It's answered in the newsfeed.
[...] we will also work closely with you to develop your project for opportunities like print publishing or TV/online series deals, if you so desire.
You can also publish it for print with your own resources, if you have your own preferred printer, but you'll probably end up hammering that out with the whoever is assigned to you.
Ok yeah that's what I was wondering. I'd rather be in direct contact with the printer than do things through Tapas. Thanks~! ^^
We would suggest selecting your strongest pieces/the pieces that will best convey your idea to us. The file size limit is 25 MB for a .zip file.
We will be utilizing a form for submissions this time instead of an email. There will be appropriate sections for you to fill in for synopsis, summary, etc.
30 panels is just a rough estimate of the amount of panels for an episode and you are definitely welcome to have episodes with more panels.
We are looking for compelling stories, not just feel-good stories, so grimdark stories do have a shot. (We actually have a few dark Premium titles...)
Those who are ineligible are typically those who are under 18 or have a visa that restricts them from working with a U.S. company. If you live outside of the US and don't have a visa that restricts working within a U.S. company, you are eligible.
OMG I have a long story idea for a long time! I think I am going to pitch it! I am also excited to work with a different format for mobile (I usually make small gag comics)!
Hi. Regarding this requirement:
"If you're not currently publishing with us, please provide links to your websites or social media pages"
How important is the existence of an active social media page? Would a dA account that I haven't used for years still be a positive or more detrimental to my application? And if the artist doesn't have any social media pages/websites but would be willing to create one and maintain it for publicity would that also be acceptable?
Likely, you'll have a contract with Tapas and whatever is in that contract READ IT VERY CAREFULLY. For anyone who does not have experience, have someone with experience read the contract with you to help understand it. Sometimes wording can be misleading or confusing in order to give the contract company the better end of the deal.
Make sure that you are not giving away your rights as the creator to YOUR WORK. This is still YOUR WORK and you should own it and have the final say in what happens with it. Personally, I find the wording of even just the OP to be a bit suspicious and I remember there was a fiasco a while back about Tapas rewording some of their policies so they essentially own the works of other people. Also suspicious the staff chose to answer every other question yet ignored this one. hmm
As far as I'm aware, any series created through the Incubator program Tapas owns a sizable percentage of it (up to negotiation though obviously between each individual incubator creator). I don't know if they'll own it indefinitely or if after a number of years all rights will revert to the creator, but I imagine they'd want a say in the creation of any physical media to sell.
And per the fiasco with the ToS, Tapas only wanted to offer bargaining rights for their creators when pitching to other companies.
But feel free to clarify @STAFF, if I got any of this wrong.
So, for this, can we include extra documents? For example, I have a document with just extra information regarding details about the universe the comic is taking place in, details about the story line (like, how certain things came to be, etc,) and such, and I was wondering what exactly we have to put? Like I get that we gotta put on the list but can we add extras?
Furthermore, I am under 18 but my parents would be willing to help w/ money stuff, or the other stuff that is like only 18 and over can do, so can I still submit?
Child labor laws make working while younger than 18 quite complex.
Here are the rules for California (where Tap is based out of).
https://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSE/ChildLaborLawPamphlet.pdf1
Page 3 I suppose. In short, if Tap ever allowed minors to work officially for them (either as contract workers or employees) there are a bunch of forms to fill out for both parties and Tap would have to be checked out by a state office.
More trouble than it's worth. Just wait a few years until you're legal. ^^
Sorry, I'm just looking for clarification on a question covered by the FAQ! If you are an artist/writer duo, should you apply under a Tapas account of one of the individuals, or should you make a "duo account" for lack of a better term?
Because of the co-production agreement one would be approached with if chosen for the Creator Incubator program, selling physical copies at a convention is something that would be discussed during negotations.
Providing links to other social media sites allows us to get a better sense of you as an artist and as a person. This program is about forming partnerships with creators, it's not just about the story. You can definitely link your dA account and/or create a new social media page.
^^^ 
Works created in the Creator Incubator are co-productions, meaning both the creator and Tapas have ownership.
The best way to include this extra information is to incorporate it into the full synopsis.
On the same form, you can include both Tapas account names.
A friendly reminder for everyone to please read the FAQ5 before posting questions in the thread.
Thank you for making it clear up front that the creators in the program will have zero control over their content. Personally, not something I'm interested in, but it's good to know for those who are.
Instead of rushing into conclusions i think is better to ask.
