Editor’s Note: Paul Levitz returns to Blog@Newsarama with some advice on giving feedback to companies.
by Paul Levitz
The incoming mail folder this morning prompts my blogging subject, with apologies to David Letterman, whose marquee shines outside my office window, a top ten list for folks planning letter-writing campaigns:
Ten. Try to figure out whether what you’re asking for is a practical possibility. When the Teen Titans animated television show ended, I got some letters begging for its return (inspired perhaps by the success of the campaign for Teen Titans Go!, more on which later). But the letters came in after the last episode aired…which meant that the team which had produced the show had broken up about a year earlier, and gone on to other gigs. There are sound business reasons why most animated tv shows only last for a certain maximum number of episodes (though the exceptions to the rule, like THE SIMPSONS, defy any form of gravity or entropy), but if you can’t keep the creative team together, you can’t replicate what the viewer loves. So asking for the show to come back after the team’s gone is self-defeating. Same thing’s true for comics.
Nine. Form letters get form responses, and not much credibility. If you want to be persuasive, make a case that shows why you care and why we care about you. In the TEEN TITANS GO! Campaign, we got an extraordinary batch of letters from young people, often complete with their drawings of the characters. They were passionate, individual, and many made interesting cases about how the title was a good springboard for a lifetime of reading comics. It wasn’t enough to keep the comic around forever, but it did extend the lifespan. Nothing gets less attention than a stack of identically-phrased which demonstrate no real reader connection.
Eight. Be civil. If you’re trying to persuade someone, calling them names doesn’t help. Admittedly all publishers are deserving of a variety of nasty names, and editors are used to it, but we do listen more closely to the polite folks.
Seven. Try to offer constructive advice, above and beyond the specific request. It’s always interesting, and often useful, to hear readers’ views of how our lines are being perceived and how they can be done better. Have your best writer and best artist do every title doesn’t help much…but when the Legion Outpost gang went out and found Jim Shooter to lure him back to the world of comics (and the Legion) in my fan days, they changed the game.
Six. Keep your advice a reasonable length, focused, and easy to read. Sometimes a five or ten page handwritten letter comes in, with references to a half dozen or more different developments in our comics, and what should be done about all of them. That’s much less likely to affect the course of the company than a cogent, one or two page argument on a specific point. There are a couple of Archive program supporters who are in the habit of sending in one or two short letters a year, listing projects they’d like to see in future Archives. We can’t always oblige them, but their brevity and consistent focus ensures that we don’t forget about the projects they’re supporting.
Five. Be prepared to support your advice, and if your efforts and ours aren’t enough to achieve success, don’t focus too much on what else could have been done. There’s never enough marketing done for any specific project in the view of its passionate fans (and talent), and it’s always arguable from a distance whether the “right” marketing’s been done. But if you love something, there’s no stronger way to support it than by word of mouth and handing a friend or customer a reading copy, and that’s a tool available to all of us.
Four. Consider communicating without an agenda, to build up credibility for when you want to use it. Some of the most effective communications we get from fans are simply brief pieces on their current likes and dislikes.
Three. Don’t bombard the world. I was one of the “lucky” ten or twenty executives listed on a website inviting people to petition Warner Bros. when the studio decided to put out exclusively Blu-Ray DVDs. Never mind that the hundreds of nearly identical e-mails that resulted made it hard to find the real mail in my in-box, or that I had nothing to do with that particular decision process—there’s rarely going to be a situation where you can get more consideration by sending the same plea to more than the one or two most relevant people.
Two. And picking up on that note, try to figure out who the right people are. Send a petition too high in the system, and it’ll just get sent back down to the person responsible, and lose time, urgency, and credibility in the process. Send it off to the side, and you may get sympathy, but not any active response. Do as much research as you can to understand who actually is involved in the decision you want changed.
One. Don’t preach hate or exclusion. You won’t get anywhere telling us you won’t buy our comics because we include those (fill in the blank) people…except an invitation not to buy them anymore.
All of this won’t ensure that Manhunter gets to live another dozen issues after we’ve already extended the title a couple of times, or get us to guarantee that Chloe will get Clark on Smallville, but it’ll make for a much more productive conversation, and a better chance of you getting what you want.
Hope this helps.
