If you’re trying to break into the comic book printing industry, you probably already know that the process of making comic books can be quite complicated. In fact, comic book printing is not only more complicated than standard book printing, but also longer, more difficult, and more expensive. So if you’re a writer trying to get your first book published, you have your work cut out for you. But of course, it’s not impossible. While this type of printing is an involved process, the industry also has many devoted fans who also work in the business. In general, people who run comic book printing companies do so because they love comic books, and many of these people are very interested in bringing out new books from up-and-coming writers.

In other words, people who write standard books have to compete with thousands upon thousands of other writers for the attention of dispassionate, unsympathetic publishing company employers. You, in contrast, are part of a pretty small and exclusive group of passionate artists who are competing for the attention of people who love comics. Thus, even though this type of printing is hard, you’re in good shape. Before you find a publisher, it’s pretty obvious what you have to do. Of course, you have to write your book, present the pictures and the text in a professional way, and if you’re going to submit it to publishers, you’ll want to know their requirements for submissions. That’s just the pre-submission process.

But if your book does get submitted, there’s a lot more that goes on, and these type of writers and artists generally have to be closely involved in the process. In fact, if you’re primarily the writer, you may have to turn your story over to a new artist who will refine the art according to the publishing company’s wishes. And if you’re primarily the artist, they might bring in a writer to spruce up the story and the text. Of course, this mainly applies to the large companies. With the smaller companies, anything goes. It varies from place to place. However, all of that being said, if you don’t want to go through the laborious process of finding a publisher, or if publishers don’t seem to be feeling your work as they should, you can always look into means of independent comic book printing.

Even with the emergence of popular entertainment outlets such as the internet and satellite television, comic books have maintained an impressive market share of consumer spending. There simply is no replacement for the unique way a comic can present a story and engage its readers. Because of this, comic book collecting has also grown in recent years with a new generation of readers enjoying this rewarding hobby.

For collectors who are just beginning, there are a couple of different approaches to take to the hobby. Some people are simply fans of a particular hero or publisher. They purchase comics for their own entertainment and don’t concern themselves much with the after-market value of the publication. Other collectors concentrate on acquiring limited edition or rare comics for the sake of achieving a return on their investment. This form of collecting usually requires an advanced knowledge of the market as well as the necessary funds to make large purchases.

There are five distinct eras of comic book memorabilia. The Platinum Age represent the oldest time period, dating between the 1800′s and 1937. The Golden Age covers the years of 1938 to 1955. Silver Age comic books are dated between 1956 and 1969, and the Bronze Age occurred between 1970 and 1979. The Modern Age includes everything that was produced from 1980 through today. Each time period is unique and distinctive in the way the publications were written, produced, and distributed. Obviously the older periods offer the most valuable items, but there are still plenty of rare and limited comics to be found in the Modern Age.

Today’s collectors will find a multitude of outlets to help them add to their collection. The internet alone has increased the accessibility of hard-to-find comics to collectors all over the world. eBay, Craigslist, and online comic book stores make finding exactly what you want as simple as clicking a mouse. While these outlets are probably the most popular markets for collectors, there is still plenty of demand for local comic book shows and stores. Of course newsstands and bookstores remain the best source for the latest publications. Ideally, the savvy collector will be comfortable with using all of the outlets mentioned here. You simply never know where you might uncover the next hidden gem to add to your collection.