Um... Comics anyone? Self publishing? Anyone had success using Indy planet? Anyone prepping digital comics?
I bought somebody's books off of Indy Planet. Something about two crooks who off a superhero or something like that and there's this Wonder Woman wannabe in it...
Um... Comics anyone? Self publishing? Anyone had success using Indy planet? Anyone prepping digital comics?
I bought somebody's books off of Indy Planet. Something about two crooks who off a superhero or something like that and there's this Wonder Woman wannabe in it...
That sounds horrible! What hack wrote that piece of tripe? :)
To answer the question - Indyplanet is great to use and help with distribution as well. Much easier to direct someone to Indyplanet to order your book if you're "Not Quite Ready for Diamond".
That said, we have a local printer here in Arizona I plan to use for reprints and future work on my own book - Travis the Undying. Thugs and Dedlock will likely remain with KaBlam.
Self-publishing is easy. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can do it. Self-promoting is the key. You have to get in good with local stores that will let you show up for in-store signings. You need to go to any convention you can afford to go to. You need to prepare yourself to sit at your booth and feel like you're doing something wrong while crowds gather at the two booths on either side of you. You need to value and appreciate those people who DO come to your table, even if they don't buy anything.
Digital comics are a mixed bag. I'm making up my mind whether or not take take all my books digital or not and put them up for free on the website. Anyone can make a .pdf of their work, so there's that route to take as well. I know the guys who do Rainbow in the Dark go that route and sell it for a buck a download.
I didn't know that you draw, Mike. Do you have any links to your work?
I tend to find work via referrals from friends (other working professionals) and submitting new work to publishers. Sometimes the referrals yield work, like adapting a screenplay into comics form (it pays well but goes unseen by the viewing public). But really, how much exposure does the average print-on-demand comic generate?
And I pitch my own stuff, too.
I also network the hell out of everyone I know in the industry. I am polite. I give them time as they are busy and owe me nothing. Some folks are very helpful, some are casual, some don't answer back.
Following are some philosophies that I've developed over the years (This is me wearing my artist hat. I can do one for writers, too, if anyone's interested): -------------------
1) Paying work is good, but many gigs pay less than you think your time is worth. We all want to be compensated for our time, but the reality is that, unless you're working for the Big 2, you're probably going to make more money in your day job than you will in comics. I've done plenty of comics work that averages out to making between $5 and $8/an hour (and these are companies in Previews, sometimes with big-name writers attached). If you can't deal with that, quit now.
I view it as a bigger picture—running a marathon, versus running a sprint. The low-paying gigs are in investment in me. I believe in myself, so the work is worth my time, as I am (hopefully) building something larger.
2) "Exposure" can be valuable if the person offering to provide it is further along the path than you are. Plenty of writers offer no pay, but "exposure." Proceed with caution.
Sorry, writers, but the reality is that drawing a comic is more time-consuming than writing it is. Artists can afford to be picky in selecting collaborators, especially when no money is involved.
The internet can provide you the means of investigating potential collaborators: Has he/she been published? By whom? Many books or just once? Does the writer have a blog? Does it detail convention appearances (and how often they set up to SELL books)? Is he/she active with social media? Does he/she interact with other creators frequently? Do "name" creators follow him/her back?
Other considerations: What percentage is the writer offering? You're doing the heavy lifting, it's okay for you to make more on the print books than the writer is. (Don't worry, writers, if you created this concept and fear that the artist will take too big a slice of the Big Hollywood Bucks™, you can always specify that the artist gets 75% of the print revenue and specify a different percentage for ancillary rights). Is the writer taking care of the lettering, pre-press, web hosting, publisher negotiations, etc? If so, this could bring it closer to a 50/50 split.
3) Learn what original art is supposed to look like. If you can't afford originals by artists you like, consider buying an Artist Edition or two. If none of the Artist Editions reflect your tastes, scour the web for large scans of the work of artists you admire. Failing that, photocopy comics you like onto 11x17 paper at approximately 150% (I have TONS of photocopies laying around of Mark Schultz, Al Williamson, Art Adams, Mike Mignola, Steve Rude, etc). What if the artist didn't do any black-and-white books? Check out "Art of" books, convention sketchbooks, and, of course, the excellent Modern Masters series for some great b/w examples of your favorite artists.
