It can be a long road, and you'd better get used to rejection.

Not the most optimistic note with which to begin an article about breaking into the comics industry, I'll admit. But talk to any comic creator and you'll hear war stories about the difficulties they faced getting their foot in the door. To make matters worse, that first break is only the beginning of the process. Next, if you harbour hopes of quitting your day job, you have to translate that first big break into a fully-fledged professional career. And, believe me, getting to the stage where you can make a living from comics can be even harder than it was to achieve your initial breakthrough.

No one pays comic book editors to develop new talent. Editors are busy people, and the demands of the medium mean it's safer to commission something from a creator they know rather than take a chance on an untried creator who may blow a deadline or turn in substandard work. Add to that the fact you are in competition with lots of talented and experienced people who are trying hard to make a living themselves, and you'll see breaking into comics can be a tough act to pull off. Especially when you're on the outside looking in, desperately awaiting that first break. At times, given the odds stacked against you, it might almost seem comparable to climbing Mount Everest .

Of course, the thing about climbing Everest is that some people manage it.

It's the same with comics. New creators break in all the time. Don't think I'm saying: “breaking into comics is impossible; you'd be better off giving up right now'. I'm not. What's more, if the comics medium is not to become moribund, it needs new styles and new ideas. And, if you've got those things in your portfolio, then the comics medium needs you.

What I am trying to emphasise here though is the size of the task and its pitfalls. I come back to the words at the beginning of this article. Breaking into comics can be a long road, and you had better get used to rejection. And not just rejection. Along the way you will meet criticism, indifference, at times, even downright hostility. Harden your heart against them. Work on developing a thick skin. Remember, criticism of your work is not criticism of you as a human being. Above all else, keep listening to that small voice inside you. You know the one I mean. Some people call it inspiration, ‘the creative spark', ‘the need for self-expression'. Whatever you call it, it's the thing inside you that made you want to choose to work in comics in the first place. Listen to it. Nurture it. Keep practising your craft.

Most of all, keep on trying. It doesn't matter how good or talented you are if you let yourself be defeated at the first setback. Or, for that matter, the second, third, or three-hundredth setback. In comics, as in any creative enterprise, your path will be strewn with obstacles. Learn to expect them: forewarned is forearmed, as the old adage has it. Be ready for the long haul. For every person blessed with overnight success, many more have to scrap for years to achieve their ambitions – never mind those who never come close. You need to be determined, and driven, and dedicated. If you are serious in your aims, there's likely a lot of hardship and frustration ahead of you. And if you do it – if you make that breakthrough – then all power to you. Nothing good ever came easy.

But then, if it came easy, it would hardly be worth it.