Vigil Historical Imprint
What is Vigil?
Vigil is the new imprint from the rapidly-expanding Insomnia Publications. It will specifically deal with historical graphic novels and stories of a biographical nature. Books will be between 80-120 pages in length with extensive research notes and additional supporting material.
What sort of material will Vigil publish?
Think along the lines of Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell or Frank Miller’s 300; we’re looking for rich stories based on fact, not facts dressed up as fiction. The stories could be about a significant global event, the life of a famous personality or historical figure, cultural events, political scandals, wars, assassinations, rock stars, miscarriages of justice, cover-ups, conspiracies or inspirational tales from ordinary lives.
Biopics like Ali, Ray, Valkyrie, Frost/Nixon, JFK, Persepolis, The Last King of Scotland, Braveheart, The Aviator, Erin Brockovich, The Insider, Wyatt Earp, Malcolm X, Apollo 13, Mississippi Burning, Let Him Have It, In the Name of the Father, Michael Collins, The Damned United, Ghandi and Chariots of Fire are good things to keep in mind. Each one tells a story about the life of someone unique, or chronicles events so dramatic and inspirational that they almost seem entirely fictional or unbelievable.
Can I invent a fictional story with real characters from history?
No. The key for Vigil is that the stories must be real, substantial and easily backed up with quality research. We’re not looking for the next Jane Austen v Zombies or another League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. We want the truth – which, as we all know, is often stranger than fiction. Classical myths are probably not what we’re looking for either, but embellished real-life stories are fine. Just don’t get too carried away.
Can I fictionalise elements of my story to fill in the gaps?
Yes. History is a murky path, and versions of stories often conflict or contradict, so we’re happy for creators to fictionalise certain elements of their stories as long as any inventions are supportable by the facts or seem convincing enough so as not to stretch the boundaries of possibility. It’s one thing to have 300 Spartans speaking English and taking on the might of the Persian army – it’s another to have the horror writer HP Lovecraft battling fourth-dimensional monsters on the streets of New York. So, keep it real.
Can I write about anyone or set my story at any point in history?
Yes, but only to a certain extent. However, real-life figures that are still alive are probably not a good idea. Biographical works on living persons can often run into legal trouble, as can events that are still subject to court proceedings or police enquiries, such as murders, disappearances and political events. However, the dead are fair game, as long as you don’t intend to maliciously malign a popular figure or spin a yarn about someone’s life in such a way as to offend or harm their reputation. It’s probably not a good idea to base your story on a single source either – such as a best-selling biography – you’ll only land everyone in court for plagiarism. Do the research – the story will present itself.
What do I need to do?
Pick the topic/person/event that you want to write about, and tell us all about it. Put it down in a document with your contact details and tell us what you plan to do in your story. Give us as much background information as possible, and shape it into the tale you would like to tell your readers – along with some pointers on where you plan to obtain your research. Is your story based on a book? Or a series of different books? Is it well-known or obscure? Is there a fascinating twist or a jaw-dropping scenario? Tell us what inspired you, and why. What we’re looking for here is a book outline, an idea of the main sources you will be using, if there is a controversy, or different interpretations, which line will you follow and how and why. We also want to know what it is you will do to make this story your own and what you think you can add to what has already been said.
So, I just pick a story or character from history and tell you about it?
No – we want to know what your version of the story is. It’s fine to say you want to do a book about the life of Robert Louis Stevenson or Thomas Edison – but what’s the hook? What will make readers sit up and notice? What happened in the lives of these people that makes the reader say “I didn’t know that” or question their understanding of certain events? If your story doesn’t have a hook, it’ll be nothing more than a historical textbook. It has to be entertaining and engaging and it has to tell the reader something they didn’t already know, or properly contextualise the tale in a way that inspires or amazes.
Your pitch really needs to convince us that there is enough substance to make it step beyond the realms of factual history and into the world of comic-book entertainment.
Can Insomnia provide me with a topic or historical figure to write about?
No. Get yourself down to the local library, go online, dig up articles and source yourself casebooks on your chosen topic. Immerse yourself in the history of the tale that inspires or amazes you the most – then tell us about it.
If we like the idea, we’ll ask you to get to work on a script and help you find a suitable artist – or, you could bring your own artist to the table if you have someone in mind and we like the team.
Do I need to be an established comic-book writer or creator?
No. We want your ideas first, then we’ll see if you can write a script or not and we will judge the merits of your artwork if you are pitching to illustrate one of our books. It would help to brush up on some of the big name biography-style graphic novels, like Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell, Brian Michael Bendis’ Torso, Regan by Andy Helfer, Steve Buccellato and Joe Staton or Charles Shaar Murray and Floyd Hughes’s Purple Days about the life of Jimmi Hendrix. Remember though – writing a good pitch doesn’t mean you can write a 120-page comic-book script – so study the form and learn how to pace a comic-book story. Think about the format you want your story to take – will it be nine-panel grids? Is it classic comic-book format? Will it be black and white or colour?
What else will I need to do?
If we agree to publish your idea, you’ll need to write your entire script for the artist to work on in comic-book format. You’ll also be required to provide extensive notes on every single page of comic-book script you produce, along with a bibliography of sources written in modern citation format. The notes will be used as supporting material at the end of your graphic novel along with design sketches, photos, concept art and any other supporting materials we can obtain reproduction rights to.
And that’s it?
No. Competition for one of the Vigil lines will be tough, but we’re certain there are thousands of ideas and creators out there who will come forward to work with us. There may also be licensing issues involved in some of the proposals – for example if you want to do a biography of a well-known character from recent history. Hopefully, we might be able to help you work those things out. Obviously, we can’t accept every single proposal we receive, and submitting a proposal doesn’t necessarily guarantee acceptance – but if your idea is good, and we like it, we’ll consider publishing it.
Send submissions by email to submissions@insomniapublications.com and mark your emal Vigil Submission
We look forward to hearing from you.
