WRITING A GRAPHIC NOVEL FOR THE FIRST TIME
With Teresa Ho Robeson
Marvelous Midwest 2024

​This handout is also available as a PDF download.

Page counts for different ages of graphic novels
Early readers
ages 5-7
32-96 pages
            e.g. Donut Feed The Squirrels by Mika Song; Baby Mouse by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Early middle grade
ages 6-9
128-240 pages
            e.g. Jop and Blip Wanna Know by Jim Benton; the Paws books by Nathan Fairbairn and  Michele Assarasakorn
Middle grade
ages 9-12
192-272 pages
            e.g. This Was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews; Who Is Tibet’s Exiled Leader? The 14th Dalai Lama by Teresa Robeson and Angela Poon (the Who Is/Was series tends to be shorter than the average MG GN); the Science Comics series
Young adult
ages 13+
224-368+ pages
            e.g. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell; Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
 
Graphic novels to check out
Early readers: https://www.mrsdalloways.com/graphic-novels-beginning-readers
Middle grade: https://readingmiddlegrade.com/middle-grade-graphic-novels/
Young adult: https://www.bookpeople.com/browse/book/YAF010100
 
Reference books

• Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud
• Panel One: Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers edited by Nat Gertler
• The Art of Comic Book Writing by Mark Kneece
• Make Comics Like the Pros: The Inside Scoop on How to Write, Draw, & Sell Your Comic Books and Graphic Novels by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente
• Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels by Brian Michael Bendis

 
Links
“At 40 percent of school libraries and 26 percent of public ones, graphic-novel readers only read in this format, respondents said. This led 90 percent of public librarians and 83 percent of school librarians to suggest them to students who struggle with reading. In particular, 57 percent of public librarians and 69 percent of school librarians recommend them to English language learners.
- SLJ's Graphic Novel Survey”
https://www.slj.com/story/reviews/Graphic-Novels-Manga-Explode-in-Popularity-Among-Students-SLJ-Survey
Oct 3, 2023
 
Pitching a graphic novel:
https://kidscomicsunite.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-pitching-your-graphic-novel/
 
Joshua Smeaton’s quick explanation of his process
https://joshdrawscomics.com/making-a-comic-page/
 
Resources
Kids Comics Unite - https://kidscomicsunite.com/ - and the associated subscription-based Kids Comics Studio - https://kidscomicsunite.com/studio/

Kidlit411’s graphic novels resources page - https://www.kidlit411.com/2017/01/Kidlit411-Graphic-Novels.html
 
Kidlit GN - https://kidlitgn.com/ - and their helpful Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/KidLitGN/
 
Storyboard – Everything You Need To Know - this is for films but is still a very helpful explanation - https://www.nfi.edu/storyboard/
 
Templates from Debbie Ohi’s website: https://debbieohi.com/resources/printready/printready-templates-book-creators/
 
Pitch packet essentials
For writers:

• a bio
• the synopsis/plot summary
• about the story:
  • theme
  • age range
  • maybe trim size, color
• an author’s note
• the completed ms

 
For writer-illustrators:

• bio
• synopsis/plot summary
• about the story:
  • theme
  • age range
  • maybe trim size, color
• optional author’s note
• online portfolio
• sequential art samples
• either completed ms or a detailed outline in addition to synopsis
• 2-12 finished pages along with 10-30 penciled pages

 
Sample from WHO IS TIBET’S EXILED LEADER? THE 14TH DALAI LAMA