Chewing Pencils

Method 1:- The Mock Up

Nobody can give you a rock solid, water tight, 100% guaranteed method to sell your cartoons. Don’t believe anybody who says they can.

Probably nine times out of ten you will be unsuccessful with your submissions. That’s the reality of the business. But there are some things you can do to give yourself the best possible chance of getting your work infront of clients, published and paid.

Over the next couple of days, I’ll outline some of the methods that have been successful for me, as well as share a few thoughts on some methods that others have used with varying levels of success.

The first is perhaps the oldest and most well used method amongst those starting out as a professional. It’s something we’ve probably all done as kids and in one sense still feels a little bit childish. But there is no denying that it can work very well, and it is the method that I used to win my first paying job. The method? Making a mock up of a page in the clients magazine which includes your cartoon/illustration work.

My local paper used to run a weekly article written by a lady that had just had her first child. It was a humorous piece in which she spoke of something significant that had happened in the last few days, usually revolving around the antics of her new daughter. It was nothing but text and I thought it could be well enhanced with the addition of a cartoon - my cartoon! So I collected a couple of the articles, drew cartoons to accompany them and then rearranged the article (and most of the page) to include my cartoon. Once done, I got the details of the editor of the paper and sent my ‘mock up’ pages to him personally. He liked what he saw and my cartoons appeared with the article every week for the next twelve months - until the article itself was dropped!

I can never be sure, but I’m fairly certain that had I rang and discussed my idea without something physical to show the editor, I would never have got the gig.

This method is ideal for virtually any market. All it takes is a bit of creativity to get your image in the spot where you think the person that makes the decisions will like it. Here a few tips to help you sell your work using the ‘mock up’ method:

1. Don’t simply replace somebody else’s cartoon with yours You’re wasting your time - the cartoon that’s there appeals to the editor already. If it didn’t it wouldn’t be there! There is virtually no chance that your work, regardless of how good it is, will be chosen to replace somebody else’s work.

2. Do use your images to replace photographs. Sometimes photo’s of particular things are difficult to get, so standard stock is used. If you can produce unique cartoons or illustrations that do a better job than a photo, you’re in with a good chance.

3. Make your mock up look good, but don’t spend too much time and money on it. Remember, this form of submission means you can only use it once with one particular client. If you want to send it somewhere else, you’ll need to make another mockup. A good quality photocopy of print out from your printer is usually good enough.

4. Never put your original work in the mock up. Always use a copy.

5. Take your work in personally if you can. Arrange to see the editor or art director, making it clear why you are coming in. This is nerve wracking, but a good investment in your time. Even if you aren’t successful, you can ask what sort of work they ARE after, or what you could do to have a better chance of being included. This type of feedback is invaluable.

6. If you’re sending the work in, make sure it is addressed to the right person.

7. If you want your mock up back, make sure you include return postage. Do this even if you’re meeting face to face with the potential client as this will give them some time to think it over. If you don’t, make it clear that the editor can discard it.

8. Make a follow up call to see how your submission is going, or to thank the editor for their time. Being a pleasant person to deal with gets you further than you think!

9. Keep on submitting! Not every week, but three to four times a year. This keeps your work infront of the editor and, should something come up unexpectedly, makes sure you are in ‘the right place at the right time.’

So, give it a go! And share some of your experiences with this method in the comments section.