#8:Pay Your Artists
Writer Seeking Artist
Hey, I'm a first time comic book writer looking for an artist for a new graphic novel. I'd like a Jim Lee, Joe Mad, Mark Silvestri style artist who can work fast and hit deadlines. The story will be about 120 pages. There is no pay, but we'll split any profits 50/50 after the book is picked up by a publisher. Email me!
Sound familiar? No, the above solicitation isn't an actual ad, but rather a compilation of dozens of ads I've seen on Digital Webbing and other places. While I'm sure some have had some success posting ads like these, they bug me. So, I'm taking a short break from my usual discussion of craft simply to get these three words off my chest:
Pay. Your. Artists.
Reading the requests for collaboration out on the internet, you'd think aspiring comic book writers are the cheapest and brokest demographic on the planet. Look I get it. I know it's tough out there. The economy has seen better days and we all have bills to pay and financial obligations to meet. But let's be realistic for a minute and look at what writers of these kinds of ads are asking. To be fair, I think some aspiring writers simply don't have an appreciation of the amount of work involved in creating comic art, and thus don't realize how ridiculous it is to ask someone to do it for the terms they are offering. Ignorance is no excuse, however. Because I have done it all and have produced comics as a one man show, I know first hand how much work goes into producing a book. I know it can take 8-12 hours to pencil a comic page and another 4-8 to ink it. I know flatting takes forever. I know that lettering isn't just a matter of cutting and pasting text. Hell, I know even the time spent scanning and adjusting the levels of line art can really add up after a while. Time is the most valuable asset we all have. And in this society, paying people for their time is what we do.
Now, I know some aspiring writers mean well with their collaboration requests. And I also know many have had success finding people online or in their neighborhoods who are willing to work with them on projects for no money up front. If you have a situation where you're friends with an artist and as a pair you decide to pitch in together on a partnership to create something, that's a different situation. I'm talking about soliciting strangers. I've tried the collaboration thing before, with no money involved. When I first got back into creating comics a few years ago, I drew a complete 22 page super hero book for a writer I had never met without hardly blinking an eye or even thinking to ask for money. In that case, I was interested in challenging myself to draw someone else's script for the first time, and used it as practice to get back into the swing of comic book art. On the one hand, that writer hit the jackpot in me. He had a guy willing to work for free, and unlike most unpaid artists, I actually finished the book. But on the other hand, he got what he paid for, or did not pay for, as it were. My pencils and inks were definitely rusty, and I'll be the first to admit that the finished product was amateurish at best. (I included a page to show you what "free" art looks like. I cringe a little, but hey, it got me back to the drawing table, so I'm thankful for the project.)
And that's really what this comes down to. Do you want to produce an amateurish product? If so, by all means, continue to only pursue artists willing to work for nothing. But good luck with that. There aren't a lot of "me's" out there, willing to draw a full length book with no compensation and very little chance at ever seeing a dime from it. While you may be able to find someone who will agree to such terms, more often than not they'll flake on you. A deal without money at stake is pretty easy to walk away from.
And let's talk about the "splitting of future profits 50/50 when a publisher picks it up" because that's just crazy talk. What future profits? And what publishers are you talking about? Professional artists are paid for their work. They're paid a page rate and they get paid when they complete the work, regardless of what happens. They're paid for their time and they should be. Only amateurs work for the kinds of contract terms suggested above. And amateurs produce amateur work. And publishers don't publish amateurish comic books. So where exactly are these profits going to come from? The only "publishers" that put out amateurish work are On-Demand publishers. (Not knocking On-Demand...I use them, I think they are a wonderful service. But there is no quality control and good luck making any real profits that way.)
I feel like most of us aim for better than amateur hour. If your goals are aimed higher, and you want to have a book that can go toe to toe on the comic shelves with the best independent books out there or even Marvel and DC's offerings, then you need to produce a professional caliber book. Professional caliber books require professional quality talent. And by definition, a professional is someone who is paid for their expertise, and in this case, that's providing the art to your words.
What if that's not your goal? What if you're not trying to produce a book that's a best seller or anything, and you simply have a short comic you'd love to see produced. Well, that's perfectly fine. It's great actually. In this case, be upfront about it, though. Don't talk about back end splits or publishers. And if you can't offer any pay, then you're not going to have the luxury of being picky about whom you work with. But that's okay. If you are writing your first comic book, you probably don't want to break your bank on art. Unless you're a comic writing savant (and unfortunately most of us aren't) it's going to take you many books before you're work is any good, let alone publishable, even with a top notch artist attached. But at the very least, pony up some money for art supplies for your artist. They'll love you for it.
However, if you DO want your book to be published, you're going to have to cough up some money. But, when I'm telling you to pay your artists, I'm not asking you to break your bank, crack into your 401K or put a second mortgage on your home to tell your superhero opus. The fact is, the comic industry is like all the other entertainment industries...there are a lot more people wanting into the industry than jobs. It's like Hollywood, where 3% of the actors and actresses get 80% of the roles and make something like 95% of the money. But LA is filled with aspiring thespians willing to work for nothing or next to nothing on student films and low budget indies in order to get the practice in front of a camera. Likewise, there are a whole lot of people who want to draw comic books for a living. Most of them aren't ready yet. But, some of them, though, are very close. And the amazing thing is that you can get artists who are a year or two and a big break away from becoming successful comic artists at bargain prices.
Let's talk specifics. What do I mean by bargain prices? Well, you can find strong artists who will work for between $25-$75 dollars a page. (That's an hourly rate less than minimum wage.) There are incredible colorists who are willing to work for between $15-$35 a page. (There are children working in sweatshops who are compensated better.) Sure, for a graphic novel, the cost starts to add up, but recognize you're still getting a bargain.
It's gut check time. If you're serious about creating comics, prove it. Put some money on the table. Treat professional caliber artists as professionals. Pay them for a job well done. You'll be glad you did.
NEXT: Zuda Comics - A Tale of Five Submissions
Tyler James is the writer of Interrogation Control Element, a political action thriller COMPETING RIGHT NOW at Zuda Comics! Help Ty out by heading over to Zuda and giving ICE your VOTE, make it a FAVORITE, rate it 5 STARS, and leave a COMMENT.
Tyler also writes and draws Over, a romantic comedy online graphic novel updating every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. His comic Super Seed, the story of the world's first super powered fertility clinic, was featured at Zuda Comics. On Tuesday, Tyler debuts Tears of the Dragon, an epic fantasy tale. He also teaches a series of workshops on creating comics for adults and children. When not making comics, Tyler works as a game designer and content producer for a software company, and currently resides in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Contact Tyler directly at tylerjamescomics@gmail.com, keep up with him at his blog, or follow him on Twitter.
Previous Columns
1: Big Goals
2: Resolutions
3: The Great Idea
4: Research Part I
5: Research Part II
6: The Killer Pitch Part I - The High Concept
7: The Killer Pitch Part II - The Synopsis
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