November 11th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
how about getting you, paul levitz, back to writing the legion? how would i go about getting that done?
and not for nothing, but the delays (i’m especially upset about batman rip being 3 weeks late at this point) are really eroding my confidence in and enthusiasm for your product. to the point where i don’t even want to get involved in an excellent story for fear that i’ll just be jerked around again and again. seriously, i missed the memo, so you can only imagine my disappointment when on 11/5 i found out that a book (batman 681) i’d been dying to read was delayed until 11/19. but that disappointment turned to anger when i learned later that it had been bumped back an additional week. please, get your act together, because i’d hate to cease being a fan, but this is the type of stuff that would do it.
November 11th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
It’s hard to disagree with that first post…
November 11th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Paul
please get that old codger, Paul Levitz, back on LSH. Since you and he already share a name, i’m sure you have some pull. What does he write nowadays that keeps him so busy?
P.S. And get that Giffen guy too!
November 11th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Seriously, Paul, fix the scheduling on the damn books.
November 11th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Hi Paul,
I’m down to buying just four monthly titles on a regular basis (Detective, Batman Confidential, Green Lantern, & GL Corps — and I’m probably going to drop ‘Tec after “Heart of Hush” ends because I’m not happy about Morrison’s doing to Batman). A year ago, I was buying about three times that many DC books each month. I don’t mind saving the cash, but my point is that most of the DC books just haven’t been very good lately, Paul, whether they’re on time or not. I’ve always been more of a DC guy than a Marvel guy, but now I actually buy more Marvel than I do DC. I never thought that would happen.
I’m tired of convoluted mega-crossover events that do little more than kill off great characters while reviving others that should’ve stayed dead (Jason Todd and Barry Allen, I’m looking at you). I’m tired of DC’s bragging about how they can get a lackluster weekly book out on time, but can’t get the monthly flagship titles out on time. I’m tired of DC’s recent insistence on reviving the Silver Age, I’m tired of Morrison’s weirdness in Batman proper, and even though he just started I’m already tired of Robinson’s uninspired Superman run.
And how does Judd Winick keep getting work?
If you’d like, I’m sure plenty of people here could you give a top ten list for improving the DC line. #1 on my list: Fire Dan DiDio. Please.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Hi – id just like to know how to send suggestions/feedback with the TRADES Department at DC ?
Thanks.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Collect Ostrander/Mandrake Spectre in trades already!
November 11th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
It’s pretty funny that Teen Titans is mentioned. Looks like Titans-based letter writing campaigns are pretty common. I’ve felt like writing one for a while, due to the halt on production of The Judas Contract dtv, but I refrained out of fear of disappointment or rejection.
Ah well, if it ever got made, I’d buy a 1000 copies if I could (which I doubt would ever really be likely but I can dream).
November 12th, 2008 at 2:21 am
I like how half these posts ignored Paul’s points.
November 12th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Mr. Levitz, can you tell me who the “right” people are to talk to about Manhunter? (Let’s pretend for a moment that its you
) I’ve supported the series, promoted it to fellow comic readers, and want to see it continue in one form or another. Marc’s characterization of Kate and her supporting cast are a bright spot in the DCU today. Marc has created a positive female character who isn’t overly sexualized. He portrays Todd and his partner as real people and not the “token gay couple” as might happen in another writer’s hands. I know Marc is ready and willing to continue the series. Please make it happen (again), or point me to the person who can! Failing that, please put Marc on a revamped Birds of Prey, or any other DCU title for that matter. I hope this post follows all ten of your tips 
Thanks very much.
November 12th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Thanks, Paul.
These tips will help in the Terrence Howard/War Machine fiasco.
November 12th, 2008 at 7:21 am
It’s really refreshing to hear you try to improve/clarify the channels of communication between fans and decision makers.
I’m gutted to be losing Manhunter again, but it’s not like it hasn’t been given a chance.
My suggestion/main desire is this: give the people who run the trades dept. for Vertigo control of the main DCU trade dept..
Vertigo trades are always prompt, cleverly priced and regularly scheduled. I would be putting it extremely mildly to say that the same is not true of the DCU books. Keep the Hardcovers for the classic stuff, or bigger collections. I would spend my money on well produced, reasonably priced trades of series like Green Lantern & Flash if I had any confidence in them coming out with any regularity.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:24 am
ejulp Says:
November 12th, 2008 at 2:21 am
I like how half these posts ignored Paul’s points.
____________________________________________________________
Ha! I saw the same thing! Imo – Shawn’s response above ignored #10, 8, 7, 5, 4, and 1.