Looking at the artwork closer to the size it was produced provides you with a road map of line weights and rendering techniques not readily apparent in the smaller, printed work. For instance, I've seen plenty of hopefuls scribble as some sort of bizarre substitution for actual rendering. I can only assume that they're indecisive or don't understand what the artist is doing on the actual piece. Looking at the enlarged work clarifies things: what looks like scribbles in Kevin Nowlan or Art Adams' work is actually a tapestry decisive lines that create mass, depth, or texture.
Studying photocopies of Al Williamson's Secret Agent Corrigan, and Mark Schultz's Xenozoic Tales, along with the Dave Stevens Artist Edition was an experience comparable to discovering the Rosetta Stone for me.
4) Respect those who have come before you. Back when I was a kid, I hated guys like Don Heck and George Tuska, and found the journeymen artists, like Jim Money, Irv Novack, Sal Buscema, etc, to be boring. When I started working as an art director in RPG publishing 23 years ago, I experienced the slam of deadlines first hand. Sometimes circumstances dictate that work must be churned out as quickly as possible. Some of my favorite artists became the guys who I could call on a Friday afternoon and get me artwork via FedEx the following Tuesday.
From that point on, I never complained about the journeymen again.
This thinking extends beyond the workhorses, though. Amateurs (and some professionals) frequently make the mistake of taking a popular whipping boy and using the internet to direct a bunch of misplaced anger and envy at him. The most famous, of course, is Rob Liefeld, of course, but there are plenty of shots taken at Greg Land, Chaep Yap, etc.
The fact of the matter is that these guys are better than you are. Liefeld, for instance, has carved out a 20+ year career—in spite of shortcomings, haters, and internet memes.
It's hard to draw a single page of panel-to-panel continuity. And it's hard to draw another one. And another, and another, and another, until you've completed a 22-page comic. Congratulations, you're a percentage of the way through an arc. Start again.
Do this every day until you've completed 100 pages. Then 500. Then 1,000. After a while, you'll care more about making your own art than you do about pissing all over a working professional. ----------------------
Sorry to ramble and to have gone off topic with my own advice to others, rather than providing solid leads to work.
Other considerations: What percentage is the writer offering? You're doing the heavy lifting, it's okay for you to make more on the print books than the writer is. (Don't worry, writers, if you created this concept and fear that the artist will take too big a slice of the Big Hollywood Bucks™, you can always specify that the artist gets 75% of the print revenue and specify a different percentage for ancillary rights). Is the writer taking care of the lettering, pre-press, web hosting, publisher negotiations, etc? If so, this could bring it closer to a 50/50 split.
This is essentially how Steve (Flintlockjaw) and I treat Thugs!. I'm a writer, he's an artist, but our work on the final product usually evens out to an even split on things (I do the book hawking, letter the book (he did the upcoming issue#5 so I'd stop putting my word balloons over his purty pictures! :) ), put the pages on the website, etc.). If you're a writer and you can't afford to pay your artist, and you're not known enough to offer them "exposure", you might have to be prepared to give up total ownership of your "baby"*, and part of that involves finding an artist willing to take you up on that.
* In the case of Thugs!, it wasn't me giving up anything, I should note. Steve came to me and said "Let's make a book" and the rest is comic book legend... :) Ours is a really rare case, though. Writers generally need artists more than the reverse - where comics are concerned.
For writers, some thoughts on structuring a relationship with a collaborator, if you are unable to pay a page rate:
1) Your dream project isn't necessarily the dream project of your collaborator. In other words, don't be afraid to change the plan if things aren't working. For instance, say you find an amazing artist on the strength of a western pitch, but you both realize that he's not feeling a western (or that he can't draw horses or whatever)...while you have him, hook him with something that you know he can hit out of the park. Keep the western (or other future projects, if that happens with them) in your pocket. It's better to have a good fit than it is to do the book RIGHT NOW. 2) Forget about a 50/50 split with the artist. Don't be afraid to get creative with your contract. I've seen many ads on comics forums where writers say "When we find a publisher, we'll split the profits 50/50." As someone that's written and drawn for myself, written for others and worked from scripts from other writers, I can say that the division of labor isn't 50/50. No matter how much time you put into research and writing various drafts of a script, it won't equal the time it takes for the artist to research and draw the book. It takes me, on average 12-20 hours to pencil and ink a page. That's about 2 months full-time work to draw a single issue.
There are a couple of options for handling this. (a) Give the artist a bigger percentage of the print revenue than you, capping at a good page rate, after which it reverts to a 50/50 split. Let's face it, there's not much money in independent comics. The real money is in the ancillary revenue streams ( movies, video games, etc) and that could be a 50/50 split (or 60/40, since it's your baby, or whatever).
