You Can Do a Graphic Novel: Comic Books, Webcomics, and Strips by Barbara Slate shows you how to create visual stories, from a single panel to a graphic novel—presented in the form of a graphic novel.

A 40-year veteran in the field, Barbara Slate guides readers through the same process she learned in her early days working for Marvel and DC Comics—a process she has simplified for the classes she teaches.Learn how to create memorable characters, compelling plots, subplots, and engaging dialog. She shows the secrets to laying out eye-popping pages, and breaking into the business. Learn to trust your creative process—in whatever you do.

Barbara says, “Even if you think you can’t draw, you can learn how to find your own style.” Her method is informed by more than a decade teaching in libraries, schools, art centers and universities. Barbara revised, enlarged, and expanded on the content of her 2010 paperback, You Can Do a Graphic Novel, with the knowledge she has gained in eight years using it in classes and workshops.

Her new approach is based on creating a six-page story. She says, “If you can do a six-pager, you can do a graphic novel.” This new edition includes a series of “Prose from the Pros,” with advice from twenty professionals in comics, strips, webcomics, and graphic novels. A new chapter has tips on overcoming the psychological Saboteurs that prevent you from finishing your book, and the book includes examples of work by students from 8 years old to 65.

Barbara also gives many practical tips to advance the creative process, get useful feedback and deal with the "creative block."  This guide is useful at every stage, from the novice beginning their first foray into storytelling to advanced professionals with books in progress. It can be used to create works of every genre—fiction, autobiography, history, genealogy and more!

And there's advice from 20 Pros in the field!

Barbara Slate created Ms. Liz in 1976, a cartoon character representing the liberated woman who speaks her mind. Ms. Liz comic strip ran in Cosmopolitan and was an animated segment on NBC’s TODAY show for two seasons. She has written hundreds of comic books and graphic novels for DC, Marvel, Archie, Disney: Barbie, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Betty and Veronica and created Angel Love, Yuppies from Hell, Sweet XVI, Getting Married and other Mistakes. She is profiled in A Century of Women Cartoonists. A resident of Stockport, NY, she travels extensively nationwide as a keynote speaker, teacher, and moderator. http://barbaraslate.com