Why am I Qualified to Write a Book about Independent Comics Publishing?

Added on November 6, 2018 by Gamal Hennessy.

The Independent Comic Book Publishing book is being built on a foundation that includes 40 years of experience in the industry, extensive research, and a wide range of interviews.

What Is Your Business and Legal Guide to Independent Comic Book Publishing?

Added on October 31, 2018 by Gamal Hennessy.

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:

Publishing independent comics (See the Creator Owned Path)
Working as a freelance comic artist (See the Work for Hire Path)
Getting creator owned deals with publishers of all sizes (See the Creator Driven Path)
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.

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.

Vault Comics Launches a New YA Brand

Added on October 25, 2018 by Gamal Hennessy.

The young adult segment of the comic book industry has seen growth in recent years. Gains have been seen in library, book stores and direct market shops.

Independent publisher Vault Comics recently announced a new imprint called Myriad to cater to this market.

"The new middle grade and YA imprint will offer original graphic novels and serialized graphic works as well as a lineup of new and established authors and artists. The initial list of titles and creators will be announced in November 2018." (Publishers Weekly)

Myriad can open doors for emerging creators interested in YA comics and signal to other independent publishers that growth can still be found outside the superhero genre.

Have fun.

Gamal

Can Freelance Comic Creators Form a Union?

Added on October 23, 2018 by Gamal Hennessy.

Unionization among comic creators isn’t impossible or is ultimately bad for the industry. But until the obstacles are overcome, freelance creators need to negotiate the best contracts they can and be flexible enough to withstand the rapid changes inherent to the industry.

Fighting the Demons of Independent Comics Publishing

Added on October 22, 2018 by Gamal Hennessy.

Publishing your own comics, like any type of independent creative endeavor, can be an exciting journey of achievement. It can also be a descent into poor health, isolation, and financial stress. Creators who can balance the love for their book with their long term well being have a better chance of enjoying the experience.

Jessica Bruder wrote a thoughtful piece in Inc. Magazine called "The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship." While publishing an independent comic isn't the same as launching a Fortune 500 company, there are simple lessons in this post creators can learn like:

Make time for friends and family
Ask for help if depression or hopelessness sets in
Take care of your body (sleep, exercise, etc.)
Don't bankrupt yourself to make your book
Don't define yourself only by your book

Publishing independent comics can feel like being a superhero with a secret identity. Both your passion project and your alter ego need to be protected. Neglecting either one can create an imbalance that destroys both.

My Interview with On the Reel

Added on October 16, 2018 by Gamal Hennessy.

Last night Mr. Stephen Johnson and the gentlemen of the R-Square Network show On the Reel invited me to discuss my recent article The Politics of Comics (http://bit.ly/2pQcqOl).

The discussion touched on Chuck Wendig's firing, Comicsgate, the Trumpocalypse and the potential impact on commercial artistic expression.

What's your opinion?

Have fun.

Gamal

The Politics of Making Comics

Added on October 14, 2018 by Gamal Hennessy.

Comics, like other forms of popular art, have always been influenced by the political climate of the period they are created in. From the mythical stories of Kirby ready to face down nazi sympathizers who threatened him for his work in Captain America, to Seduction of the Innocent and the subsequent congressional hearings, to Comicsgate, politics have always been a part of making comics.

Against that backdrop, the termination of Chuck Wendig last week is disturbing, but not surprising. I’ve written about the contractual tools parties can use to dictate the private activities of their business partners in earlier posts (See Avoiding the Trump Effect in Your Creative Contracts) and even a company like Marvel, who has been the target of Comicsgate because of their diversity efforts (See Is Diversity Killing Marvel Comics) can feel the reactionary pressure to pull away from an artist they see as too controversial for their IP. The deeper question is what kind of impact this move will have on comic book artists in the future.

Will this create a chilling effect on emerging artists who rely on the Big Two as their main source of income? Will it push away established artist who cherish their right to be vocal about their beliefs outside of their professional work? Will fans of fired artists drift away from publishers? Will aggressive elements on any side of a political issue see this as a signal to force more creators to be harassed, censored, or fired?

What do you think the Wendig fallout will be, and how will it affect the way you make and read comics?

Have fun.

Gamal

Can Lion Forge Save Comics?

Added on October 3, 2018 by Gamal Hennessy.

In an age of dwindling single issue sales, an aging core fan base and characters who don’t always reflect an evolving reader base, can a growing new publisher take advantage of the opportunity and seize market share?

Publishers Weekly sat down with the executives of Lion Forge Comics to answer that question.

“The comics market has shifted and we need to be nimble and take advantage of opportunities as they happen. We’re not bogged down by our history like older companies. You need to be diverse in this market. We don’t have to start a diversity division or create a black imprint. This stuff is in our DNA.”
- David Steward II, Lion Forge CEO

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

So Where Was Captain Marvel?

Added on September 18, 2018 by Gamal Hennessy.

Marvel Studios dropped the new Captain Marvel trailer this morning to deflect attention away from the "leaked" Joker image.