It's important to note the "capping at a good page rate" part of this. This way, if you happen to create the next Walking Dead, you both will share in the success.
(b) Do all of the non-writing/non-art work. Learn how to letter. Learn how to put together a pitch. Learn how to handle pre-press (preparing something for printing). Learn how to build a website. Learn how to write press releases. Pursue people who write features on comics news sites. Pursue reviewers.
(c) Both of the above.
* For the record, on a project I'm doing with an artist friend, I'm writing and he's drawing. The split is artist-50%, colorist-25% and me 25% (and I'm writing and doing all pre-press, promotion, etc work on the book). The colorist caps out if (IF) he reaches $100/page. At that point, the artist and I get to a 50/50 split. It's unlikely that we'll hit the point where the colorist caps out, though, because that would mean we made $8,800 profit on per issue (that also factors in if it's reprinted in a trade). However, the shelf life of a trade is a long time and you may find yourself repackaging it into an omnibus or something for a new publisher 10 years down the road. Plus, with new thoughts on monetizing digital work...well, you never know.
3) Page rates are best, but creative ownership can work, too. Inkers and colorists never get a piece of the pie. If you offer them a percentage of ownership, it can be added incentive to work with you on a back-end deal.
4) With all of these percentages, it's important to stipulate that the percentages kick in after the work is completed. If the artist leaves before the book is done, he gets nothing and his work on the book should not be published. And his percentage of the print sales applies to the work he draws. If he bails on the series after completing 1,2 or 3 books, the replacement artist should get all monies (on the replacement's issues) until the capping number is reached, after which the original artist/co-owner would get their cut.
5) Vesting is good. The artist's share of the ancillary rights can also be based on becoming vested in the project. That ways, if he completes a single series, perhaps he only owns 10% of the ancillaries, leaving you the freedom to compensate your replacement artist with a share of ownership. Look at Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley on Invincible, or Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard on the Walking Dead. In each instance, the original artists did a fraction of the overall work on the series.
Perhaps the artist is 10% vested upon completing his first OGN with you and an additional 10% upon completion of every OGN or series thereafter, capping at a 50/50 split.
There are many ways to go about fair (and creative) splits for collaborators on a budget.
I didn't know that you draw, Mike. Do you have any links to your work?
Sorry to ramble and to have gone off topic with my own advice to others, rather than providing solid leads to work.
Steve, this is exactly on topic and thanks for the insight. The purpose of this thread was to help educate people trying to get in as well as share anecdotes for those already in at whatever level.
You can view my stuff at lilmikeegee.deviantart.com
I went to art school. I was first published in my senior year in HS. I have work published by Young American comics, Alterna, PKD Media, and BullSpec magazine. I have been doing graphic design work since the 80s and comics on and off when I had the time.
I agree with your advice. Comics is selling yourself, the art is just part of it. And be prepared to hear criticism and grow from it. The best tool for getting better is to acknowledge your weaknesses and grow from them. There are people who will love everything you do and people who will hate everything you do. It's the ones that give thoughtful criticism that move you forward, be it positive or negative. No one is perfect. Everyone should always be trying to do better.
For writers, some thoughts on structuring a relationship with a collaborator, if you are unable to pay a page rate:
2) Forget about a 50/50 split with the artist. Don't be afraid to get creative with your contract. I've seen many ads on comics forums where writers say "When we find a publisher, we'll split the profits 50/50." As someone that's written and drawn for myself, written for others and worked from scripts from other writers, I can say that the division of labor isn't 50/50. No matter how much time you put into research and writing various drafts of a script, it won't equal the time it takes for the artist to research and draw the book. It takes me, on average 12-20 hours to pencil and ink a page. That's about 2 months full-time work to draw a single issue.
There are many ways to go about fair (and creative) splits for collaborators on a budget.
My two cents: As an artist, I would rather have $10-$20 a page than a split of the book. At the stage I'm at I'm looking more for being published than a big paycheck. If the writer has the book signed with a publisher then I will do it for free or a split or comps just to get published. Comps are a great tool for your future as you have something you can send to bigger publishers or sell at cons.
I am not an artist, but I think some conventions still have portfolio reviews don't they? i'm not sure if this is to help artists' improve their craft or scout out new talent. I thought Marvel stopped doing these several years ago, but has re-started up again.
