're not chosen.

The Incubator's not for everyone, but it's a hell of a way to get inspired and moving on any original story ideas that you're sitting on.

I would love to join the contest, lol, but I feel it would be a waste of time for me. I noticed a lot of the comics they picked have your normal digital anime/korean style and are heavy on the romance. I don't think any of the stories I have in my head are like that.

I think I'd really like to do this but I keep thinking that the only other story I wanna do at this time is one that would be in conjunction with Hue Are You- as there is another story equally important going on elsewhere that actually directly affects this story and it's ending.

I'm a bit one track mind over here I guess.

I'm new to Tapas and I don't see anything about this on the webpage- does Tapas take any rights if you get selected for the program?

@zammap That's perfectly fine.
Like I said, Incubator isn't for everyone and its got pretty unique and specific parameters. Tapas makes a big investment in this partnership and its important to note that they're are still a growing start-up company in their sixth year. That's still a toddler stage in the lifetime of companies. I believe they have to seriously factor in what they believe will sell well in the current market and romance is a genre that always has. This of course can be overturned if you just, tell a really hecking amazing story.

It is emphasized that they want a scrolling style, which did originate from Korean webcomics and they do this to suit a trend seen that shows more people are now using mobile devices to enjoy content than laptops or desktops in general. This means optimizing the story telling to the most used medium for it. Simply put, this format is easier and clearer to read on phones and opens up all sorts of visual narrative possibilities that aren't on a print page. And I believe their simplicity allows them to be arranged well for print if it comes to that.

And I will admit that the First Class of Incubator a have number of comics that appear to be romance, however I cannot speak for Drop Devil or Magical Boy as I haven't read those all the way through yet. However in my opinion for the ones I have read, (and I'm still not done with like, Happiness Theory, and Torte and Lacey is still ongoing) they're not your typical romances. If anything the romance takes a back seat, a subplot status to the main plot.

I know that for Swaha, it's first and foremost a dramatic, action Fantasy story with romantic elements but it's not a "person meets person and falls in love story". Again, romance sells and I am personally partial to it...so long as it's a sub plot xD personally I just can't read straight up romances, they unfortunately end up in familiar formulas for me, unless I guess, if they're wrapped in a fantasy context.

I hesitate to agree that they're all a normal anime style as each artist chosen is talented and clear in their artwork and none strike me as having a particularly anime art style. (It's early in the morning for me however and I'll be straight with you, I've only been reading Born Sexy Tomorrow, Torte and Lacey, and Happiness Theory regularly and I don't think any of their styles are very anime.)

In the end, I'd worry less about the genre and story style and more on crafting the best possible story you can. You have to be able to tell it from start to finish concisely and well.

I was not chosen cause my story has romance cause the initial pitch I submitted reads like an action fantasy. Mine simply had potential for romantic elements and so during the writing process I had kept that in mind, but it never overtakes the core plot conflict.

@Rodimus13 And that's perfectly alright! I admire one track minds. If you know what kind of story you want to tell and are going right along ahead to tell it, then all I can say is keep going. We all have our own personal paths as creators.

At the time my thinking was this: One I've my most promising comics had crashed and burned and twisted out of control cause I overinvested my trust in the wrong friend who did not have the best interests for the story at heart while they were helping me reinvent it. Bad stuff happens, I had to deal with it. I took down that comic and am still untangling it because the core story is precious to me. The other two original comics I have were small and I was using them to experiment at styles and story. They could go on hiatus and not many would kick up a fuss. I'm a relatively small unknown creator.

And I had like five other stories I wanted to tell too. So when the Incubator Second Class opened up, I saw the opportunity to really get a leap up in my personal path and so I went for it. I used a original story that I was comfortable sharing rights with.

@Kat The incubator is a special event/contest so they only have it up on the front page when it's running. However earlier in this thread there is a link to the faq for the program. That will give you a lot of insight into it.

