What does :01 mean?

Is it first? Or second?

First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh.

Pressing the reset button. A clean slate. A fresh start.

Everything begins with the First Second. . . .

FOR THE SCIENCE MINDED:

the first second

Imagine shrinking a proton down to a billionth of it's normal size... Now pack into that tiny, tiny space about an ounce of matter. Bang. You are ready to start a universe.

And so from nothing, our universe begins.

In a single blinding pulse, a moment of glory much too swift and expansive for any form of words, the singularity assumes heavenly dimensions, space beyond conception. In the first lively second (a second that many cosmologists will devote careers to shaving into ever-finer wafers) is produced gravity and the other forces that govern physics...

A fraction of a moment after the dawn of creation, the universe underwent a sudden dramatic expansion. It inflated— in effect ran away with itself, doubling in size every 10(-34) seconds. The whole episode may have lasted no more than 10 (-30) seconds— that's one million million million million millionths of a second— but it changed the universe from something you could hold in your hand to something at least 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times bigger. Inflation theory explains the ripples and eddies that make our universe possible. Without it, there would be no clumps of matter and thus no stars, just drifting gas and everlasting darkness.

— From Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything

Where is :01?

The offices are in New York City, in the Flatiron Building where Fifth Avenue crosses Broadway, at 23rd Street. To be precise. But really, :01 comes to you from all over the world, since its creators are scattered all around America, all over Europe, Asia and Africa. So far, no one is making graphic novels for us in Antarctica, although we haven't checked the submissions pile today.

Who's behind all this?

An army of talent: creators, editors, designers, and editorial staff. 

For more on the story behind :01, check out our blog Doodles and Dailies. Or take a look at this strip, which provides a 100% completely accurate picture of our office life. 

When do the books come out?

In Spring and Fall of each year.  And you may start seeing some books in the winter!  It's an exciting new thing for us!

How do I submit a project?

At this time, First Second is no longer accepting unsolicited submissions. Please check back for future updates.  Want more information about how our submissions process works?  Check out our blog here and here.    

What kind of projects are you looking for?

:01 will consider original graphic novel projects in almost any genre, for any age. Fiction of all kinds, and non-fiction from visual essays to journalism and memoirs. Although not all our titles may be suitable to young readers, :01 does not publish pornography or books with gratuitous violence. We're interested in authors with a unique and sincere voice. The books we love best leave us in a generative place.

Where can I get the books?

At your favorite bookstore, comics store, library, online, or by breaking into our Virginia warehouse and stealing some.