This has turned into a great thread. :D I wrote a novel which I self published about 3 years ago. Through social media and word of mouth I managed to get to no.9 in the Amazon sci-fi/fantasy charts for a week, which at the time, was beyond awesome to me. This year my big project is to write and draw my own comic. I've done the story and now I'm slowly getting through the art. Once the issue is done, I'm going to hawk it around and see if anyone's interested. Otherwise I shall release it myself, and use it to try to get interest from other artists/writers to work with me to complete the story (which would be 4 issues). so far that's what's working for me, but I'll definately be asking for advice and ideas from forum conversations like this.
My two cents: As an artist, I would rather have $10-$20 a page than a split of the book. At the stage I'm at I'm looking more for being published than a big paycheck. If the writer has the book signed with a publisher then I will do it for free or a split or comps just to get published. Comps are a great tool for your future as you have something you can send to bigger publishers or sell at cons.
If you're serious about a $10 page rate, contact me. Let's talk about putting a book together. :)
This has turned into a great thread. :D I wrote a novel which I self published about 3 years ago. Through social media and word of mouth I managed to get to no.9 in the Amazon sci-fi/fantasy charts for a week, which at the time, was beyond awesome to me. This year my big project is to write and draw my own comic. I've done the story and now I'm slowly getting through the art. Once the issue is done, I'm going to hawk it around and see if anyone's interested. Otherwise I shall release it myself, and use it to try to get interest from other artists/writers to work with me to complete the story (which would be 4 issues). so far that's what's working for me, but I'll definately be asking for advice and ideas from forum conversations like this.
keep up the good work guys!
Are you going to do Kickstarter if you can't find a publisher? I have only backed a few things, but I'm guessing if you have the work done that it would be an easy sell. Plus if you get one famous creator to back it the general population seems more apt to back it.
Are you going to do Kickstarter if you can't find a publisher? I have only backed a few things, but I'm guessing if you have the work done that it would be an easy sell. Plus if you get one famous creator to back it the general population seems more apt to back it.
Hey Nick. It's definately a viable option. Something I will be weighing up over the next few months while I finish the comic off (it's all in my spare time and I'm doing EVERYTHING). Having a finished product will definately help. I think I might try to use kickstarter to get copies printed for cons etc at least. I definately need to investigate it more.
Check out the Anti-Con 2012 thread then, Mike. Al drew an awesome hotpants-costume Supergirl for me to make up for getting blanked on this past year's forum Secret Santa.
I am not an artist, but I think some conventions still have portfolio reviews don't they? i'm not sure if this is to help artists' improve their craft or scout out new talent. I thought Marvel stopped doing these several years ago, but has re-started up again.
Yes it is encouraged by most pros to go to a con and get reviewed. You can get pretty much anyone to do it but the editors are the ones you want to contact. They at gentle souls that will get you employed. It's best to give them something they can keep. Be professional, clean, attentive, and remember any advice they give you.
I don't know how it's done in the US - but over here in Europe most conventions have public contests for artists to participate. Many times the best entries win a publishing deal and get lots of promotion in all media.
Since they're mostly international I attempt to post them on this very forum.
This prize serves as an incentive for the sector and enables the festival to be promoted nationally and internationally in association with the Costa Brava brand.
The 5th Torroella de Montgrí Comic Festival took place on 21st June, organised by Torroella de Montgrí Town Council in association with Panini. A presentation of the newly created Costa Brava International Prize for Comics was made at the event. The Comic Festival was presented by Enric Vilert, President of the Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava Girona, Jordi Cordón, Mayor of Torroella de Montgrí, and Lluís Torrent, Managing Director of Panini. Furthermore, the novelist and scriptwriter Andreu Martín, recently awarded the Pepe Carvalho Prize for Crime Fiction, and the illustrator Alfons López, current holder of the Catalan National Prize for Comics, were special guests at the event.
The Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava Girona and Torroella Town Council have created the Costa Brava International Prize for Comics with the goal of promoting comics as a major art form and promoting the coming together of different cultures thanks to the international nature of comics, while at the same time raising the international profile of the Costa Brava. This initiative is included in programme 4 of the 2011-2015 Strategic Tourism Plan of the counties of Girona, concerned with boosting the international prestige of the destination. The first Prize, worth 20,000 euros, will be awarded in 2012.
The Costa Brava International Comic Award instituted by the Patronat de Turisme (Turism Council) and the City Council of Torroella de Montgrí is the biggest comic award of Spain. «Ocupante» by the scriptwriter Andreu Martín, the comic book artist Jorge Jacobo Navarro (pencil) and Carlos Ruano (colour) won among more than forty works arrived from France, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Holland, Argentina and Spain.
