Chewing Pencils

Tip 7:- Become business minded (Part 1).

The difference between a hobby and a profession is pretty simple. The professional has a goal of making money from what they do. I don’t mean to sound like some greedy capitalist, nor do I wish to belittle those who produce wonderful works of art for no remuneration. All I am saying is that a professional artist (cartoonist or otherwise) supports their family and lifestyle from the money they earn from their work.

For those rare few that are employed to draw full-time, the pay check comes in every week and all is good. For the 90% or so of cartoonists who are freelance, we need to rely on a number of skills to obtain new clients, keep current clients satisfied and encourage previous clients to call on us for repeat work. This means we put down our pencils, take off our pyjama’s, put on a suit and start thinking like a business person.

The business side of cartooning and illustration is where most artists encounter hurdles that they find impossible to jump. Indeed, the move from drawing for fun into the ‘wheeling and dealing’ world of price negotiations, contracts and deadlines is very daunting. And when the rejection letters start to arrive by the truck load the temptation to give it all away becomes great.

Like any job however, once you get into the swing of things and develop a greater business sense, you will find that the hurdles become a bit easier to jump.

The tips below relate mainly to the type of job where a client asks you to produce a particular piece of work for them. Often, however, a cartoonist will submit some cartoons directly to an editor in the hope that they will like what they see and then publish them. This is part of being a freelance cartoonist, but the business side of things still apply. You have a better chance of being published by an editor who recognize your name and work than by a stranger.

Anyway, here are a few tips to help you become more business minded.

1. Before doing anything, make sure you are set up properly to comply with your tax system. In Australia, you need to have what is called an ABN (Australian Business Number) to operate. This applies to corporate giants and freelance cartoonists alike. Many clients would have nothing to do with me if I didn’t have my own ABN, so it was important, before anything else, to have this set up properly. Yes, it has meant lots of reporting and electronic paper work, but it is essential to get this right from the very beginning.

Make sure you know what the tax laws are for your region and get set up NOW!

2. Put together a business plan. A freelance cartoonist doesn’t have a board of directors to report to, shareholders to be accountable to or annual reports they have to write. Nevertheless, it is worth putting some effort into putting together some type of business plan that sets a few goals for the future. Goals like the number of cartoons you want to draw per week; the number of submissions you want to make; the amount of income you want to generate; and how you will invest some of the money you make on expanding your business. Be realistic (you’re not going to make a million in your first year) but at the same time, recognize that the plan is not set in concrete. It acts as something that will keep your mind attentive to more than just the drawing side of the business.

3. Become conversant with copyright law. Unfortunately, the area of copyright is misunderstood by many cartoonists and even more clients. I’ve posted an article that outlines copyright law for cartoonists here, but also try to keep abreast of what is happening in the legal system when it comes to copyright. As I type this, there is a debate happening in the US about the copyright of art works to which no artist/author can be linked - so called “orphaned works.” It does not bode well for artists and will require different strategies for producing cartoons and illustrations should it get through. These are the sort of things all professional need to stay on top of.

4. Market yourself. This is where you start letting people know you are around. Emails, phone calls, visits are all good. Submit your website to the search engines and increase your ranking. Pay for some advertising if you can. (Google, yellow pages etc). Produce your own stationery, making sure your website and email address appears on all your letterheads and business cards. Approach the right people directly about doing some work for them. Find out the name of the editor etc.

5. Set up a standard contract. Some clients will have contracts that are more or less non-negotiable. Only sign these if you have read and understood it thoroughly and seek some legal advice if you are not sure. A standard contract should be used for all other clients, without exception, that includes what is expected of you and the client. Make sure it mentions the payment terms and in no instance should it hand over copyright. Ensure that the client is clear that you retain the rights to your work, they are simply buying a license to use it. This means you can negotiate an extra fee for the same work if the client wants to reuse it down the track.

6. Communicate well. Right from the very beginning, let your client know that they can be honest and upfront with you about how the job is going. Ask as many questions as you can about the job and NEVER assume anything - even if they say, “it’s up to you.” Give your client some options and make them choose.

Good, open communication makes the business relationship run smoothly and gives it a better chance for a long life.

7. Part of communicating well is to let your client see the progress you are making. At the end of each day or week, post some drafts of what you are doing on a private website so they can see the project taking shape. This gives the client an opportunity to respond early in the project should they want to change anything. You’ll be amazed at how much some clients look forward to seeing each update of your work!

In Tip 8, I will continue the theme of being a business minded cartoonist or illustrator and look at how much to charge, keeping to deadlines, invoices and receipts, and debt collection.