Anyway – thanks for the pointers Mr. L.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:50 am
So, Paul… what do we do then? “you should do this, you should not do this, nor this, nor this and please, don do this either”? in other words, it would be easier to fly by my own than get you, not just read my letter, but to take it seriusly either?
We get it, you people make comics, you control everything, and if we don’t like your comics, the answer is “stop reading them”, comeon man, that’s just not fair at all, we spend our money, we spend our time, we love this comic books, we just want them to be what they used to be ten years ago, enjoyable, smart and on schedul.
Right now i read less than the half DC comics i was used to before “Infinit Crisis”, not just because the hitories but for the delay in the books… I’m sorry, but that’s it, we are like beast, not very polite people, cause you don’t listen to us, but the money, as everybody else.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:00 am
I want Ronnie Raymond back…if I can’t get that can I get a Showcase Presents with the 70′s series, those Flash back-ups, and the initia Fury Of Firestorm issues in them (maybe even the JLA issues he was featured in???), I miss the guy!
Biff, who also thinks with BOP ending and Manhunter ending that Marc A would be perfect on a new series combining the best of both series!
November 12th, 2008 at 9:09 am
I remember as an intern working at Marvel in the early-mid 90′s, fan letters/suggestions were treated with a great deal of respect, as was fan outrage. The reason? A lot of the folks that MAKE the books have the same frustrations and criticisms.
I remember having to get on the phone, as an INTERN, mind you, and take established writers and artisits to task for late work.
Never forget, comics are made by people – human, real live boys and girls, susceptible to the ups and downs of life as we all are. The difference is that they produce work – real work…art, in a true sense of the word – on a monthly schedule for a very demanding crowd. I hate delays as much as anybody, but I think we need to increase our compassion just a little bit for those that labor under the deadline.
This is sound advice for the next generation of fans, and for those of us long timers who may have forgotten that you catch more flies with spell-checked honey than with vinegar.
Oh, and I think Paul needs to be back on the book, too.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:21 am
view from the other side.
I love Batman R.I.P. and Grant Morrison, please keep him on the book.
I like having Barry back, and his kissing Iris made me cheer.
Robinson’s Superman is fine by me.
I also like Judd Winick, sorry to see him leave Green Arrow/Black Canary.
I think Dan needs a bit of time off. But fired? no, not yet.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Isn’t “listening to your money” and “listening to you” somewhat synonymous?
November 12th, 2008 at 10:23 am
so, i was thinking about the column overnight and what bothers me about it. it seems not only a bit self serving (paul is the recipient of these types of letters so naturally he knows what he doesn’t want to receive), but also wrong in a way. what i mean is, i don’t think paul would condone or recommend sending literally tons of peanuts to protest a cancellation of a tv show, and it doesn’t really follow any of the top ten tips (and probably violates a few), but it worked to bring jericho back for another season.
now i have a few tips for you: be proactive. don’t wait for fans to communicate with you directly, that’s almost always going to be the last resort (for fans). their first impulse will be postings at message boards. i know if my products were constantly being discussed, i’d want to follow the discussion. someone in authority should be monitoring fan message boards (heck, start with your own dc boards) to get the pulse. here’s something you’d find right away: fans hate the delays, but they hate the noncommunication worse. come out and say, “we’re sorry, we’ll try harder, this is what happened, here’s what we’re going to do make it up to you. (i know that i wouldn’t be quite as upset about batman 681 being delayed, if you all would have said, here’s a sneak peek at 5 pages from it, back on it’s original ship date. a preview on the mon. before it’s released doesn’t cut it).
November 12th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I was going to say that I’d love to see a few of the letters that impelled him to write this column.
But looking above, I think I just did.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:34 am
This editorial sounds so bitter. Seriously, why don’t you focus your energy on getting that GREEN LANTERN movie right and improving the comics and perhaps you won’t get most of those emails in the first place.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:42 am
That was a nice blog, very encouraging to those of us who have ever written a fan letter. Notice he did mention the online petition – it always makes me cringe when people ask me to sign an online petition to support some fan related cause, because you know they’re a monumental waste of time.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Err, sorry that was supposed to be “did not mention”
November 12th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Message boards? You want companies to follow message boards? Sorry to sound all Jim Mora on you, but wha…?!