The winners got 20,000 Euros and a deal with PANINI SPAIN - the runner up 5,000 Euro
Websites in Spain are rather flawed. That's why gathering the infos can be a pain in the butt. But I'm sure if one contacts the folks at Panini, at Torroella de Montgrí Comic Festival or the Costa Brava Tourism Board, somebody will be able to read English ;)
So - who will be the winner of the 2nd Costa Brava International Prize for Comics ?
(in the next post : the entry thingy of 2011 - to get the idea)
These have been the terms of the first contest - might be different next time.
FIRST COSTA BRAVA INTERNATIONAL COMIC AWARD In its commitment to culture and art, and the promotion of the comic as an art form, the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board and the City of Torroella de Montgrí, have organised the first Costa Brava International Comic Award, which will be governed by the following terms:
AWARD PHILOSOPHY The First Costa Brava International Comic Award aims to promote the comic as a major art form and to bring together different cultures thanks to their international character, while internationally promoting the Costa Brava at the same time.
TERMS OF THE AWARD
THEMES 1.- Both theme and style are free choice.
ENTRIES 2.- Entries must be original and unpublished, i.e. not published in book or electronic form, or serialised in comic books whether they are in the comic or general genre. Entries submitted to other contests, whether for comics or not, will not be accepted either. 3.- Entries may be submitted in Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Italian or German. 4.- Entries must be in colour and be a minimum of 48 pages.
ENTRANTS 5.- Entry is open to people of any nationality over the age of 18. 6.- Entries can be made individually or in groups. In the latter case, the tasks carried out by each of the co-entrants will be specified. 7.- Award entrants and co-entrants promise to not submit their project to other competitions until they are aware they are no longer being considered for this award.
ENTRY AUTHORSHIP, ORIGINALITY AND MARKETING 8.- Participation in the competition assumes awareness and acceptance of these rules, as well as: • The participant's assurance of authorship and originality of the work submitted, and that it is not a copy or total or partial adaptation of anyone else's work. The award organisers are not liable for any claims. • The participant's assurance that the entry has not been published anywhere in the world and that the entrant has exclusive ownership of the entry, free of any charges or limitation in full rights of publication. The award organisers are not liable for any claims. • The entrant agrees to the reproduction, distribution and publication of the work submitted, should it receive an award.
FORMAT OF PRESENTATION AND DELIVERY 9.- Complete entries will be submitted. The labelling may be provisional. 10.- In no event should originals be submitted, only A4 copies, numbered, sorted, stapled and/or bound. 11.- The entrant or co-entrant's name should be included together with the entry, as well as all contact details (address, telephone and email). 12.- A photocopy of the entrant's or co-entrant's valid national identity document from their country of residence, or equivalent document, must be included. 13.- The entries, in the specified format and with the requested information and documents, shall be sent to the City's general registry in a sealed envelope, on which "First International Costa Brava Comic Award" is clearly indicated, to the following address: Ajuntament Torroella de Montgrí Plaça de la Vila, 1 17257 Torroella de Montgrí (Girona)
PRIZE 14.- The first prize is TWENTY THOUSAND EUROS (20,000 Euros). The entrants or co-entrants of the winning entry will sign a standard publication and representation contract for the sale of subsidiary rights and translations established by PANINI ESPAÑA. 15.- Although the total prize is an advance on royalties generated by the entry, so that the author or co-authors receive short-term higher remuneration, from the 8% of the royalties generated by the first copy sold the publisher (Panini) will assign 4% to cover the amount advanced by the organising bodies and the other 4% will be assigned to the entrant or co-entrant, even though it does not cover the total amount of the award. Once the prize's €20,000 is reached, the entrant or co-entrant will then receive 8% of the copies sold. 16.- The finalist's entry will be awarded with FIVE THOUSAND EUROS (5,000 €) in advance for author's rights and, as with the first prize, the entrant or co-entrant will receive an additional 4% while the other 4% will go to cover the guaranteed minimum from the first copy sold. The author or co-author of the finalist's submission will sign a standard publication and representation contract for the sale of subsidiary rights and translations established by PANINI ESPAÑA.
TRANSFER OF EXPLOITATION RIGHTS 17.- The granting of the award is on the condition that the entrant or co-entrants transfer all exploitation rights for the entry exclusively to PANINI, in all countries and languages, as well as transfer all publication rights across all platforms. The winning entrant or co-entrants are obliged to sign the contract or contracts for the exclusive publication and transfer of exploitation rights to the publisher of the winning entry within one month from being awarding the prize.
