Questions about the Tapas Creator Incubator Program

[mybaddreamer]

I am very curious it does not give us an end date for this. Is it to be announced, or did I miss the final date for entry somewhere?

[VibrantFox]

if you check the post here: https://tapas.io/newsfeed/7

It gives this info:

Important Dates
Submissions Open: June 1, 2018 12:00 AM PDT
Submissions Close: July 1, 2018 11:59 PM PDT
Responses will begin rolling out after submissions close.

[STAFF]

The story I'm interested in submitting is part of a world (my own imaginary world that I've been building for the past few years) with multiple other stories. If this story was submitted and created as part of the incubator program (unlikely, but just for theoretical purposes), would this conflict with the copy rights of future creations of mine that take place in that same world (say I would be unable to create them due to no longer owning all the rights to the world because of the co-production contract) because they (creations) may not be published with Tapas.

I need to know, so I know what not to submit c: since the vast majority of my idea jar is from this particular world.

No, submitting a story part of a world should not conflict with any copyrights of future projects that take place in that world. The co-production contract covers one season of one story. And there's always the possibility that if we do like the story, we wouldn't mind working with you on other projects that take place in that world.

Though if you are concerned about copyrights for future works in that world, we suggest perhaps submitting a story outside of that world, just in case.

With the 50/ 50 partnership being said
1.Is this ratio negotiable?
2. In the event that my submission is chosen, but I decide later down the line that I want to move on from Tapas for any reason, can the partnership be ended? Like for example, the program didn't meet my expectations or hypothetically found something better.
3.What is the monthly pay like? Honestly, I ask mainly because I currently have a job, and the amount of sleepless nights I already spend on my comic does not suffice with my day job. So, I'm asking the rate so that I know I can still survive and pay bills. I'm aware and excited to find more ways to make money through this of course and even have tons of deals, but is the pay rate in itself viable?
4. Lastly, can I decide later to partner with other artists in the same season, just to help and what would that mean for pay rate? Would we share like one person? Or are we both paid equally?

1. Yes, the ratio is negotiable.

2. This is something that we will talk with you further during the negotiation process as we want creators to have a complete understanding of what's expected during the program and to ensure that creators are happy with the terms before participating in the program.

3. As stated previously in the FAQ, we are unable to give an exact estimate because production costs vary from creator to creator. We do our best to pay at a rate in which creators can focus on creating comics without financial worry.

4. If the artist you partner with is like an assistant (like for backgrounds, coloring, etc.) then that would be part of the production cost that Tapas covers.

[ValouraDoe]

Thank you guys! Your response was genuinely helpful. I appreciate it.

[badbeeart]

I did not find the answers to these questions, please help me
1 What is the minimum allowed number of panels in the full comic of 600 (20 episodes * per 30 panels)?
2 how many episodes do i need to publish per month?
(I draw slowly I need to know will i publish on time)
3 can I send the story for less than 20-25 episodes?

[RonuCreative]

Hey Guys

I noticed that in the example pitch... that the individual had a section called overview (which I'm guessing is referred to as story themes this year) and for that section he had three paragraphs. Does that mean it's okay if we write three paragraphs for the Story themes section too?

[A_Cob_of_CORNelius]

what do you mean by a season? i know there are episodes but how many pages should be in a episode and how many episodes in a season?

[STAFF]

1 What is the minimum allowed number of panels in the full comic of 600 (20 episodes * per 30 panels)?
2 how many episodes do i need to publish per month?(I draw slowly I need to know will i publish on time)
3 can I send the story for less than 20-25 episodes?

1. We don't have a panel requirement for comics. It's up to the creator to decide how many panels are needed to convey their idea. The "30 panels per episode" is a rough estimate we give for long-form narratives.

2. The production schedule is dictated by the creator but we work with creators to have a backlog of episodes (a period where creators make episodes but we don't publish yet) so we can eventually consistently publish at least 2 episodes a month.

