Zinefest Report/GMN4 Update

Well, another weekend, another show in the can. Although I honestly expected to sell more than we did, I had a good time talking to peeps as well as learning of GMN submissions that loom on the horizon. Thanks to those who did pick up books and those who stopped by to inquire and interrupt my furtive bouts of staring at fellow tablers. As Raighne covered briefly in the previous post, there are going to be some changes to how Good Minnesotan is presented and released. As the new editor, I guess I should be the one to expound upon what those changes are and what they mean for you, the reader/contributor/casual observer. More after the jump.

First and probably foremost, the deadline for GMN4 submissions has changed to Friday, August 14th, so those who thought they'd missed the boat don't have to make a frantic swim for it just yet (wit in spades, I tell you). As Raighne explained before, Yearbooks, while being a real piece of work, did not come cheap for the 2d Cloud clan, causing us to pause and reconsider how we are to continue putting out quality material without morphing into paupers in the process. The first wave of our plan to get GMN4 into your discerning hands is to look for free money, i.e. grants, the first being the Xeric. Given that this is not the easiest grant to obtain, we will also be exploring other means of funding both the next issue as well as future issues, but for the immediate future, this is what will concern us.

Raighne mentioned that we're looking for a minimum of two pages from all interested in submitting to the next issue. That still holds true, but a little elaboration is required. These two pages need to be finished pages, not rough layouts/pencils/scripts/etc. The primary reason for this is that we need something presentable for the sample we'll be submitting for the Xeric, but it will also help expedite the process of compiling a final roster of contributors, which will be listed on the blog Monday, August 31st. A reminder for those submitting for the first time: in addition to our predilection for comics with a fine-art shade and/or an autobiographical bent, we tend to prefer comics that are mixed-media, stray from traditional narrative structures, and are not something you spent a couple days banging out in a sketchbook (i.e. polished work). Having said that, we are not opposed to strong linework and solid storytelling, but if you're going to go that route, make sure that this is not your first foray into the world of comics making. Another change from the original submission guidelines that I should mention is that what you turn in by the 14th need not be 1200 dpi, but must be no lower than 300 dpi. Once the final list of contributors has been posted on the 31st, those people will need to send in their files at 1200 dpi. If you can scan at 1200 dpi the first time through, that would obviously be easier, but if meeting the deadline means getting a lower res scan from you, that will suffice for now.

The other major piece of news on the submissions front is that we will now be accepting them year-round. The reasons for this are threefold: we are in the process of creating an online version of Good Minnesotan that will ideally be updated bi-weekly, but at the very least monthly with new work. This will be a way for us to promote contributors' work in the interim between print issues and give people a preview of what they can expect in future issues. Having submissions come in throughout the year will also help us in planning future print versions of the anthology. A key part of that planning will be determining a featured artist for each issue who will do the covers and set the tone for what else will comprise that issue. Ideally we will be able to return to a biannual schedule for the print version, but this will be dependent on fundage, submissions and other 2DC projects. Lastly, changing to a year-round open submissions policy will hopefully be less stressful for both contributors and for us.

Aside from those changes, consult the link on the sidebar for anything else regarding submissions. Thanks again to all who showed last weekend and we look forward to seeing what will be sliding under our door, dropping into our mailbox and popping up in our inbox in the coming weeks...