JURY 18.- The jury will consist of professionals from the comic sector, freely appointed by the organizing committee. Jury deliberations are secret and final.
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 19.- The organizing committee will consist of three persons appointed by the city of Torroella, the Costa Brava Girona Tourism and the company Panini España, S.A.
KEY DATES 20.- The period for submission of entries will begin on February 1, 2012 and end on April 30, 2012. 21.- The jury's decision will be announced on 11 May in Torroella de Montgrí. 22.- The prize may not remain unawarded. 23.- Copies of the entry, in digital format, must be delivered within 10 days from the announcement of the award. 24.- Copies of losing entries will not be returned and will be destroyed.
JURISDICTION 25.- For any questions arising from the interpretation of this document or any dispute arising thereof, parties will be subject to the jurisdiction of the Courts and Tribunals of Girona, expressly waiving any other jurisdiction that may be applicable. 26.- These conditions have been submitted to a notary of the Illustrious College of Catalonia.
As soon I come upon new European contests I will post them. It's not an easy way to get work in comics - but an alternative to make a name (and sometimes money too...)
Comments
Comics anyone?
Self publishing?
Anyone had success using Indy planet?
Anyone prepping digital comics?
To answer the question - Indyplanet is great to use and help with distribution as well. Much easier to direct someone to Indyplanet to order your book if you're "Not Quite Ready for Diamond".
That said, we have a local printer here in Arizona I plan to use for reprints and future work on my own book - Travis the Undying. Thugs and Dedlock will likely remain with KaBlam.
Self-publishing is easy. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can do it. Self-promoting is the key. You have to get in good with local stores that will let you show up for in-store signings. You need to go to any convention you can afford to go to. You need to prepare yourself to sit at your booth and feel like you're doing something wrong while crowds gather at the two booths on either side of you. You need to value and appreciate those people who DO come to your table, even if they don't buy anything.
Digital comics are a mixed bag. I'm making up my mind whether or not take take all my books digital or not and put them up for free on the website. Anyone can make a .pdf of their work, so there's that route to take as well. I know the guys who do Rainbow in the Dark go that route and sell it for a buck a download.
I tend to find work via referrals from friends (other working professionals) and submitting new work to publishers. Sometimes the referrals yield work, like adapting a screenplay into comics form (it pays well but goes unseen by the viewing public). But really, how much exposure does the average print-on-demand comic generate?
And I pitch my own stuff, too. Following are some philosophies that I've developed over the years (This is me wearing my artist hat. I can do one for writers, too, if anyone's interested):
-------------------
1) Paying work is good, but many gigs pay less than you think your time is worth. We all want to be compensated for our time, but the reality is that, unless you're working for the Big 2, you're probably going to make more money in your day job than you will in comics. I've done plenty of comics work that averages out to making between $5 and $8/an hour (and these are companies in Previews, sometimes with big-name writers attached). If you can't deal with that, quit now.
I view it as a bigger picture—running a marathon, versus running a sprint. The low-paying gigs are in investment in me. I believe in myself, so the work is worth my time, as I am (hopefully) building something larger.
2) "Exposure" can be valuable if the person offering to provide it is further along the path than you are. Plenty of writers offer no pay, but "exposure." Proceed with caution.
Sorry, writers, but the reality is that drawing a comic is more time-consuming than writing it is. Artists can afford to be picky in selecting collaborators, especially when no money is involved.
The internet can provide you the means of investigating potential collaborators: Has he/she been published? By whom? Many books or just once? Does the writer have a blog? Does it detail convention appearances (and how often they set up to SELL books)? Is he/she active with social media? Does he/she interact with other creators frequently? Do "name" creators follow him/her back?
Other considerations: What percentage is the writer offering? You're doing the heavy lifting, it's okay for you to make more on the print books than the writer is. (Don't worry, writers, if you created this concept and fear that the artist will take too big a slice of the Big Hollywood Bucks™, you can always specify that the artist gets 75% of the print revenue and specify a different percentage for ancillary rights). Is the writer taking care of the lettering, pre-press, web hosting, publisher negotiations, etc? If so, this could bring it closer to a 50/50 split.
3) Learn what original art is supposed to look like. If you can't afford originals by artists you like, consider buying an Artist Edition or two. If none of the Artist Editions reflect your tastes, scour the web for large scans of the work of artists you admire. Failing that, photocopy comics you like onto 11x17 paper at approximately 150% (I have TONS of photocopies laying around of Mark Schultz, Al Williamson, Art Adams, Mike Mignola, Steve Rude, etc). What if the artist didn't do any black-and-white books? Check out "Art of" books, convention sketchbooks, and, of course, the excellent Modern Masters series for some great b/w examples of your favorite artists.
