Thank you guys! Your response was genuinely helpful. I appreciate it.
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?
3 can I send the story for less than 20-25 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?
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Can I submit my comic book even if it is not English?
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.
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!
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.
Can I submit a pitch in a language other than English?
As Tapas is largely an English language platform and our editors are most comfortable working with the English language, we are only looking for pitches in English at this 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!
aaahhh okay, i get it! thank you so much!
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?
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?
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.
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?
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?
The synopsis should be about season 1 with a few sentences at the end hinting at what might happen in future seasons as a hook.
As this is a co-production agreement, the copyright of the work will be shared evenly between the creators and Tapas Media, 50/50. Tapas will fully fund the creators to develop the work, give access to editorial resources, and work on developing the project for opportunities such as print publishing, redistribution and TV/online series deals. Funding and resources will be provided by Tapas, and profits will be shared 50/50.
Just as @joannekwan says, you would be able to work for both companies as Tapas would only have partial ownership of the proposed Incubator series and you are free to post other series on other platforms.
You would not have to submit the bio of the assistant if they are not considered a co-author.
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?
Oh no! We'll work harder to ensure that this program is announced to everyone but you can look forward to another submission period opening in the winter! We hope to have this program run twice a year.
We work with creators to create a backlog of episodes before publishing at a consistent rate. For example, we would probably wait until about 6 - 10 episodes are finished before publishing an episode twice a month.
If a comic isn't chosen to be in the incubator, is there a chance it can be leveled up to be a premium comic?
How are most comics chosen to be premium if not through the Incubator?
You can e-mail Tap at submissions@tapas.io (if I remember that correctly) proposing the idea, and if they like it they will make your series premium.