A shared ownership doesn`t neccesarily mean a complete loss of control. Anyway, as you said, is always wise to read the contracts no matter how much you trust/distrust someone.
About questions for @STAFF
How much involvement does the Tapas Staff has in the developing of the story and the route it takes?.
I'm a bit curious as to how you took "zero control" from "meaning both the creator and Tapas have ownership". Those sound like two completely different things.
I mean, I understand the concern because of previous troubles with other companies doing similar programs and not delivering the benefits to their creators. But we should still ask for more info before we come to a conclusion.
As @DiegoPalacios noted, you can definitely ask for more details on what "co-production ownership" means in the case of Tapas. Even if I myself won't enter (college and internships, for my reason), I would like to make sure they elaborate a bit more to help stop any misconceptions and to make sure others feel safe in partnering with them. Let's not strictly assume that the creator will not have any control over their work through the Incubator Program. If anything, it sounds more like
"You still have control and still have rights to your story, but we also have some input as well." -- which kinda sounds like what a lot of novel/comics companies negotiate to their creators.
@DiegoPalacios I'm in touch with two current Incubator creators and as far as I know, their stories as they are producing them now are pretty close to their original pitches. Unless you really need help and ask (or I guess if you have something problematic in the story that needs to be addressed), I think Tapas only asserts control over the story when it comes to when to start locking episodes, when to start uploading, and logistical stuff like that; perhaps pacing too, to meet the season length target.
No jumping to conclusions. Just wait until there is something you want to do with your work... create prints or books or other artwork, make cute things like keychains, plushies, etc... advertise it... have the story go in a different direction than you originally intended...
And then realize you aren't allowed to do any of those things.
Like I said, for some people that's fine. But I personally can't imagine not being able to do what I want with my work when I want. For me, loss of any control is the same as zero control.
Another conclusion, let`s turn it into a question......
ÂżDo the creators have a choice in the matter when it comes to merchandising, printing books, advertising, etc?...
I respect that. Is up to you if you prefer to work on your own or with somebody else. Some people prefer absolute control and will do the logystic work by themselves (and hire services when needed).
Wish you the best on your projects!
Creators should have absolute choice in regards to all of those things.
I'm not sure how making speculations is making "conclusions". Two completely different things. I just think it is important for creators to know exactly what they are getting into before they get into it. In this case, from what it sounds like, you will be making the story and the art, but at the end of the day, Tapas will make the decisions about what happens to your story and art.
Look at it this way... say you make your comic and then Tapas decides to make a deal with a publisher that you don't like. For me, that would be Viz. So say Tapas decides to publish my comic with Viz, but then Viz sees that there's a panel of my comic that doesn't adhere to PG-13 standards. Instead of changing the rating, Viz instead asks Tapas if they can censor the panel. Tapas has the full right to say okay on that even though I am someone who personally is against censorship of any sort and would never allow that to happen to my comic.
Again, SPECULATION. Theoretically COULD/MIGHT happen. But creators should be aware when they sign a contract that this situation could be considered okay within the contract and if they don't want it to happen, then they should negotiate the contract or walk out on the deal.
This exact situation happened with the creators of Cyanide and Happiness. They actually walked out on a TV show deal because they couldn't negotiate the contract and were not given enough control over their content.
In my experience as a premium creator, Tapas are very respectful of artistic intent and care a lot about its creators.
But if the program doesn't sound like a good deal to you, that's that. Just don't apply.
Creators almost always follow their original pitch and we'll usually jump in if there are pacing issues (because of the 24-25 episode length) but the direction of the story is in the hands of the creator. Our involvement ranges from being a sounding board for ideas to being a creator's personal cheering squad.
A co-production with us is typically 50/50 ownership. It's a partnership. If a deal is approached that a creator isn't okay with, we don't pursue it.
pinned globally May 22, '18
Actually, writers can participate if they have an artist partner. I made a forum for artists and writer to get together so they can enter the incubator program, check it out!
I very recently (as in a month ago) started posting an original comic. When I heard about the incubator program I knew I wanted to apply, but was unsure if I would be eligible because I have already started posting my comic. However, I know I would be able to post more frequent, better chapters with the resources this program offers.
Thanks for any clarity you provide!
My artist and I were getting ready to write our bios, when the thought occurred: Do we submit two bios, one for each of us? And also, do we put our bios into our pitch, or in the "About Me" section of our Tapas profile?