That said, I personally wouldn't work it that Tapas "takes" rights. For me that makes it seem like they're taking something away from you when they're actually opening doors of opportunity that a creator wouldn't necessarily get on their own. I think of to this way:

It is a completely 50/50 partnership. And I mean that in the most balanced sense. They pay you, they take care of promoting, and if there are future opportunities they will help negotiate on behalf of your comic if it like has potential for other adaptations. And every step of the way they are transparent and you have just as much say in the direction of your story.

You also have lead on the story itself for you are its creator and they deeply respect that. But man having an editor makes all the difference and I'm more than happy to not have to deal with the business side of comics. I'm in it to keep creating content.

This program isn't meant to be a one-time hey let's make a comic thing. It's meant to find and foster long term relationships with dedicated creators that are in line with Tapas' main mission, which is to focus on creators so webcomics is a viable, sustainable career for everyone involved.

It's not a tit for tat or win lose scenario. Your success means Tapas' success and vice versa in this ecosystem. :slight_smile:

Thanks for the feedback. I hope our comic does well one day and I would like to do the other story as well... it's just finding the time as I can't help hubby with the artwork (I write he draws). And in my mind, I don't want anyone else touching that artwork for those stories.

For the record he does help me edit them when I'm stuck or offer suggestions when I miss something in my script, just like I do for his art. Sometimes we will take turns acting out scenes to make sure it feels right and natural. Imagine some poor editor dealing with that! "No wait I need to grab my husband and act this out, I'm not sure This scene will flow right!"

Go for it guys! Whatever the choices they'll make you'll have a great story to illustrate and share with people at the end!

Use all your erotic energy and make tapas team all wet reading your plot!!!

I understand the scroll format, I believe webtoon also favors long comics. And frankly I understand the want and push for long comics as a large percent of consumers, across the world, are viewing the internet on a phone. Once you realize that then there really isn't a choice as to the format, contest orv not, if you want readers you need long comic.

Still stand by romance being important to them. Even if it's not the main focus of the story they are still very character focused and character interaction and FEELS are very important.

Yeah I mean, we're in a transforming industry. But, I wouldn't say that you don't have a choice.

I've seen many a print-based comic do stupendously well here on Tapas and other places. And to some extent, that will still be a viable option so long as you make it easy to read on all screens. It just isn't an option for this specific contest.

My only point is that it's the Story that trumps everything. If you want readers, make a good story. Period.

Literally everything else is to angle you into the best format to maximize readership, but your core audience is there to be entertained by a good story.

As for the romance, I do agree with you that it feels important generally. I just draw the line at it having to be there.

There's a large percentage of people who crave a bit of romance in stories cause....who knows. Maybe people just love to see and more importantly feel things they don't get to on a day to day basis. And romantic scenes are among the most feel-y and intense.

I don't see stories as an escape from reality, I see it as a place where we try to find humanity. (Which is why "character driven" as in..the characters drive the plot are so popular; we're looking to discover our humanity.) And things like love and human bonds, especially that of romance, are a large part of what make us Human I think. That's just my theory though haha ^^

yeh this :3

tbh I put everything I had in my new comic and worked really hard on my pitch. Unfortunally tapas never replied to me...
BUT I'm glad I brought my new story to life and so far many people enjoy it. So despite not being good enough it was still worth it. :smiley:

Also guys, there's nothing wrong hiring a freelance editor just to check your pitch and outline! Please don't forget that! Put your chances all on your side by seeking help of other professionals ^^! Comic artists tend to want to do EVERYTHING on their own but an extra help will definitly make the difference! Your love for the craft should be more powerful than your fear of feedbacks!!! ^^

@Lucazu Will you send a new pitch for the next incubator Lucazu? :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Unfortunally not.
I wanted to try once and did the best I could. I don't handle the anxiety and stress of waiting very well, it was on my mind 24/7 and tapas not responding to people in the questions thread didn't help....But maybe somewhere in the future I'll try again.
For now, managing 2 comics and patreon exclusives is enough for me.
But like said, I'm happy I participated otherwise I wouldn't have a new fun comic to work on :smiley:

@Lucazu That sounds really amazing! Being sucessfull with the community you build on your own is very impressing, I really think you can be super super proud of yourself. Wish you the best for your patreon and all your projects! Whuhu!!!