The Reality of the Royalty:
Ok, here is a rough estimate of a standard royalty for the sale of 30 thousand images at about 20 dollars per product. Guess what the artist received? . . . $1,800. (Baby, break out the Lexus!)(Oops, sorry . . . I guess I just fell off the turnip truck, but now that I am on my feet and have dusted myself off, apparently the light of reason is dawning!)
So, let’s leave “Never land,” and discuss the fact that there is simply a lot of misinformation out there about mass marketing. Consider that to have a good royalty; first a product must become very popular. To paint a concrete picture, with the above mentioned sale of 30 thousand of my images, the proceeds of that $1,800 sale represented the grand conglomeration of 6 months of sales. Folks, this is peanuts!
During a recent meeting at a charming, local restaurant with famed, Llewellyn author, Brian Mercer, we discussed what we felt were realistic expectations within the world of mass marketing. It was refreshing to work with someone who knew the ropes. Like noted author Christopher Walsh, he understood the importance of allowing the illustrator complete creative control. Christopher, another terrific writer, is a great respecter of the artist’s creative process. Without Christopher’s patience and wisdom, I could never have created the epic art which sets “Tucker’s Tale” apart in its genre. Nor would the dog rescues have the prints which will benefit so many. Good things come to those who wait.
Now back to my conversation with Brian . . . we both agreed that the climb to notoriety is often long. Even J.K. Rowling’s, Harry Potter, sat at the bottom of a slush pile for quite a while.
However, the climb out of the slush pile does one thing for you that nothing else can, it defines for you whether you have honor and whether those who surround you have honor, and whether your clients have honor too. But, more importantly, it teaches you to value any favors done for you in a very competitive field.
Writing a hard and fast contract in the creative world is very difficult due to the creative process itself. The creative process is a birthing process and every parent knows that every baby is different. There will always be ebbs and flows in creativity, and because of this reality elements of patience and trust must also exist between working partners, as this is the key to producing great works as a team.
While I cannot yet disclose any agreements with Brian, I will say that I am very excited and well prepared for the type of work we discussed. However, as I am finishing several other works, I will disclose more with Brian’s permission as the official start date approaches. I also know, that Brian, like Christopher understands the importance of giving an illustrator complete creative control, and that surely I can produce another work as special as Tucker’s Tale.