Looking at the artwork closer to the size it was produced provides you with a road map of line weights and rendering techniques not readily apparent in the smaller, printed work. For instance, I've seen plenty of hopefuls scribble as some sort of bizarre substitution for actual rendering. I can only assume that they're indecisive or don't understand what the artist is doing on the actual piece. Looking at the enlarged work clarifies things: what looks like scribbles in Kevin Nowlan or Art Adams' work is actually a tapestry decisive lines that create mass, depth, or texture.
Studying photocopies of Al Williamson's Secret Agent Corrigan, and Mark Schultz's Xenozoic Tales, along with the Dave Stevens Artist Edition was an experience comparable to discovering the Rosetta Stone for me.
4) Respect those who have come before you. Back when I was a kid, I hated guys like Don Heck and George Tuska, and found the journeymen artists, like Jim Money, Irv Novack, Sal Buscema, etc, to be boring. When I started working as an art director in RPG publishing 23 years ago, I experienced the slam of deadlines first hand. Sometimes circumstances dictate that work must be churned out as quickly as possible. Some of my favorite artists became the guys who I could call on a Friday afternoon and get me artwork via FedEx the following Tuesday.
From that point on, I never complained about the journeymen again.
This thinking extends beyond the workhorses, though. Amateurs (and some professionals) frequently make the mistake of taking a popular whipping boy and using the internet to direct a bunch of misplaced anger and envy at him. The most famous, of course, is Rob Liefeld, of course, but there are plenty of shots taken at Greg Land, Chaep Yap, etc.
The fact of the matter is that these guys are better than you are. Liefeld, for instance, has carved out a 20+ year career—in spite of shortcomings, haters, and internet memes.
It's hard to draw a single page of panel-to-panel continuity. And it's hard to draw another one. And another, and another, and another, until you've completed a 22-page comic. Congratulations, you're a percentage of the way through an arc. Start again.
Do this every day until you've completed 100 pages. Then 500. Then 1,000. After a while, you'll care more about making your own art than you do about pissing all over a working professional.
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Sorry to ramble and to have gone off topic with my own advice to others, rather than providing solid leads to work.
* In the case of Thugs!, it wasn't me giving up anything, I should note. Steve came to me and said "Let's make a book" and the rest is comic book legend... :) Ours is a really rare case, though. Writers generally need artists more than the reverse - where comics are concerned.
1) Your dream project isn't necessarily the dream project of your collaborator. In other words, don't be afraid to change the plan if things aren't working. For instance, say you find an amazing artist on the strength of a western pitch, but you both realize that he's not feeling a western (or that he can't draw horses or whatever)...while you have him, hook him with something that you know he can hit out of the park. Keep the western (or other future projects, if that happens with them) in your pocket. It's better to have a good fit than it is to do the book RIGHT NOW.
2) Forget about a 50/50 split with the artist. Don't be afraid to get creative with your contract. I've seen many ads on comics forums where writers say "When we find a publisher, we'll split the profits 50/50." As someone that's written and drawn for myself, written for others and worked from scripts from other writers, I can say that the division of labor isn't 50/50. No matter how much time you put into research and writing various drafts of a script, it won't equal the time it takes for the artist to research and draw the book. It takes me, on average 12-20 hours to pencil and ink a page. That's about 2 months full-time work to draw a single issue.
There are a couple of options for handling this.
(a) Give the artist a bigger percentage of the print revenue than you, capping at a good page rate, after which it reverts to a 50/50 split. Let's face it, there's not much money in independent comics. The real money is in the ancillary revenue streams ( movies, video games, etc) and that could be a 50/50 split (or 60/40, since it's your baby, or whatever).
It's important to note the "capping at a good page rate" part of this. This way, if you happen to create the next Walking Dead, you both will share in the success.
(b) Do all of the non-writing/non-art work. Learn how to letter. Learn how to put together a pitch. Learn how to handle pre-press (preparing something for printing). Learn how to build a website. Learn how to write press releases. Pursue people who write features on comics news sites. Pursue reviewers.
(c) Both of the above.
