Submissions Guidelines: Pre-Press

Creative/Intellectual Rights:

Creators still own 100% of all the rights to their works. At Alterna, only a distribution and publishing contract is signed. Beyond that, creators are free to merchandise their works without paying any dues to Alterna. This includes film rights, television, and video game rights. Contracts are for 3 calendar years and at that time creators can choose to part ways with Alterna. Creators may choose to part ways before the contract’s expiration/renewal date, but there may or may not be penalties for that. Please see the contract for further details.

Book, Art, Story Quality:
Alterna will still be choosing to represent only the highest quality in independent work. Before you submit, please look at our other titles (and we strongly suggest you READ at least one of our titles) and be honest with yourself if whether or not your book equals or surpasses the quality of the books at Alterna. If you feel your book isn’t quite ready yet, then keep working at it and hopefully you will eventually be able to submit a more polished title. If you feel your book IS ready though, then please submit it to us – we’d love to see it!

Format:
Alterna continues to only accept completed graphic novels. Single issue comics, whether they be in mini-series or ongoing format, are not published at Alterna Comics.

Page Count:
The minimum page count for a graphic novel title is 64 pages.

Pre-Press:
Alterna handles all pre-press responsibilities for your book, provided that you can send us digital files in TIFF format at 300 dpi. We will strongly suggest book size changes to benefit and maximize your profit per book without hindering on the reading experience – but these suggestions are for you to ultimately decide. If you wish to pay more money in print cost for a book of an odd size, then in the end that is your choice.

Printing:
Creators now have the freedom to either choose their own printer or go through Alterna and use their printer, which is Patterson Printing. Patterson only has a 2-color interior press and a 4 color cover press, so they can do black and white interiors or spot color interiors, but not full color print jobs. Covers are/can be in full color. They are the most cost effective printer Alterna has come across for b&w titles, out-pricing the likes of Quebecor and Brenner. Alterna has an account with Patterson’s and can pass on the discounted printing price to the creative team on a book. At this time we do not have a full-color printer, so if your book is in full-color we will have to pass on your project unless you have a quality offset printing service at your disposal.