As a publisher, Cloudscape’s mandate is to uplift and promote local voices. We’re interested in stories by artists and writers from BC, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. We pride ourselves in offering a wide range of graphic novels. In our library you can find anything from all ages fantasy and regional horror to poetic memoir. We’re interested in keeping the scope of our publishing as wide as we can, and our book submissions committee has made a “wishlist” and FAQ for those of you who are thinking of pitching your work to us!
Cloudscape is a volunteer-run organization. Because of this, sometimes it can take a while for us to review pitches. If you have questions about the status of your pitch, please feel free to contact us.
What kinds of stories are we looking for?
We’re open to a wide range of subject matter. We’re looking for thoughtful comics with a distinct point of view that have something to say! We’re especially interested in stories from underrepresented voices.
While we are open to stories in all genres, we have a few that we’d like to see more of:
We love horror, and we love fantasy. We would love to see more graphic novel pitches that engage with these genres in new and exciting ways!
We’re interested in stories that centre around romance, especially from voices that aren’t often represented in this genre.
We’d love to see pitches for historical fiction that relates honestly and factually to Canadian history.
We love personal connections to stories, and are interested in non-fiction and memoir comics that have something different to say.
We would love to see more stories of all genres set in BC that engage in the unique dynamics of our environments.
We want comics that push the boundaries of what we think of when we hear the word “comics.”
What are we not looking for?
At this time we are not looking to publish explicitly NSFW comics. We feel that there are other amazing publishers out there who are bringing that kind work to readers far better than we ever could.
We are not looking for hyper-violent work. Some violence is okay, but we are not looking for work with excessive violence or gore, or that glorifies acts of violence.
While we are open to multi-book series, we ask that you have a detailed, clear plan as to how the series will be executed. We are more interested in stories that can be contained in a single volume than multi-book series. While we are more interested in stories that can be contained in a single volume than multi-book series, we are open to pitches for multi-volume series, especially if the series already has a dedicated audience. We ask that you have a detailed, clear plan as to how the series will be executed (number of volumes, timeline, etc).
We want your unique voice. If you lead by describing your comic as [large franchise] meets [large franchise] we’re not going to be hooked by your pitch. Tell us what makes your work stand out from the rest!
Pitching FAQ
How do I make my pitch stand out?
Detail is key! The more information and images you can share with us, the more likely the pitch will stand out. Don’t be coy, tell us everything! We want to fall in love with your story and characters, so don’t hold back.
I’ve been posting my comic as a webcomic. Can I still pitch to you?
Yes! Many of our original graphic novels started out as webcomics. We love seeing creators share their work with the world & we love helping them bring their projects to print. Please keep in mind that some edits and changes may be required in order to prepare your files for print.
Does it matter if my work is in black and white or full colour?
Whether your work is in black and white or full colour will not influence whether or not your pitch is accepted. We know that some stories are best suited for a monochromatic palette, while others need full colour to make the most impact.
As a small publisher, we’re excited about printing comics with limited palettes in Pantone colours (see: The Witching Hours, Waterlogged, and the upcoming Fantastic Frights), and would love to see more work that experiments with colour in this way.
I’m not from BC, or the Territories, can I still pitch to you?
Sorry, but no. We are partially funded by grants, which are contingent on our publishing local creators. However, we do accept creative teams outside of these areas, as long as 50% of the team is from BC or the Territories. We also accept pitches from creators who are Canadian citizens and have lived in BC at some point during their lives.
My pitch wasn’t accepted. Can I pitch to you in the future?
Please! We may not be able to accept your first pitch, but we hope that won’t stop you from pitching to us with future projects. We know that art and storytelling is an ongoing journey, and we hope we can be a part of it. There are many pitches we rejected that have gone on to be self published, or picked up by other publishers, and gone on to great success, so we are by no means an authority on great comics. If you truly believe in this project you should proceed without us and show us how wrong we were to reject your pitch.
Can I submit my pitch to another publisher at the same time as my pitch is being reviewed by Cloudscape?
Of course! Please don’t let a rejection stop you from pitching to us with future projects. We know that art and storytelling is an ongoing journey, and we hope we can be a part of it. Even though your pitch was not a fit with us, it does not mean that your comic won’t find success elsewhere.
Can you provide feedback on why my pitch was rejected?
No, we cannot. Being a volunteer-run organization, we do not have the capacity to provide detailed rejection emails.
Also keep in mind, that getting a rejection from a publisher does not mean your project was “bad”. Sometimes projects are just not the right fit for a publisher, or in some cases, the project is too close to something they currently publishing/ have made in the past.
In our past experience, we have found that providing pitch feedback does not soften the sting of rejection, and often creates greater chances for misunderstanding and hurt feelings.
If you’re ready to pitch your graphic novel to us, head over to our submissions page!