The Freelancers' Guide to the Galaxy
While I've got a bunch of book files uploading, I finally have a free moment to post!
Earlier today I read an article by Valerie D'Orazio, about how freelancers NEED to get paid. Valerie basically runs through the ten commandments of working in comics freelance, including such nuggets of wisdom as: Sign A Contract; Keep A Paper Trail, and A Conversation Between Friends Is Not The Same As A Contract.
Anyway, after some linkage on Twitter and Facebook, I realized that many, many people still don't heed this advice! Not everything is so cut-and-dry. What do you do if you're dealing with a tiny, independent publisher who can't possibly offer any overhead? What if you just want to get published, period, and "don't care" if you ever get paid or not? (Hint: nobody doesn't care about not getting paid, if they were expecting to.) What if you feel like a jerk asking for a contract?
As for the latter question, my advice is, if you ask for a contract, and the other party acts like you're a jerk? The job's not worth doing in the first place. Walk away now.
The interest and discussion led me to want to link to Dave's pivotal Guide To Freelance, which made the rounds a couple of years ago, but still holds true today. I've been meeting and getting to know a new generation of young cartoonists in the past couple of years, and I don't want to see them get screwed over. I want them to learn from the mistakes of those who came before them, and I appreciate when people write up these kinds of articles and anecdotes.
I've been lucky to've not been screwed over too badly myself, when it comes to doing spec work and work for hire. I negotiated my own career up until about a year ago, when I finally hired my wonderful agent, but prior to that I benefited from the advice of trusted friends, mentors, and colleagues. Working in book publishing for four years did not hurt. Sure, it's almost as much effort to manage the business end of things (invoicing, follow up, negotiation, standing up for yourself, compromise, etc.) as it is to do the creative work. But it's worth it to make sure you're looking out for yourself, because if you don't, who will?
Earlier today I read an article by Valerie D'Orazio, about how freelancers NEED to get paid. Valerie basically runs through the ten commandments of working in comics freelance, including such nuggets of wisdom as: Sign A Contract; Keep A Paper Trail, and A Conversation Between Friends Is Not The Same As A Contract.
Anyway, after some linkage on Twitter and Facebook, I realized that many, many people still don't heed this advice! Not everything is so cut-and-dry. What do you do if you're dealing with a tiny, independent publisher who can't possibly offer any overhead? What if you just want to get published, period, and "don't care" if you ever get paid or not? (Hint: nobody doesn't care about not getting paid, if they were expecting to.) What if you feel like a jerk asking for a contract?
As for the latter question, my advice is, if you ask for a contract, and the other party acts like you're a jerk? The job's not worth doing in the first place. Walk away now.
The interest and discussion led me to want to link to Dave's pivotal Guide To Freelance, which made the rounds a couple of years ago, but still holds true today. I've been meeting and getting to know a new generation of young cartoonists in the past couple of years, and I don't want to see them get screwed over. I want them to learn from the mistakes of those who came before them, and I appreciate when people write up these kinds of articles and anecdotes.
I've been lucky to've not been screwed over too badly myself, when it comes to doing spec work and work for hire. I negotiated my own career up until about a year ago, when I finally hired my wonderful agent, but prior to that I benefited from the advice of trusted friends, mentors, and colleagues. Working in book publishing for four years did not hurt. Sure, it's almost as much effort to manage the business end of things (invoicing, follow up, negotiation, standing up for yourself, compromise, etc.) as it is to do the creative work. But it's worth it to make sure you're looking out for yourself, because if you don't, who will?