Submissions
The Best American Comics Submission Information
This web page contains all the information you need to know about submitting your books for consideration for The Best American Comics.
What is The Best American Comics?
It’s an annual anthology of the best comics short stories and (excerpts of) graphic novels by North American authors, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It is part of the prestigious Best American series, which also includes The Best American Short Stories, Essays, and Nonrequired Reading, among others.
Eligibility
- The author must be North American (i.e., from Canada, the United States, or Mexico) or make his or her permanent home here.
- Work published between September 1, 2011, and August 31, 2012, is eligible for the 2013 volume.
- The 2014 volume will cover work published from 9/1/12 through 8/31/13, and so on.
- Individual issues, collections, original graphic novels, and self-published comics (including mini-comics) are eligible for consideration.
- We must see your comics in order to consider them! Please send one copy of each book you publish to us at the address below.
- Please label each book submitted with contact information and release date.
If this information isn’t clearly printed in the book, you must write it on a Post-it note and stick that on the cover.
When is the deadline?
All material published within the eligibility dates (September 1, 2011, through August 31, 2012, for the next edition) must be in our hands by September 7, 2012. However, please do not wait until August or September to send material from the entire year! In order for us to read and carefully consider all the work submitted, we review work all year. The earlier you submit your work, the more time we will have to look at it. If you have a book that will be published close to the end of the eligibility window for us to consider, please send it in a separate package by the due date. It would not be a bad idea to give us a heads up so that we can keep an eye out for it.
How does the selection and publication process work?
The series editors (Matt Madden and Jessica Abel) are responsible for collecting all comics published by North American authors in a given year, reviewing them, and selecting semifinalists from among the submissions. Each year the editorial team (the series editors and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in-house editor Meagan Stacey) select an established comics author to act as guest editor. The guest editor is responsible for choosing among the semifinalists to create a list of works for inclusion in the book. If your work is on the final list, you will be contacted by us in November or December for permission to use the work.
We hope you will put The Best American Comics on your finished-book mailing list and automatically send in anything that might be eligible—keep in mind that even if your publishing schedule means you miss one year’s deadline, the book will be eligible for the following year’s volume.
Mail all your eligible comics to:
Jessica Abel and Matt Madden
Series Editors
The Best American Comics
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10003
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Web comics eligible?
Yes, Web comics are eligible, if they were first posted within the eligibility dates (September 1, 2011, through August 31, 2012, for this next edition). The best way to submit is to e-mail us a PDF (via a download site) of all or the best of your entries from the year’s eligibility window to this address: bestamericancomics@hmhpub.com.
All material published within the eligibility dates (September 1, 2011, through August 31, 2012, for the next edition) must be in our hands by September 7, 2012. However, please do not wait until August or September to send material from the entire year! In order for us to read and carefully consider all the work submitted, we review work all year. The earlier you submit your work, the more time we will have to look at it. If you have a book that will be published close to the end of the eligibility window for us to consider, please send it in a separate package by the due date. It would not be a bad idea to give us a heads up so that we can keep an eye out for it.
I have a story in an anthology or magazine and I want to be sure it gets considered. Do I need to send you a copy?
Yes. But you should check with your editor to see that the anthology or magazine is submitted by him or her. We don’t need (or want) individual submissions from each contributor.
I’m publishing books throughout the year. Should I just wait and send you everything at the end of August?
No. Please do not wait until August or September to send material from the entire year! In order for us to read and carefully consider all the work submitted, we review work all year. The earlier you submit your work, the more time we will have to look at it. If you have a book that will be published close to the end of the eligibility window for us to consider, please send it in a separate package by the due date. It would not be a bad idea to give us a heads up so that we can keep an eye out for it.
