Comments on: Tom Richmond: Don’t give it away

By: Tom Richmond

Tom Richmond — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:38:30 +0000

I don’t think anyone is suggesting you should not donate your time, work and talents to a good cause or for an organization you wish to support. I have done that many times. There is a big difference between someone wanting you to give them your art so they can try to make money from it without paying you in the first place, and supporting a charity or good cause.

Likewise there may be times when giving your work away is a smart move financially. There is the famous story of Dru Blair, where he allowed publications about airplanes to use his fighter jet airbrush paintings as covers in exchange for free ad space advertising limited edition prints of said paintings. He sold a million dollars worth of prints. That is different as he approached them, and it was part of a self conceived marketing campaign. Software companies give away software all the time as a way to get onto consumer’s computers and hopefully sell them more software later.

This is about not agreeing to commercial deals without the commerce with clients who should understand what market rates are.

By: Garey Mckee

Garey Mckee — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:57:09 +0000

Alan, I think that depends on what your goals are with said webcomic. Most webcomic authors make their money in merchandising, NOT advertising revenue from ads that might be on their site (that money is very modest indeed).

I don’t see how a webcomic distributed for free to increase it’s exposure would be a bad thing if merchandising is the key goal. Especially if the work distrubted for free is linked back to the webcomic’s site, with a blub about what’s available. IE, “If you like Joe Shmoe comic, be sure to check out the Joe Shmoe site for books, clothing and other great items. A perfect gift for any fan!”

By: Alan Jones

Alan Jones — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:17:58 +0000

Hmmm…what about purposefully encouraging folks to freely copy/distribute (downloading it, sending it to a friend or using it as free wallpaper, etc) your web comics from your site, as a means to promote it? An example that comes to mind recently is Aaron Johnson’s “What the Duck” ? Is that giving it away in the negative sense as expressed in the above comments, or just a clever promotional scheme? Or??

By: Ted Rall

Ted Rall — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:58:53 +0000

Remember the classic movie “Tapeheads”? “On spec?!?” was the blood-curdling cry of creatives being exploited.

There are times when giving your work away for free is fine. When you’re a new cartoonist, you can’t sell it and you need tearsheets and exposure. After you’re established, there are publications on a shoestring budget whose work you support by allowing them free reprints. Donating originals to charities is a worthy act.

The problem occurs when giving away artwork for free becomes a religion, a reflexive act. There are countless examples of cartoonists, especially but not exclusively webcartoonists, giving away work that they could have sold. That’s just dumb.

When someone wants to use your stuff, your first question should be “What’s your budget?” or “How much do you pay?” If they say they can’t afford it (non-profits often say this), ask if they pay anyone else. Does their landlord donate their space? Does Staples give them free office supplies? Does their receptionist work for free? Odds are, everyone gets paid except you, the cartoonist. Well, screw that.

In cases where no one is getting paid but there’s a prospect of improved financial conditions later on–say, a small new alternative magazine or newspaper start-up–you should draft a contract that ensures you’ll get a piece of future profits.

Failing to get as much payment as you can not only cheats you and your family, it cheats us, your cartoonist colleagues, by setting a terrible precedent.

By: steve skelton

steve skelton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:54:23 +0000

As an illustrator, I have referred potential clients to the no spec site several times.

http://www.no-spec.com/

By: KRANKY (JOE RANK)

KRANKY (JOE RANK) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 03:59:39 +0000

So good to know other working cartoonists AND musicians. ( Pro harmonica player here ).
I have run into the same requests. For requests to use my work, I take into account the individual circumstance. I explain that I am a professional that expects to get paid for my intellectual property, but will waive fees in special situations, and for limited purposes.
Those that bother to ask are likely not inveterate thieves, but there are probably exceptions.

By: Dave Stephens

Dave Stephens — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:33:18 +0000

They say, “It’ll be great exposure”.

To which I answer, “People die from exposure.”

And one more thing – folks who want you for free or almost free also tend to be the most demanding – after all, their first demand worked like a charm!

Just say NO! Good riddance to bad rubbish…

By: David Cohen

David Cohen — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:08:42 +0000

Being both a working cartoonist AND a working musician, it sometimes seems that I can’t turn around without someone asking me to do something free for them.
And I’ve heard all of the lures—-”Think of the contacts you’ll make”, “free drinks and dinner”, “it is SUCH a good cause!”, ” I heard that your band LOVES to play benefits”…..
I can’t say that I haven’t done things for free, but I can say that I DO try to ration them out to things that I personally believe in or have a stake in. One of the joys in life can be lending one’s talents to a good cause in the hopes that they will be beneficial.
One of the bummers in life is trying to convince people that you don’t just do these things because they are “fun”.
It’s a fine line to walk on, and everybody has to decide for themselves how to do it without falling off.

By: PhilWohlrab

PhilWohlrab — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:03:19 +0000

I hate every twerp out their offering spec work. People never learn. There was once a posting on craigs list for someone looking for an illustrator for their book about their battle overcoming cancer. Of course this person wanted an illustrator for free. Ok, sure we all feel sorry for people with serious illness.. I’m sure the doctor felt bad to. That doesn’t mean he didn’t get paid.

There is a difference between commissioned work and getting paid for your own creations, however. At least in the eyes of syndicates, I’m sure. The idea of being paid to create your own stuff is so luring to people they CAN string you along, and keep you working your butt off for peanuts. The whole idea of the daily deadline and the small paycheck has pretty much turned me off from the the idea of ever attempting a newspaper comic strip again.

By: Stephanie McMillan

Stephanie McMillan — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:37:46 +0000

Thank you for linking to this! I get these requests all the time (this week it’s for two free pages of a comic book that will be used to obtain funding for the rest, and another guy who wants an illustration of his joke that he “might be able to get into a magazine this month.” NO. NO. NO.)

I drew a strip about it not long ago:
http://minimumsecurity.net/blog/2008/04/11/ms-73/