How to Sell a Cartoon Series: Write a Series "Bible"

An animated series "bible" is a marketing tool aimed at a cartoon studio or television production company. Creating a bible may be necessary if you have a great show idea, but don't have a track record as an animation producer. Consider a bible as an encyclopedia of characters, places, events, mechanisms, and themes related to your series.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Paper
• Pen
• Computer
• Word Processing Software

1. Write your cartoon series' main story premise. For example: "A millionaire playboy by day becomes a masked avenger against crime at night." It's this strong premise that has driven Batman' s sixty-year existence. Your premise should be no longer than one or two sentences. It will act as your bible's introduction.
2. Write about your cartoon series' "universe". Your description of this fictional alternative world, such as "The Simpsons'" Springfield or "Futurama's" New York City in the 31st century, can be as long as twenty or thirty pages.
3. Write biographies for your main characters, including origins if a character has special powers or unique personality traits. If there are many minor characters who will frequently interact with your main characters, create their profiles as well. Bios should be no longer than two pages. Include drawings of characters.
4. Write descriptions of special vehicles, contraptions, and weapons unique to the series' fictional world. Each description should be no longer than two paragraphs.
5. Write at least a dozen series story premises, or "springboards" as they're known in the animation biz. Each of these may be two paragraphs long at most.

Tips & Warnings

• A bible may also be necessary for veteran producers if the series portrays a large fantasy universe populated with many diverse characters, Matt Groening's "Futurama" for example.
• Keep your "springboard" story simple with a beginning, middle, and end.
• The more characters that inhabit your world the more springboards you'll need.
• Be sure that series bibles are acceptable marketing tools for the particular animation company that you'll be pitching to. If not, the sheer size of a typical bible could negatively affect the sale of your series.