Cold Calling Editors Good Idea? Or Pain In The A$$?

[Ross Hughes]

For those of us that either can't go to a con or just haven't been to one where Marvel, DC, and/or other major publishers have shown up, what is the feeling on doing "cold calls" to editors to ask them to take a look at samples?

Is it bad form to send an editor an e-mail with a link to some samples without being asked to do so?

How do you handle getting noticed without the option of traveling?

[Trish Mulvihill]

IMO, cold calling is a bad idea. Editors are juggling a hundred things at once - calling is an unwelcome distraction from what I've seen. And an unsolicited email may go into the spam file..... they might click on your link,they might not.

If you have the means to print up a quality postcard/sampler with your work and contact info (& website url), try that. Snail mail it to the various editors (no, there is no master list, you'll have to do a little homework to see who edits the kind of books you'd like to work on). I find it easier to skim over emails and let them scroll away without further investigation. But I sort through snail mail more slowly. If your art is literally in their hands they might save that postcard. They might go to your website from there and bookmark it.

If you print up enough you can always hand them out in person if you do make it to a con at some point.

That's my take on it. I'm only going by what I've seen at the DC offices.

[Ross Hughes]

Thanks, Trish. That was kind of my feeling on it as well, but I've been trying to think of the best way to get my work into the hands of someone who I wouldn't normally be able to see in person. I like the postcard idea a lot. That's something I'll have to look into.

So let me ask this then,

When mailing something tangible to an editor, would you simply send it to them in care of the publisher? I wouldn't think I should be out there trying to find out an editor's personal address. The next thing I know the FBI is knocking on the front door.....again....

[Trish Mulvihill]

You mail it to their office address, natch.

[Jason Lewis]

Seek out assistant editors or associate editors instead of editor editors. From what I understand it's the assistants and associates who normally are tasked with finding new talent when an opening occurs 'cause editors are usually way too busy.