Get schooled on anthologies with Monster Elementary writer Nicholas Doan and editor Gwendolyn Dreyer

The Business of Art

Nicholas Doan and Gwendolyn Dreyer are two of my favorite people in the comics community. They are incredible at giving of their time and knowledge, along with making dope ass books.

I brought them on the show to talk about anthology in conjunction with the launch of my new anthology Monsters and Other Scary Shit. Click here to check it out. For just $40 you get a hardcover of the book, digital print, and pdf, including shipping in the USA!

Nick and Gwen put together the amazing Monster Elementary anthology. Published by Spacegoat Productions, Monster Elementary tells the stories of five monsters who are forced to attend a normal human elementary school, with hilarious consequences. Here is the premise, pulled straight from www.monsterelementary.com:

Monster Elementary is a fun, witty, comedy/adventure comic for children of all ages featuring five monster children based on classic monster movie archetypes. These five monster kids are forced to attend a human public school after their monsters-only private school is raided by the FBI. To their surprise, they're not allowed to eat any of the other students. The monsters’ adventures and experiences hiding their identities and growing up are the focal point of the book.

The book is amazing, and they have been in the trenches for a long time, attending cons, and slinging books. It was great to talk with them about Kickstarter, the state of indie comics, and anthologies. You are going to get a ton of value out of this massive episodes. I highly recommend you listen. However, if you just want the cliff notes, here is their list of the top five things you must know before starting an anthology.

1.) Make sure you have a variety of art styles. What's the point of doing an anthology if it all looks the same?

2.) Try to have all your stories end in even page numbers. There may be circumstances where that is less than ideal, but it will make the layout stage go SO much faster.

3.) Make sure to balance the desire for diversity in stories with the need to stay on theme. Always be asking yourself, "Why does this story need to be in THIS book?"

4.) Make sure your cover, and front and back matter have a strong sense of design reflecting the stories and theme of the book. It can be difficult to find a unifying design, but it's necessary to accurately convey to your potential reader what's inside.

5.) Make sure you finish big. Make sure the last story in your book is on theme, impactful, and is the lasting memory you want your reader to have at the end stick with them when they reflect on your book.

If you dug this episode, make sure to head on over to www.monsterelementary.com and let Gwen and Nick know, or find them on twitter @monsterelem. Tell them they need an Instagram, too!

Don’t forget to check out the Kickstarter for my book, Monsters and Other Scary Shit, live on Kickstarter now. Nick has a 7-page story inside with awesome artist Daniele Serra! Back it today by clicking here.

It’s just $40 for a hardcover book, digital print of the cover, and pdf, including shipping! That’s 224 pages of monster goodness. Click here to back today!

Also, head on over to iTunes to subscribe, rate and review today. Just click here and subscribe today!