[Comic Book Publishing] – How Much Should You Spend to Produce a Comic Book?

It’s an oft-asked question in the comic book industry, but it’s an important one:

How much should a publisher spend on the production of a comic book?

Believe it or not, there’s no standard answer in the industry, and the fees that writers, artists, letterers and editors are paid varies widely between companies. Obviously, Marvel and DC pay the best, and they tend to attract the topmost talent as a result. Other established publishers, like Image and Dark Horse, also pay fairly well. Indy publishers can’t generally afford those rates, and they have to budget for lower costs… which generally means lower quality.

With that said, there are ways to keep costs down, and there are always top-notch artists who are willing to work at a lower rate in exchange for more creative control and/or profit-sharing. But let’s begin by looking at my estimates of the rates artists are getting in the industry today…

First off, let’s get the big myth out of the way: no one is getting rich from doing comics, save a handful of creators who were smart enough and/or lucky enough to get into the business side of things. And most of them aren’t “rich” so much as they’re “well off.” That’s important to understand, because there’s this weird idea throughout the ranks of the fans that the “big names” are highly successful. That might be true for someone like Todd McFarlane, who created a hugely successful comic book line, sold the rights to a major motion picture, and then applied his earnings towards starting a toy company. But I assure you, he’s the vast exception to the rule.

My experience in comics has been that most of the people working in the industry are doing so freelance and part time. Most of them cannot afford to live in New York, Los Angeles, or San Diego, and most are doing other work to subsidize working in comics. Only a handful are making a living doing this full time, and of those, even fewer are earning an envious income.

So, with that said, here are the rates I’ve observed publishers paying (excluding, of course, Marvel and DC):

Writers: $10-35 per page, or $220-770 an issue. Writers are in large supply and short demand, and only those with massive fanbases are worth paying more, no matter how skilled they are or how good their ideas are. But don’t feel too bad; a comic book script only takes a few days to write, and some writers can handle 4 or 5 books a month. The sweet spot for scripts seems to be around $500.
Editors: This varies, since editors often are on staff and not hired freelance. I’d say per book, editors generally range from $50-500, depending on the work they’re doing and the skill required. The upper part of that range is generally reserved for editors who are not only responsible for checking scripts and reading proofs, but also making schedules and keeping people on said schedules. That’s a lot more work than it sounds. Still, I’d recommend $200-300 per book for most editors, and more only if they’re really working hard.
Artists: $75-200 per page, or $1650-4400 per issue. Pencil artists and inkers are always the most expensive part of the process because they spend the most time on the pages and require the most skill. Many publishers are phasing inkers out and using digital inks over pencils instead. I’m not sure if this is a good move or not; some pencils aren’t strong enough not to be inked. But it’s hard to deny the fact that it makes the books much cheaper to produce, and therefore, much easier on the publisher.
$200 is a bit much to pay an inexperienced artist, but it’s a good price for an artist who’s willing to handle pencils and inks together. I’d say $100-150 is the “sweet spot” for most indy artists, and $200 is good for established pros who are returning to indy books. But publishers should definitely be careful not to overspend. I know of a situation where a publisher was paying an artist $10,000 per book, or $455 per page. The artist wasn’t worth it, and it did not surprise me when the book stopped midway through its run and lost a ton of money.
Colorists: $35-125 per page, or $770-2750 per book. Colorists vary widely in quality and ability, and those on the low end are usually artists from other countries looking to get their big break in the US comics industry. I don’t know of any colorists who aren’t doing colors digitally these days, and most can turn pages around fairly quickly. Therefore, I’d say $75-100 is the “sweet spot” for paying a colorist, though some of the guys who work for more can do some amazing things that the lower-end guys lack the skill to do.
I’d note that Pat Lee’s Dreamwave Studios, which was noted for its flashy artwork and great colors, used an army of low-paid colorists on each book instead of individual pros. If you have the volume to afford in-house colorists, it’s not necessarily a bad idea. But keep in mind that Dreamwave tanked rather quickly once its Transformers books dropped off in sales, so it might not be the best company to follow.
Letterers: $15-50 per page, or $330-1100 per book. Some publishers attempt to letter books themselves, but I wouldn’t recommend doing so, since lettering is an art of its own that requires specific knowledge to do properly. Also, letterers are supposed to either be using their own fonts or using legally licensed fonts in their work, saving the publisher from legal troubles. Good letterers work fast, ask smart questions about potential typos, and get pages ready for proofing. I’d say $25-40 is the “sweet spot” for competent letterers, though some may charge more if they offer post-production services or other services, like logo design.