November 12th, 2008 at 10:51 am
“Never forget, comics are made by people – human, real live boys and girls, susceptible to the ups and downs of life as we all are. The difference is that they produce work – real work…art, in a true sense of the word – on a monthly schedule for a very demanding crowd. I hate delays as much as anybody, but I think we need to increase our compassion just a little bit for those that labor under the deadline.”
If the creator isn’t commonly known as being late, yeah, people are more than willing to cut them some slack. But it’s the same people over and over again who are making books late, so I don’t have compassion for them anymore. In fact, that’s what really makes people angry, seeing certain creators late time and time again with no repercussions.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Honestly, I’ve seen the letters page in my favorite books disappear, and the tone on message boards too negative for my taste. Too many of my favorite books cancelled, too. Not sure if my voice is being heard the way it used to be. My campaign has changed from letter-writing to voting. I vote with my wallet. Right now, Green Lantern is getting my vote. So is Trinity; but, that’s the last weekly I’m voting for. I’m undecided on The Brave and the Bold. The economy is tight, so every vote counts as far as I’m concerned…
November 12th, 2008 at 11:10 am
with no repercussions.
———-
How do we know this? How do we know the creator doesn’t lose salary or whatever?
Most of us like to talk like we know what’s going down behind the scenes when, in reality, we don’t.
Stupid reality…always messings things up…
November 12th, 2008 at 11:13 am
@ jim: yes, i expect him/them (comic companies) to at the very least follow their own message boards. just as i would hope paul is reading these comments. if i made widgets and there were widget fansites out there discussing my widgets i would want to know what they’re saying. i don’t think it’s so crazy an idea. and i’m not saying they have to or should read every post on every site, but i think it’s very easy to take the pulse, especially of your own site’s boards. i don’t think an hour or two a week is asking too much and it would also be sufficient.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:40 am
DC Comics -
I am {concerned respondant}, and Paul Levitz should be put back on Legion of Super-Heroes with George Pérez as artist. You are a bunch of jerks for not having them do this already. The current run on Legion sucks a lot for menny reasuns. My advise must be followed. Marvel Comics is shitty and I only will read DC now but I will go back to Marvel if this is not dun. Or else.
- Concerned Respondant
cc: Richard D. Parsons, Herbert M. Allison, Jr., James L. Barksdale, Jeffrey L. Bewkes, Stephen F. Bollenbach, Frank J. Caufield, Robert C. Clark, Mathias Döpfner, Jessica P. Einhorn, Deborah C. Wright, Mark Reuben, Michael A. Miles, Kenneth J. Novack, Dan Didio, Mike Carlin, Bob Wayne, Bob Schreck, Geoff Johns, Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Levitz, Jim Shooter, Joe Quesada, Marv Wolfman, Gerry Conway, Axel Alonso, Stuart Moore, Len Wein, Alan Moore, Steve Saffel.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
or just post yo issues in the comments section of the powers that be blog…
November 12th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
“I was going to say that I’d love to see a few of the letters that impelled him to write this column.
But looking above, I think I just did.”
…And looking right below at the troll that followed, you got yet another example.
…Still the general consensus appears that Paul needs to go back to writing the Legion. One book a month, Paul. Considering how DC has let the Legion be abused for so many years, you *OWE* it to the fans to bring the team back to its glory.
November 12th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Instead of Levitz, bring Shooter back on LEGION, that’d be more exciting. Shooter can write and his stories are exciting, not snoozy and bogus.
November 12th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I smell bs.
I just don’t believe any amount of letter writing saved or extended any title in recent history; I would attribute it to being an EIC’s pet project.
November 12th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Guys, all the negative comments don’t help anything. DC is trying to find it’s way back to what once made it great. Do I like the Silver Age returning? No, but this is what the writers and artists who are doing the books like. And that is why they are writing stories they like. I know a large number of Post Crisis DC fans are leaving in droves. But DC right now is trying to find a shared vision that encompasses all of their Silver Age love. The only thing we can do is stop buying the books and wait and see if DC decides to try a different direction to follow. Marvel is offering plenty of opportunity to cater reading habits and so is many of Indie publishers. If you haven’t read any independent books. I think you should try some out and you just might find some hidden gems.
-Mick
November 12th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I’m happy Paul gave props to the TEEN TITANS GO! fans. I saw some of their letters (and Paul’s responses) that were posted online, and he’s spot on about their being passionate and creative. The best kind of fanmail, I would think.
