Three years ago, I decided to write a book about the business and legal aspects of the comic book industry (See Your Career in Comics: An Introduction). My original idea was to create a comprehensive book that covered what I saw as the four major aspects of the creative comic book industry:

1. Publishing independent comics (See the Creator Owned Path)

2. Working as a freelance comic artist (See the Work for Hire Path)

3. Getting creator owned deals with publishers of all sizes (See the Creator Driven Path)

4. Moving your story off the page and onto screens and into merchandise (See the Transmedia Path)

As the research, interviews, and casual discussions among colleagues began to accumulate, two ideas became very clear:

• Smaller is better: An all-inclusive book about the four major paths in comics is too big for someone with my limited intellect to tackle at once. It makes more sense to start with one aspect of the industry.

• To Have a Career in Comics Publishing, It Helps to Publish Some Comics: Publishing independent comics is the foundation for understanding and entering the industry. While there are a lot of ways to get into comics, making and publishing comics gives you experience on both the creative and the business side of the process.

Armed with these two insights, my experience in the industry, and a thick folder of notes, it’s time for me to write Your Business and Legal Guide to Independent Comic Book Publishing.

I’m planning to document the growth of the book in this blog, so if you have any questions or comments along the way, please let me know.

Have fun.

G

PLEASE NOTE: THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH YOUR COMIC PROPERTY, DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR LEGAL ADVISOR OR CONTACT C3 AT gamalhennessy@gmail.com FOR A FREE CONSULTATION.