GETTING INTO THE BUSINESS OF COMICS
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Welcome to a new kind of book about breaking into the comic industry! You might be saying, "Oh, no! Not another 'How To Draw The Superhero Way' book!" Well, relax. This book has little to do with the art of creating. There are many books and articles out there that will help you refine your skills as a creator. Many will instruct you in basic drawing or writing techniques. Some are more specific, detailing the methods approved by a particular company. But, not one of them provides you with the business information you need to successfully approach a career in the comic industry. That's where this book comes in. Getting Into The Business Of Comics is a broad guide to the specific business practices and techniques used by professionals, to assure the smooth success of their careers. Many of these skills may seem overly simple, or obvious, to you but rest assured, they are skills that are indispensable in ensuring your status as a professional. Many of these methods may also seem very familiar to you. That is because these are basic business methods used by many professions - not just the comic industry! That alone should be one indicator of why these techniques are so successful. In this book I hope to provide the basic tools needed to get started. I will take the approach the reader has achieved a level of creative expertise they feel is sufficient to get a professional comic industry job. I am not offering advice on improving creative skills. With the help of many of our industry's finest professionals, I offer suggestions on the business skills which should be mastered and ultimately practiced. Once this first step is taken, the rest should be simple. Just keep one thing in mind; comics may be entertainment, but when all is said and done, this is a business. Many young professionals have come to me, in a panic, for advice on salvaging a business arrangement that has gone bad. Almost without fail the problems resulted from negligence in following common-sense business procedure. But bad decisions are not restricted to newcomers. Frequently an experienced, long-established professional finds themselves in a bad work situation. Again, it's most often due a poor business decision - deals on a hand-shake, failure to nail down pertinent details in writing, or lack of information about the parties involved. Nobody's immune, both creators and publishers have been burned by bad business dealings. This book is provides an opportunity to find out these crucial bits of preventative info before it's too late. Readers who pay close attention and try out the suggestions, will have a great shot at getting your 'dream job'. Each chapter of this book will deal with one particular aspect of getting into comics, and professional conduct. These will be the keys to open the door to success as a comic professional.
Here's a sample of a chapter from the book: Here are a few things you should know about contracts: 1) Always, always, always have a written contract. Although the belief that a contract must be in writing to be enforced is false, it is foolish to believe that enforcing a casual verbal agreement is an easy process. There are a multitude of reasons for having a written contract. Mainly it protects both you and your employer's interests. But most importantly it outlines, in black and white, the specifics of the agreement. This allows you to check on like established deadlines, payment, royalties, complimentary copies of published work, the copyright holder, and any other features of the agreement, at any time during your work on the project. Simply put, it eliminates your questions, and serves as a written guide to what must be done, by whom and by what date, in exchange for what compensation. 2) Read you contract. Make sure that all the details that have been discussed are included in the written contract - right down to the number of free copies of the published work you should receive. If you don't outline it at the beginning, you may regret it in the end. 3) Make sure both parties sign the contract. Too simple? Apparently not, as there are many creators who sit on their contracts (out of laziness, busyness or forgetfulness) until after the project has been completed, then cry the blues when there is nothing to force the employer to honor their end of the bargain. 4) Ensure that you get an original copy of the contract. Two originals should be executed. The creator and the employer should each get a copy of the original. If legal problems arise, do you really want to try to explain to your lawyer why you only have a photocopy? 5) Make sure you understand all the language and items listed in your contract before you sign it. Yes folks, legalese is still alive and well, and confusing the best of us laymen. Don't be overwhelmed by it all. If the language of your contract is too heavy for you to wade through, first talk to the publisher about it. If they are unable or unwilling to simplify the language - or can't explain it to your satisfaction - then consider spending a small sum to have a business lawyer look it over for you. Don't balk at the idea of the cost! Not all lawyers are costly, cutthroat, or inept. Most areas have a lawyer referral service, lawyers for the financially burdened, or a law school brimming with eager students. Use any of these avenues to have your contract deciphered. Don't sign it until you understand it, and are satisfied with the conditions.
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