How does it work for artists in the industry?

Any drawfags or people with industry knowledge, I'm curious. If I have a story, plot, character designs, etc. but want a professional artist to draw the book, how does it usually work? Most artists I've talked to want paid on a per page rate but are they then also entitled to credit and a share of profits if they are paid up front? Ideal situation would be a collaborator who shares credits and proceeds but everyone seems to want paid up front (understandable). Problem is that this would come out of pocket for me as I need the finished product to get it sold. Anyone with experience doing an indy book?

Attached: Superman-thinking.jpg (949x534, 163K)

In this situation you would draw up a contract that stipulates payment to the artist and details any creative credit/profit sharing towards the artist.

I've thought about that, but I'm not sure what standard practice is or what's customary. I personally feel that if the artist is paid up front for their work they should not be entitled to any creative rights or proceeds/profits from the work, is that unfair?

hi there.
you can try looking for a true collaborator on "help wanted" sites and forums, such as digital webbing etc. by that i mean someone who will work for free, i.e. for back end. you can split the profits 50-50 or 60-40 for the artist, because art is more time consuming. the problem is there will be no profits. there is no way an indie book can earn a decent amount (say, a couple of thousand dollars) in the current system. pros know it and will not do it. amateurs and new artists may but they also may simply disappear midway when they get bored or get a paid offer elsewhere.

the second option is to do a submission. pay an artist to do 5 pages plus a cover and submit it to publishers. unless either of you is well-known, it's highly unlikely this way will pay off. if the pitch fails, use the pages to try crowdfunding and harass your friends and family on social media to fund your project.

the third option is to pay the artist (never upfront, work in stages). dont worry about royalties, there wont be any to split. offer whatever they ask but keep the rights, e.g. movie and tv. offer 20-30 there too, just as a sign of good will. that is the only way to make money. even optioning is bad nowadays.

if you can afford a pro artist, its the best way to get your story out there. you get what you pay for.

Im working with an author on a children's book right now, it depends on what you both want. I'm right out of college and Its my first industry job so I'm ok with just getting money up front. With the next books (author wants to make around 15) we do together, I will be getting royalties.

>third option is to pay the artist
What's best way to do this to ensure I don't get fucked? Say the guy says $200/page, do I pay once I get the page or do a deposit?

thats a lot for an indie book so you can find an established artist with experience and online presence. some artists ask for money upfront because theyve been fucked themselves. i'm against it. even if the artist delivers, he might be less enthusiastic when the money is already in the bank. my advice is to work in stages: finish the layouts first, then the pencils... pay him because you can use those, i.e. someone else can ink them if needed. if working digitally, those translate to roughs. pay stage by stage. other option is to pay page by page, but you might end up with 5 or 15 pages in one style, which are useless without the rest of the book.

I'm willing to pay for a whole book if I can get a decent product on time. I wonder if doing a digital imprint would be worthwhile to give others a voice as well.

What's your art style?

> I personally feel that if the artist is paid up front for their work they should not be entitled to any creative rights or proceeds/profits from the work, is that unfair?
Better learn to draw then user

How do you justify that? It doesn’t make any fucking sense.

The difference between a paid job and a shared creative endeavor. If I'm personally paying the artist out of my own pocket they're rendering a service. In exchange for compensating them for their work at the outset they should release any future income derived from the work. They would of course receive acknowledgement for their contribution but you can't have it both ways.

I can and do but not at a professional level. It's a big regret of mine that I did not hone those skills in college.

Thanks for the insight Yea Forums bros.

It is about sharing the risk in such an enterprise. Getting paid up front means you do not trust this to be a success, demanding success payment in ADDITION means dumping all the risks on the other guy.

Do you think that is fair or reasonable?

That's fine for a one of commission or a limited run. You know the potential revenue there so you can agree a fair price based on that. But what about after that first printing? 2nd and third printings, collections, tshirts, action figure rights? There's no way your upfront payment could cover all that, it would be absurd to even suggest it.

Welcome to the exciting world of being a publisher

keep in mind you want the artist to work on YOUR idea. a shared creative endeavor would be if you two discussed a project in advance, both contribute ideas. then split the chores.

there's so little money involved that you can afford to be generous with percentages that mean little: 50% of digital, 33% print, 25% option rights... this is going to cost you a couple of hundred dollars tops. i hope i'm wrong and you guys get rich. good luck.

also this lack of good will is a kind of red flag. if you were a control freak too, i'd quit page two.

dont forget a motivated artist, daydreaming of getting a movie adaptation and hardcover royalties, is a motivated artist who will bust his ass drawing and promoting your book.

I have the idea. Fully written scripts with reference images and character designs. I need someone to do the art but not put their creative spin on it. I want it to be my IP which I control all rights to. As a result I'm willing to compensate fairly but I don't want someone I hire to think they have a claim to the IP later on.

>lack of good will
If two parties agree to an arrangement in advance and in writing how is that a lack of good will. Shouldn't said artist put his own world/ideas to paper rather than thinking they are entitled to an IP someone else has created?

>I need someone to do the art but not put their creative spin on it

What did he mean by this

Meaning execute the art as described, not add character/story elements of their own devising through the art that will give them a claim to the IP later.

>not put their creative spin on it

That's eliminating something that could help you in the long run. There's alot of work that was improved by an artist making a suggestion for a scene or character design that made it more memorable. You don't have to go with the feedback but at least give them room to make suggestions if needed.

I'm not saying they should not interpret the instructions in a creative way, I just don't want them using the art as a back door way to claim ownership if we've agreed ahead of time that I retain all rights.

sounds fair. $200 pp is A LOT for an indie book.

there's also an incentive option: if the book sells more than x, the artist gets y%.

or when you get your money back, you split profits etc.

>$200 pp is A LOT for an indie book
That's if I engage a pro and not someone from tumblr.