As an initial trailer, this sets up a mystery providing more questions than answers, but as a film set in the 80's (made clear in the Blockbuster reference) the most obvious question for me is where was this powerhouse hero when Loki was trying to take over the Earth and Ultron tried to drop a country on Europe?

Have fun.

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

You Need Two Teams to Publish a Successful Comic

Added on March 6, 2018 by Gamal Hennessy.

By Gamal Hennessy

I’m in the process of writing a book about the business and legal aspects of making independent comics (See Your Career in Comics). As the book develops, I plan to share parts of it here for your reaction and feedback.

About a month ago, I began the process by asking why you want to make comics in the first place (See What Are You Trying to Do?). Now I’d like to look at who you need to have on your team to have a successful publishing program.

One Book, Two Teams

Independent comic creators often put a lot of time and effort into building the team for their books. They reach out to friends in their circles who make comics. They visit artist’s alley in conventions, pour over Deviant Art pages, explore the overseas options, and ask for referrals on social media. Sometimes, it takes years for them to find the right artists for their project.

But too many creators start their book with only half a team.

If comics are a form of commercial art, then the development of the art requires both business and creative support. Focusing on only one side limits the potential of the project.

The Creative Team

This side of the equation is basic to the creation of any comic. As with plays, films, and television shows, one or more individuals come together to turn a vision into a reality. Some roles overlap, but the common structure of a comic book creative team includes:

The writer who creates the overall plot of the book and the script in both the caption boxes and the character dialogue.
The artist creates the fundamental images on each page. They may also create the basic character designs, settings, logos and the cover for the overall book
The inker enhances the images created by the artist, altering the tone and weight of the story by emphasizing some visual aspects over others.
The letterer inserts all the words in the book including dialogue, captions and “sound effects” in a way that guides the reader’s eye in a natural progression from one image to another.
The flatter prepares the inked images for the colorist to enhance the color rendering process.
The colorist adds moods, energy, and texture to the images to give them more impact to the eye
The editor oversees the entire process to ensure that the best possible finished product is created on time and under budget.

The Business Team

The creative side of comics is intense and time-consuming, but it is only part of the process. Professional comic creators publish books with one of the goals being the creation of profit. Without someone (and more often several people) running the business side of things, even the best comics will not sell. The elements of the business team vary from book to book, but every book needs to answer these questions as part of the process:

Accounting: Who is collecting the money? Who is paying the bills?
Advertising: Who is in charge of informing the public about the book?
Distribution: Who is handling the relationships with Diamond and the direct market shops for the print book? Who is in charge of managing the online distribution on the website, Comixology, and the emerging distribution channels?
Legal: Who is protecting the intellectual property of the book? Who is handling the internal and external contract negotiations?
Management: Who is in charge of the overall creative and financial success of the book?
Marketing: Who is in charge of creating the website, maintaining the social media presence, running the crowdfunding campaign, and handling the interactions with the comic book press,
Printing: Who is in charge of managing the printing process? (If the book is being printed)
Sales: Who is in charge of using the book to generate money?

Juggling Jobs

Every independent comic does not have fifteen people working on it. Some established publishing companies don’t have fifteen people working on the books. Creating independent comics is a startup experience. It means members of the creative team often take roles in the business team. It can mean members of the business team can fulfill multiple roles within that team. It also means that some jobs will not be done, or they won’t be done with the same time and attention as if someone only worked on that piece of the project. Some creators decide to give up some of their rights and sign up with creator-driven publishers like Image or AfterShock to take advantage of their pre-existing business teams.

As a comic creator, you have the power to decide which aspects of the process will and won’t get done. This power works better when you make conscious decisions at the outset of the project. It does you no good to spend two years making a book to sell and then realizing no one is prepared to sell it or collect the money.

The Cost of Teamwork

No matter how you decide to divide the tasks of publishing your comic, everyone who works on the book is going to have to be compensated at some point. Very few people are willing to work for free, even on something they love, so part of independent publishing is finding a way to pay everyone involved.

There are several different compensation methods available depending on the level of participation of each person, your resources, and the short and long-term interests of everyone involved. Increased involvement often includes increased compensation. Different compensation can be mixed and matched to give each person both a short and long-term stake in the project. Just don’t give away more than you have.

Compensation methods include:

Upfront payment
Revenue sharing based on units sold, ad revenue generated, sponsorships, etc.
Ownership interests in the underlying property
Credit on the underlying work

Better Odds

When creating a comic, the chances of success are greater if all jobs are assigned, everyone agrees on the terms, and the schedules for production, marketing, sales, and payment are established before making the book. All this preparation does not guarantee a hit book. The Big Two have dozens of people involved in each book and some of them still fail. But publishing comics involves a lot of individual tasks to make the machine run. If some tasks don’t get done on the business or creative side, then the machine breaks down fast.

Next month I’ll talk about creating a term sheet for the members of your team and the relationship between the term sheet and the contract.

Have fun with your comic...

Gamal