(If anyone has specific knowledge of the rates being paid in the industry, please feel free to post them in the comments section!)

Contracting good people is important, but working from a budget is key. I generally start by assigning a production budget to the book as a whole, and then I subtract in-house editorial fees and break it down into costs per page. So, for example, if I budget $250 per page, I can spend $100 on my artist and then try to divide the rest amongst the writer, colorist and letterer. Obviously, for that low of a price, I’m not going to be able to afford an inker, but that’s how it goes when you’re an indy publisher — you have to be realistic about cutting costs, even if it’s at the expense of putting an extra burden on the pencils. But $250 a page is $5500 a book… and that’s not counting the cover or other production work! To make back $5500 at 3.99 per issue with the standard trade discount, you’d have to sell close to 3200 copies of a comic book. And that doesn’t include the costs of printing or marketing. I’ve heard that some publishers budget upwards of $15,000 per issue for production alone. I hope they’re running ads — otherwise, they’re going to run out of money fast, unless they can somehow get their sales up into the tens of thousands.

Cutting costs is always smart, provided that you do it properly. In my experience, writers are the people who are willing to work for the least. Some will even work for free in exchange for a chance to be professionally published. Don’t feel bad about this. I personally believe in paying people for the work that they do, but to a writer, having a professional credit is often the most important part of the deal. Consider that their payment. You can always pay them points on the backend if needed. (Chances are good you won’t have any profits to share, but it’s a nice thought nontheless.)

Artists (and colorists and letterers, too) will generally expect to be paid the agreed amount, with little flexibility. That’s because artists put in considerably more work than writers, often at the expense of free time or personal lives. Artists are generally the first to jump ship when financial troubles surface. Make sure they get paid on time. One of the best ways to burn your bridges in the comic book industry is to develop a reputation for not paying people in full or on time. I saw this firsthand at one of the publishers with whom I used to work — it was ugly then, and it still has consequences for them to this day.

All in all, I’d say the “sweet spot” for production is $5,000-7,000 per issue. If you can get away with less, do so. Just make sure that your quality doesn’t suffer. After all, including printing, at $3.99 with the usual trade discount of around 57%, you’re going to have to sell upwards of 7,200 copies just to break even… and that’s going to be a hard thing to do if your book’s quality is inferior to other titles on the market.

I welcome other publishers to share their input here. It’s always great to hear from people who have firsthand experience!

-SJJ

Share and Enjoy:

Comic Book Publishing | SeanJJordan | July 28, 2008 10:06 pm

3 Comments

By Wow Jones, March 24, 2009 @ 12:24 pm

Sean Jordan,

Thank you so much for posting such an enlightening and informative article!

Last week, I began thinking about producing a promotional comic book and your article was the FIRST I’ve come across that actually named actual FIGURES.

I needed to begin to chart potential expenses so that I could come up with a budget and your posting will enable me to begin to do that.

Thanks again. I will definitely use your website as a resource should I have any further questions.

Best,
Wow Jones
By SeanJJordan, March 24, 2009 @ 12:46 pm

Sure! I can tell you that my upcoming book, CODE OF THE WILD, has a budget of $15,000 for production (artwork, lettering, proofing, printing, freight). It’s a 48 page graphic novel, so it’s a little more expensive than a typical comic, but it’s a pretty reasonable budget for a book.
By Wow Jones, March 26, 2009 @ 3:41 pm

Sean J,

Well, what I have mind is dramatically smaller in scale. I’m thinking a color, 12-14 page comic book. I figure that for a first effort, it’s best to start small, VERY small.

I wish you the best on your graphic novel CODE OF THE WILD. Should I have the means when it comes out, I’ll be happy to purchase a copy as a means of at the least…solidarity and support.

Thanks again.

Best,
Wow Jones

Writing Scraps

by Sean J. Jordan