30 dollar cover art

[GingerbreadGirl]

I was hired by a well known company to do cover art, I've never been published before so I was really excited since this company does publish globally and is well known, but I would only be getting paid 30 dollars for the cover. Is this normal? Their in the comic industry and I would be doing multiple covers... I think the agreement was for 3 other covers. I just wanted to make sure since I think I'm getting short changed but again I don't really know...
Just coloring the covers btw

Thank you ^^;

[Qitsune]

So the deal is to do 90 usd to color 3 covers for a large, well known company? I'm not into comics but that seems awfully low to me. I mean, how much would you expect to take to color them? I can't imagine that a large well known company wants their covers colored by someone who thinks they deserve less than 30$ an hour. I smell something fishy here. Can you look at the other artists who worked for them and contact them? How good are they? And how much did they get paid? It's sometimes a bit of a sensitive subject, but you could try asking them if they think 30$ is too low, don't tell them that the company who is offering you that kind of money is the one they have worked for. Just something like: "Hi, I really like your work and I would like to do something similar. I was just offered 30$ to do a cover and I was thinking you would have a good idea who much those go for. Do you think it's a fair price?"

[GingerbreadGirl]

So the deal is to do 90 usd to color 3 covers for a large, well known company? I'm not into comics but that seems awfully low to me. I mean, how much would you expect to take to color them? I can't imagine that a large well known company wants their covers colored by someone who thinks they deserve less than 30$ an hour. I smell something fishy here. Can you look at the other artists who worked for them and contact them? How good are they? And how much did they get paid? It's sometimes a bit of a sensitive subject, but you could try asking them if they think 30$ is too low, don't tell them that the company who is offering you that kind of money is the one they have worked for. Just something like: "Hi, I really like your work and I would like to do something similar. I was just offered 30$ to do a cover and I was thinking you would have a good idea who much those go for. Do you think it's a fair price?"
I'm a little scared too, it is a bit embarrassing because I do want to work for them, they are really well known but I thought, since they well known, since they do print globally I would get paid really well.... If you walk into any comic book store or anything they are there so I want to make a good impression so I'm a little scared to question it. But I don't want to just get ripped off and left behind which is what I'm scared is going to happen...
I know I have to confront someone I just don't know who...

[BirdBirdBirdX3]

$30 for cover art is low. From my experience cover art tend to also have a more revisions before it's approved since it what helps sells the books.
So if you spend all day making a book cover and only get paid $30...it might not be worth your time.

Generally getting more exposure from a well-known company is not substitute for lack of compensation. Most of the time you get credit for your art work anyways, that's not something extra. If the company is established and so well known shouldn’t they be able to compensate more fairly?

[GingerbreadGirl]

$30 for cover art is low. From my experience cover art tend to also have a more revisions before it's approved since it what helps sells the books.
So if you spend all day making a book cover and only get paid $30...it might not be worth your time.

Generally getting more exposure from a well-known company is not substitute for lack of compensation. Most of the time you get credit for your art work anyways, that's not something extra. If the company is established and so well known shouldn’t they be able to compensate more fairly?

Whats the average? And again I've never been published before and I'm just coloring and yeah they gave me to notes on what to fix and what not

edit: They should... at least I thought so, I don't really know what to think of it... Would it be in bad taste to ask? I signed the contract that said I would get paid the amount we both agreed on but i haven't signed the invoices yet...

[BirdBirdBirdX3]

Whats the average? And again I've never been published before and I'm just coloring and yeah they gave me to notes on what to fix and what not

edit: They should... at least I thought so, I don't really know what to think of it... Would it be in bad taste to ask? I signed the contract that said I would get paid the amount we both agreed on but i haven't signed the invoices yet...

Writers: $75-$120
Painted art $300-$400
Pencil art $100-$250
Ink art $75-$200
Lettering $40-$50
Coloring art $100-$150

Cover art for novels can easily go $1000 and up. It also depends on the rights the publishers wants too for the art.

Prices quoted from the Graphic Artist Guild Hand Book, Pricing Ethical Guidelines. These are just ball park. You also have to consider your level of experience, quaility, and hours you put into your work. All reputable companies should be open to negotiation.