3. A typical season for a series on our platform is about 24 episodes so we ask for stories that are submitted to the Incubator program to have, at the very least, 20 episodes.

I noticed that in the example pitch... that the individual had a section called overview (which I'm guessing is referred to as story themes this year) and for that section he had three paragraphs. Does that mean it's okay if we write three paragraphs for the Story themes section too?

It's definitely okay to write three paragraphs for that section, if you want. There's no minimum or maximum requirement for that section. All we ask is that you're able to convey to us the message you want readers to have when they read your story.

what do you mean by a season? i know there are episodes but how many pages should be in a episode and how many episodes in a season?

A season of a webcomic is similar to a season of TV in which a plot unfolds episode-by-episode. As stated previously in our Newsfeed post, a season will have about 20-25 episodes. And it's difficult to give an estimate for pages per episode as we don't usually work in page format. A good rule of thumb is an episode should cover a narrative beat.

[chococaca]

Can I submit my comic book even if it is not English?

[Frostfire]

Yeah, I also plan to resubmit the form. I misread about the synopsis requirement. It should be for one season, while I just wrote the synopsis for one mini-story which are contained in 3 chapters only.

[hanapopo018]

Hello! I just wanted to ask about the whole working of US company eligibility thing, as I'm still a little confused-- For example, I'm a British and New Zealand citizen (living in Australia), so does that mean I would have to apply for a visa to be eligible for the incubator program? My situation always makes VISA-related things a little complicated, so I figured it'd be better to ask-- thank you for your time!

[ihaveatoaster]

Hey, I'm Canadian so my knowledge of what applies to you might be different. The Americans have temporary work visas that are for non immigrants that typically can be granted very quickly if you have an American employer. I would imagine you'd qualify for that just like me even with your dual citizenship but just look it up online to make sure.

[STAFF]

Can I submit my comic book even if it is not English?

Can I submit a pitch in a language other than English?

Hello! I just wanted to ask about the whole working of US company eligibility thing, as I'm still a little confused-- For example, I'm a British and New Zealand citizen (living in Australia), so does that mean I would have to apply for a visa to be eligible for the incubator program? My situation always makes VISA-related things a little complicated, so I figured it'd be better to ask-- thank you for your time!

As you will not be residing in the United States while participating in the Incubator program, you will not be required to apply for a work visa. Work visas are mainly for those who will be working for a U.S. company while being a resident of the United States. Hope that explanation helps!

[hanapopo018]

aaahhh okay, i get it! thank you so much!

[hanapopo018]

thank you for the explanation!!!

[Saajing]

Two questions:

In the guidelines, we're supposed to write a synopsis for the full story, but you also mention a 20-25 chapter season. So are you supposed to write the synopsis for one completed season, or for the entire story (1+ seasons)?

Also, I understand the need for Tapas' input in their investment in an artist, but what constitutes the 50/50 ratio of copyright ownership?

[BlackRose108]

Apologizes if this has already been asked/answered in this thread >_<

But, since there is the Webtoons contest going on at the same time, many are entering both. I happen to be entering two different stories for the two contests, so in the rare case that I get picked for the Creator Incubator but also get offered a contract from Webtoons, could I work for both companies since I'll be doing two different stories? Or if the Tapas contract ownership over the author as a whole rather than just the specific story that they're doing?

[joannekwan]

Tapas is not work for hire so they would only have partial ownership of your proposed Incubator series. You would be free to post your other series on other platforms.

[baka_reader]

If the artist you partner with is like an assistant (like for backgrounds, coloring, etc.) then that would be part of the production cost that Tapas covers.

If i find an assistent, do i have to submit also bio of that person in the submission? or only it is a duo-author?

[choige49]

Hi, I wish I had discovered this program earlier than today....
Do you open this program annually? Can I participate next year?
And if I get accepted and begin production, how would you publish my work? i.e., Do you publish one episode of mine as soon as I finished one OR do you publish one by one after I finished the entire season 1?