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Post by G. Gerald Garcia on Jun 9, 2005 20:25:00 GMT -7
WHAT DO YOU CHARGE PER PAGE?
The question came up yesterday...I found this one hard to answer, asked by another Artist.
I have done something as little as $25.00-(considered more for self promotion, I saw something in print with wide distribution) and at the most $100 an hour (client kept full rights).
I was told the big companies:DC, Marvel,Dark Horse...pay on average $200.00 per page. 10 years ago it was about $120.00.I don't know if royalties are even considered.
Our fellow Artist is getting something optioned for publication by a relatively new publisher. They wanted two pages done, based on images already on "X's" website.
This would be "X" first comic work, and could potentially see wide distribution,but the company is still unproven. They have several titles solicited in Previews and the books are now making it onto the store shelves.
"X" could charge them a low-end fee, and see the work in print. The question I asked was"Is this for full rights or first print rights- restrictions to the comic only?
Personally I like to see a contract, I have been burned before. It is better to be prepared. Keep the paper work in order.
What would you expect as a page rate...from the BIG companies & the Indies?
GarSeeYa!!!
If anybody has a copy of a "standard" Creator-Publisher contract...it would be good to share?
Thanks.
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fiona
MIC AGENT
Posts: 240
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Post by fiona on Jun 9, 2005 20:43:39 GMT -7
I'm big on contracts... pinup work of someone else's characters is one thing, but if they want to use one of my own previous pieces I really don't want to give up the rights, or see it used anywhere other than the pages of the comic. I have no idea, though, if comics are different in some way from other work-for-hire arrangements.
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Post by attoboy on Jun 10, 2005 13:15:20 GMT -7
Contracts, rights, payments... it's easy. Get paid as much as you can and give up as little as you can. Okay, it's not that simple. First and most importantly, you should know that as a Canadian artist you have default rights that exist whether they are expressed or not. These rights can be relinquished only by explicitly dissolving them in a contract, so you are protected by default. Your rights are extensive, but watch out! They can be a little freaky to the inexperienced client and I've lost a few bids because I stated those rights in the contract and the client found my "demands" unreasonable. The irony is that those rights exist whether I put them in the contract or not! Payments are covered in the excellent Graphic Artists Guild's "Pricing and Ethical Guidelines" available everywhere for about $44: www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0932102123/The book lists complete pricing and contractual guidelines for pretty much every illustration gig possible and includes boilerplate (American) contracts in the appendices. I think comics are covered in there, too. That being said, don't count on the GAG PEG to convince your client to pay an extra couple hundred of dollars. It mostly just provided peace of mind to you. Set your prices according to how hard the client believes it would be to replace you. Client priorities are almost always convenience, price, quality-- in that order. Charge as little as $20 per page and as much as $1000. There really is no limit. Your client is a sleeping bear. You have to keep poking him to see what you can get away with. But be prepared to bail in an instant! The rule of thumb is that fully 1/3 of your clients should be complaining about your prices, or you are not charging enough. Every year you should cut loose the bottom chunk of your clients, too. It's harsh, but sooner or later not everyone can afford you. Be careful about quoting per hour charges as the numbers can scare potential customers. They don't need to know how fast you are. Tell them how much for the whole package and give them a calendar timeline rather than an hourly timeline. And make sure you deliver on your promises! Everything else is for naught if you blow your deadline. Blah blah blah... wanna hear more? I got time. PM me.  Cheers! -Derek |
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Mr. Vince
MIC AGENT
Friendly Giant
Posts: 249
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Post by Mr. Vince on Jun 10, 2005 14:26:32 GMT -7
Wow, thanks for that Attoboy. I didn't even know an actual guild existed or that there was a written guideline. I was told when making contracts to estimate the number of hours, times your own hourly rate plus 50 percent and when possible, add materials. Employers always bargain you down, so start with a high quote first and hopefully they'll chop you down to the 'real' quote. All of this also depends on the level of completion too ie. Pencilling, Inking, Full Illustration. Gerald mentioned in a previous thread about Kill Fees. They sound like a good idea to include on a long term contract, though I've read that even pros like Jim Mahfood get screwed on their kill fees as well.
Good advice from everyone. I wish I could shine some more light, but the only contracts I get are animation contracts which are a horse of another color.
I did however sell a print recently to a fan of mine. Pricing that was pretty interesting. I took his original offer to buy the original piece, divided that in half, which covered cost of printing. He offered more to have it personalized and to include an original sketch on the piece. The final cost ended up being the same as the original offer.
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Chris
Full Member
Posts: 211
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Post by Chris on Jun 10, 2005 15:01:10 GMT -7
I did however sell a print recently to a fan of mine. Pricing that was pretty interesting. I took his original offer to buy the original piece, divided that in half, which covered cost of printing. He offered more to have it personalized and to include an original sketch on the piece. The final cost ended up being the same as the original offer. It takes an advanced form of physics and algebra to figure out that last statement. Anyhow, I've been visiting studios and they've had prices like this: B&W - 8 pages - $399 B&W - 22 pages $999 Color - 8 pages - $499 Color - 22 pages - $1299 |
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Post by Temperance on Jun 11, 2005 21:49:49 GMT -7
Depends who you are drawing for as well. Gaming companies charge per illustration. Very few have prices listed online for submissions but usually run from $15-25 for a small B&W image (3"x3"), then $150-300 for a full color cover/pin-up. And you usually get a book or two to keep when it is published. Each Gaming company has a different set of rates, and it will vary depending on color/B&W, size, and how large the company is.
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