[GingerbreadGirl]

Those prices are even for artists who aren't seasoned or anything? The cover art is... I guess... for kids? Like their not marvel or anything its a lot more simplified then that...

[BirdBirdBirdX3]

Those prices are even for artists who aren't seasoned or anything? The cover art is... I guess... for kids? Like their not marvel or anything its a lot more simplified then that...

Even if the cover is done for audience of "kids" that's the choice of the publisher. It doesn't suddenly downgrade the value. You should be compensated on the amount of details and work load required. If the style is simple and take you less time to create, then you would quote them less as well.

Those rates I mention are just ball park. So if you are an established/famous artist you can even charge double those rates because nobody else has the skill or style to do the job. But if an artist with so so quaility or less experience then they would quote a lower notch.

Work around the clients reasonable budget but at the same time don't sell yourself too short. Find a rate you are comforable with. You can always lower your rates if you go over the client's budget but hard press to increase them later on with your clients.

[dpaint]

Did you say in an earlier post you signed a contract agreeing to be paid 30 but havent signed the invoice? If you agreed and signed a contract you can't renegoiate the fee after the fact.

[GingerbreadGirl]

no the contract I signed was to be paid an amount we both agreed upon, not any certain amount, but its fixed now :)

[Oris]

only 30 $ ? i can paid very candies for my children : ) ...
One day when you keep a family,... will you understand guy, please nothing offense that is .
Or be these are things are to feel them also, isn't only start talking we...
Maybe, currently your boos walking on a fine Mercedz with girls his.

Marco Aurelio or Marco Viana
http://artworkscomicsstudio.blogspot.com/ http://marcoaurelioviana.blogspot.com/

[dpaint]

So how did it become fixed if you didn't agree to it in writing? Sorry it is confusing to me.

If you did not sign a contract with a price, then you didn't sign a contract, you signed a letter of intent.
Letters of intent are like contracts but contain no specifics and just say both parties agree to negotiate in good faith to reach a contract where you both agree on services and amounts of compensation.

[PuppyKitten]

The color opportunities I've had all paid more than this, but how simplistic are we talking here? Without revealing anything that's under an NDA, can you find an unrelated image of similar complexity and show us?

Like, type "children's book art" into Google image search and then show us which random image is comparable in quality?

Because if this is very basic colors using a paint bucket and some airbrushing on simplistic lines, then the low price makes a bit more sense. And yes, many comic companies invest is crappy-ass covers. There are some beautiful ones, and then some of them are so awful that they're half the quality of the interior art (some of the older Marvel covers just make me cringe for example).

[dpaint]

I disagree. It wouldn't matter if it looked like TinTin, 30 bucks is not a professional wage for a cover of anything. I was getting at least 300 for european covers in the 80's where all they did was slap a preexisting painting I had done on a reprinted novel. For commissioned work 1000 and up in 1985 dollars

[Elwell]

$30 a cover is not a professional rate under any circumstances.

[GingerbreadGirl]

thanks guys, I spoke it over with my boss
I'm getting 100 dollars a cover :)
It was just a misunderstanding

[GingerbreadGirl]

thanks guys, I spoke it over with my boss
I'm getting 100 dollars a cover :)
It was just a misunderstanding

[Elwell]

Muuuuuch better. (Still low, but not insultingly so. ;))

[lennon]

Writers: $75-$120
Painted art $300-$400
Pencil art $100-$250
Ink art $75-$200
Lettering $40-$50
Coloring art $100-$150


Hey, I don´t get this prices, this is for making what? A page? Please tell me that is not the full comic, couse if so I´ll quit and go to law school right now

[mickeymao]

Right, those rates are per-page. For the large comic companies. Smaller companies may pay less than that.

[lennon]

So for a comic of 20 pages, a writer gets about 2.400$ in the best of cases? How do they keep their families? They would have too work in two comics at least. No wonder most of the stories in comics are so bad.

[m.v.studio098]

the rates are not standard prices... at all for pros..

I GET $1,200 FIRST RIGHTS PER COVER.
DOUBLE PAGE spread is $2,400
b/w interiors are $200-400