Waiting for a response from the Beano

[Jonny Whizz]

I sent off some of my artwork to the Beano offices about four months ago. I sent it via special delivery and confirmation of arrival came the next working day, but since then I haven't received anything. I'm surprised that I haven't heard anything yet and I'm a bit concerned by that. Does anyone know what I should do now?

I would be grateful for any help on this issue.

[NP]

Did you enclose an SAE, return address or telephone number? Did you specifically ask for a reply? Are you looking for work or advice or what?

[Raven]

Presuming you're after a commission, have you not thought to make a polite follow up phone call enquiry? Four months is enough time since sending to check it's gone to the right person and not gone missing, and it's not like you'd be hassling anyone within days of sending. (You perhaps should have rung three or four weeks after sending.)

[Jonny Whizz]

I definitely didn't include my phone number or an SAE, I think I included my address but I can't be sure. I don't think I specifically stated that I wanted them returned to me, but I did say that I would like to receive some feedback. I was looking for advice, so if they've had people applying for work then understandably my stuff is not as important as theirs.

I haven't thought about a phone enquiry, but I agree that this option would definitely be worth considering.

One final important piece of information was that I addressed the letter to Alan Digby, who has just announced his retirement. Will this have had any bearing on why I've been waiting for so long?

[Raven]

I definitely didn't include my phone number or an SAE, I think I included my address but I can't be sure. I don't think I specifically stated that I wanted them returned to me, but I did say that I would like to receive some feedback. I was looking for advice, so if they've had people applying for work then understandably my stuff is not as important as theirs.

I haven't thought about a phone enquiry, but I agree that this option would definitely be worth considering.

One final important piece of information was that I addressed the letter to Alan Digby, who has just announced his retirement. Will this have had any bearing on why I've been waiting for so long?

Did you include an email address? If you didn't include a phone number, SAE and possibly not your address how did you expect them to get back in touch?

But you're not looking for work? Of course, they're not there as a feedback service, so I'm not sure whether you might expect a response to that.

[NP]

Alan Digby has been there until the day before yesterday so that isn't the reason. If you didn't include an address or phone number, you wouldn't have recieved a reply because they wouldn't be able to contact you. Better ring them and see if anyone remembers the package. From experience, if they don't get back to you within a week, they're not interested but if you ring them they will give advice, if they have time. It's always extremely busy in the Beano office.

[Digifiend]

Which is to be expected, since they're producing five or six comics a month (one issue of Max plus four or five of Beano weekly)!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Jonny: all I can say is that I sent stuff into D C Thomson in Autumn 1983. I got a reply within 3 weeks from the DANDY Editor [no offer of a job, but encouragement to try out a montage of characters from the comic [they even sent me a free ADVANCE Dandy issue]

About a fortnight later, I sent more stuff in. This time there was no reply, -----though another editor saw my stuff and contacted me around 5 months or so later. However, I had moved address by that time: nevertheless, I had meantime been putting together 'new, improved' artwork and as I lived only 60 miles away from Dundee I simply got the el-cheapo bus and took in my new stuff I had in a rolled-up tube.

In Dundee I stopped for something to eat, then asked a friendly cop where D C Thomson was: he asked me what time my appointment was, I replied I didn't have one. I then phoned DC Thomson up from a payphone just around the corner from their headquarters and asked to speak to the DANDY editor. He couldn't be located, but another Editor who seemed to think I had potential and recognized my name came on the 'phone ----he had an extremely broad Dundonian accent-------and I was delighted to be invited up to meet them.



There I discovered about the missing returned artwork, etc.


Every case is different though, Jonny. Why not send them an e-mail or letter detailing your plight? Putting an address on your artwork definately helps two-way communication!.

[Classic Comics]

Jonny, I work on the Beano. Please PM me some details of your name, when you sent your work, what you sent and so on, and I'll see what I can find out.