@ eaglesfillthesky: Jericho was the exception, not the rule.
http://heywriterboy.blogspot.com/2007/07/emily-posts-guide-to-save-our-show.html
November 12th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
To be fair, another thing that brought Jericho back were the protests outside of CBS HQ in LA and NYC, where the execs saw that they were finally getting the demographic that they wanted…ie, not the 60+ Diagnosis Murder crowd. Even though I couldn’t make it to those protests, my family and I sent our fair share of peanuts.
November 12th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Paul Levitz and George Perez for “Legion of Superheroes”. Yay!!!!!!! Dream ticket! And please don’t bring back Supergirl. That absolutely killed it for me. What the %&*! was Mark Waid thinking?
And one more request. “V for Vendetta” reprinted in a special black & white edition, the way it was meant to be read. The original UK version in black & white was stark and stunning. Color has diminished the story quality and atmosphere IMO.
November 12th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I was going to make a joke about being civil. Something like “What? Polite and coherent letters get more notice from DC than incoherent rants of a crazy fanboy? Don’t tell the anyone on the ‘rama message boards!”
But obviously that would be lost on a great many people judging from the responses I just read. That’s whay I don’t really bother with message boards any more. I’d rather spend my time reading fun comics than rude, insulting comments.
Also I write short letters to DC and I feel that a great many things I have commented on have happend. I’m quite happy with DC.
November 12th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Dear All of DC,
You should get Morrison and Johns to write all of your comics. And only put GOOD artists on them because if you don’t you’ll be stupid idiots. I hate all the other books without Morrison and Johns because they’re boring and no one likes them. And please don’t put any gay black women in the comics to push your stupid liberal agenda.
Signed,
Your biggest ex-fan
—————————-
Awesome, I managed to break every rule except for 6.
But to all the people that says he only posted this for his own benefit, how do you think you’d respond at your job if you continually got messages from your customers saying “You suck, do better!” Heck, I only work at a pizza place and even there any and all rude comments are completely ignored.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:04 am
if i was in business (and i am) and got a lot of negative comments (which i don’t), i would hope that i would look in the mirror rather than lash out at those commenting and trying to tell them why they’re wrong. but to quote dennis miller, that’s just me, i could be wrong.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:05 am
trying to tell them why they’re wrong and how to complain better, i should have said.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Fireplug, are you behind the times or what? Shooter IS on Legion…at least for the next few issues. Has been for nearly a year.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:33 am
and will be off it when they restart it after they cancel it at issue 50, because, you know, you can’t have too many issue #1s.
November 13th, 2008 at 3:48 am
Paul,
Your list wouldn’t be needed if the company you work for didn’t make short-term decisions. Problem is DC has far too many monthly comics, Does the company truly believe that all their customers buy every single monthly book DC puts out? Of course not, so you gotta realize some books are going to be more popular than others. TEEN TITANS had been rebooted several times over the years, yet Warner Bros went ahead and created a Teen Titans cartoon. Sure it was popular for awhile, and that helped create TEEN TITAN GO! series.
It was no surprise to me the comic was canceled, because with or without the show it had a history of being a struggling title.
You want to receive less letter campaigns, try cultivating a book’s stability before Warner Bros greenlight’s a cartoon. Secondly get rid of all the duplicates. TITANS comics is nothing like the TEEN TITANS GO! or the cartoon. Which alienates potential readers. Slim down the BATMAN and SUPERMAN titles so that there’s only one series for a new reader to jump into after having seen a Superman cartoon, Smallville or even the Superman movie.
It only makes common sense that when I see NARUTO cartoon, I’ll find the comics. Not a dozen variations that have nothing to do the cartoon.
Streamline the books so that when Warner Bros does decide to greenlight a show or film, it will have an actual trickle-down effect.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:24 am
As someone who has recently had a letter-writing campaign (for Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century(unsuccessful)), I’m glad to see that for the most part I followed Levitz’s advice. Definitely something to keep in mind for the next time I ask DC for anything.
November 13th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
So I went to dccomics.com to try to find the right contact to send my letter to, but I’m having trouble discerning whom that should be. I want to request a TPB collecting the Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 5. I noticed there was a thread for the same thing, so I’m not the only one who wants it. Paul, who would I direct my request to?
Cheers,
B
November 13th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Brian, see the list I cc’d in my letter above. That should work.
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