* For the record, on a project I'm doing with an artist friend, I'm writing and he's drawing. The split is artist-50%, colorist-25% and me 25% (and I'm writing and doing all pre-press, promotion, etc work on the book). The colorist caps out if (IF) he reaches $100/page. At that point, the artist and I get to a 50/50 split. It's unlikely that we'll hit the point where the colorist caps out, though, because that would mean we made $8,800 profit on per issue (that also factors in if it's reprinted in a trade). However, the shelf life of a trade is a long time and you may find yourself repackaging it into an omnibus or something for a new publisher 10 years down the road. Plus, with new thoughts on monetizing digital work...well, you never know.
3) Page rates are best, but creative ownership can work, too. Inkers and colorists never get a piece of the pie. If you offer them a percentage of ownership, it can be added incentive to work with you on a back-end deal.
4) With all of these percentages, it's important to stipulate that the percentages kick in after the work is completed. If the artist leaves before the book is done, he gets nothing and his work on the book should not be published. And his percentage of the print sales applies to the work he draws. If he bails on the series after completing 1,2 or 3 books, the replacement artist should get all monies (on the replacement's issues) until the capping number is reached, after which the original artist/co-owner would get their cut.
5) Vesting is good. The artist's share of the ancillary rights can also be based on becoming vested in the project. That ways, if he completes a single series, perhaps he only owns 10% of the ancillaries, leaving you the freedom to compensate your replacement artist with a share of ownership. Look at Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley on Invincible, or Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard on the Walking Dead. In each instance, the original artists did a fraction of the overall work on the series.
Perhaps the artist is 10% vested upon completing his first OGN with you and an additional 10% upon completion of every OGN or series thereafter, capping at a 50/50 split.
There are many ways to go about fair (and creative) splits for collaborators on a budget.
You can view my stuff at lilmikeegee.deviantart.com
I went to art school. I was first published in my senior year in HS. I have work published by Young American comics, Alterna, PKD Media, and BullSpec magazine. I have been doing graphic design work since the 80s and comics on and off when I had the time.
I agree with your advice. Comics is selling yourself, the art is just part of it.
And be prepared to hear criticism and grow from it. The best tool for getting better is to acknowledge your weaknesses and grow from them. There are people who will love everything you do and people who will hate everything you do. It's the ones that give thoughtful criticism that move you forward, be it positive or negative. No one is perfect. Everyone should always be trying to do better.
As an artist, I would rather have $10-$20 a page than a split of the book. At the stage I'm at I'm looking more for being published than a big paycheck. If the writer has the book signed with a publisher then I will do it for free or a split or comps just to get published. Comps are a great tool for your future as you have something you can send to bigger publishers or sell at cons.
I wrote a novel which I self published about 3 years ago. Through social media and word of mouth I managed to get to no.9 in the Amazon sci-fi/fantasy charts for a week, which at the time, was beyond awesome to me.
This year my big project is to write and draw my own comic. I've done the story and now I'm slowly getting through the art. Once the issue is done, I'm going to hawk it around and see if anyone's interested. Otherwise I shall release it myself, and use it to try to get interest from other artists/writers to work with me to complete the story (which would be 4 issues). so far that's what's working for me, but I'll definately be asking for advice and ideas from forum conversations like this.
keep up the good work guys!
http://warpangel.deviantart.com/gallery/
Cool!
Cool!
Check out the Anti-Con 2012 thread then, Mike. Al drew an awesome hotpants-costume Supergirl for me to make up for getting blanked on this past year's forum Secret Santa.
It's best to give them something they can keep. Be professional, clean, attentive, and remember any advice they give you.
Since they're mostly international I attempt to post them on this very forum.
This contest was held for the first time 2011/12 and there are plans to launch the next one for 2013/14
To get an idea - here how it went the first time around:
1st Costa Brava International Prize for Comics
And then this happened: The graphic novel «Ocupante» wins the First Costa Brava International Comic Award The winners got 20,000 Euros and a deal with PANINI SPAIN - the runner up 5,000 Euro
paninicomics.co.uk
The official page of the Comic Festival : festivaldelcomic.org
Websites in Spain are rather flawed. That's why gathering the infos can be a pain in the butt. But I'm sure if one contacts the folks at Panini, at Torroella de Montgrí Comic Festival or the Costa Brava Tourism Board, somebody will be able to read English ;)
So - who will be the winner of the 2nd Costa Brava International Prize for Comics ?
(in the next post : the entry thingy of 2011 - to get the idea)
andreumartinblog.net
Jorge Jacobo Navarro González
He now is published by Panini Spain and Panini Germany (tbc)
see some sample pages of LANTERNJACK: http://mycomics.de/comics/fantasy/lanternjack.html