WAIT!--WE DON'T WANT TO READ THIS FOR WHATEVER REASON! WHERE ARE THE OTHER CURRENTLY EXISTANT THREADS?
General plot thread: http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=41649
Main protag info thread: http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=41668
Secondary protag info thread: http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=41695
Main Antagonist info thread: http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=41718
IS THERE ANYTHING INTERESTING AT ALL IN THE FOLLOWING MACRO-HUGE POST?
Honestly, no.
It's just boring but important business-type information. Interesting stuff will come later.
WHAT IS BEING SOUGHT FOR SUBMISSION?
Artwork for a series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called _Cry of Justice_ (hereafter CoJ). Though strictly speaking, what I need most at the moment is website art.
WHO IS THE PUBLISHER?
Bittersea Publications, my own publishing company, registered in the state of TN. This will be our first product. (Though there is no 'our' yet, it's only me.
)
WHO IS THE AUTHOR?
I am. I own the company, and I own all rights to the book being published. (Art rights will be discussed presently.)
WHAT KIND OF ART IS BEING SOUGHT?
I already have cover art for the first printing; but while it's okay, there is certainly room for improvement. {wry g} Nominally, though, cover art is set for the first book.
I will need art for the immediate sequel, though (_Edge of Justice_), as well as for any other sequels.
Most importantly for now, though: I will _DEFINITELY_ be looking for website art. This can be just sketches.
WHEN WILL CoJ BE PUBLISHED?
CoJ's first printing is currently slated to ship to stores in time for Labor Day weekend. Any book-art I buy or otherwise commission would be for printings substantially later than this, Novemberish 2007 at the most ridiculously early (i.e. 2nd printing first book, Early Spring 2008 market.)
The website, on the other hand, should go live this summer sometime. Website art, consequently, is absolutely _first_ priority. (Any sketches I might purchase for use as interior art in a future edition of CoJ, would be different than website art, btw.)
IS THERE A PARTICULAR DESIGN BEING SOUGHT?
I have no particular design scheme in mind for the website art yet. Other than accuracy to the characters as described in the story, of course.
HOW WILL THE SUBMISSION PROCESS WORK?
When you have anything you'd like to show (insofar as content for the website or an actual book is concerned), upload it with a comment to the appropriate thread. (I expect to be setting up new threads for distinct purposes as matters progress. This thread is for business matters.) You'll have to know how to send things in .jpg format or whatever. For this, ask the mods, as I am currently quite clueless about how it's done.
There is no 'final submission' per se. When I've made my decision about who to contract (and it may be multiple people), then I will publicly close submissions _for that purpose_ (i.e. eventually I'll say 'no more Book 2 cover submissions', but website submission will likely be open indefinitely). Thus you may find yourself sending along basic initial sketches that you evolve over time into far more detailed work. If I hire you, then you can send things by normal email; but until you're under contract it would be better for you to be uploading things to a public board, for reasons I'll get to next.
WHAT ABOUT COPYRIGHT?
Absolutely. Of course, _saying_ I will respect copyright, and _doing_ it are two different things. So, as a publisher, I would say DON'T SEND THINGS PRIVATE EMAIL (to an unestablished publisher anyway), because then if someone uses your work you have no public evidence that you were the one who did it.
On the other hand, a fully public board doesn't require a password to view things (only to post); and the way the legalities work, publishers tend to see such material as being _published_ (i.e. made public for public use) by doing so. In this case, not much of a problem, since you wouldn't (or at least shouldn't {wry g}) be trying to sell another publisher this work; but still, when you upload something to the boards, you should be sure to include a copyright statement: "Copyright 2007 [or whatever; being more detailed to the month is okay], [real name here], [putting a bit more detail about where you are or what company you are working for if you're submitting as part of a company would be a decent idea here]. All Rights Reserved."
That way, if I'm stupid enough to just take your work and use it anyway without compensating you, then you'll have a legal recourse, and just about any lawyer would be able to make a good case for suing me. (This, btw, is one reason why publishers frequently don't even open unsolicited book submissions.)
ARE YOU ACCEPTING BOOK SUBMISSIONS, TOO?
No, not at this time. Just art.
WHAT KEEPS SOMEONE FROM DROPPING SEVERAL CONCEPT DRAWINGS ON THE BOARD, AND THEN SUING BITTERSEA PUBLICATION AND/OR ANY ARTIST WHO WINS A CONTRACT, FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, BECAUSE A SIMILAR CONCEPT WAS FINALLY USED?
Publicly published statements like this one: "Any person submitting to this open public call for material does so with the understanding and acceptance that basic concepts and designs may be used in the final product, especially insofar as the publisher has some idea of what he is looking for. Character and situation designs are in any case the intellectual property of the publisher, and he hereby reserves those rights."
That's loose enough to allow a fair dispute room to move, even to the point of possibly requiring me to compensate a few artists for overlapping work. That's a risk I'm willing to take. (And besides I may simply fairly want to compensate multiple artists for contributions.)
Keep in mind that ideally I will be looking for interior sketchwork and even material for a whole other full artbook, too. If I think your work is good enough for publication, I _will_ be finding a place for it somewhere, eventually--once I've earned enough cash to afford you. {g}
Be aware that 'good' and 'right for publication' are somewhat different things. The artwork may be exceedingly good, yet still not be cover material, for instance.
WHAT ARE THE COMPENSATION TERMS WE CAN EXPECT?
For website art, I'm willing to pay $100 (or possibly more, at my discretion) for any sketch I decide to dress the site up with. Be aware that in this case, your rights to the _use_ of the art end; although your _compensation_ rights for _my_ use continue in perpetuity, I think. (Meaning if I use it anywhere other than on the website, you'll have to be paid for it. We'll cross that bridge when-if-ever we get to it.)
As to compensation for jacket-cover art, or for artbook art: ideally I would pay an advance for the right to use the work (both in that printing and for any future printings _of the same product_--different product, I would have to pay you again, of course.)
Since I'm just starting out, and don't have much working capital, though, I would rather not pay a figure in advance (duh); but in that case, I'll have to pay royalties.
From the artist's side, the advantage to royalties is that you get reimbursed for every item sold making use of that particular work of yours, for basically _ever_. {g} The disadvantage is that by the time everyone takes their nibbles out of a $25 book, you'd be earning maybe 3-1/2 cents on it. Before taxes. Maybe 7 cents a unit, if you're lucky. And no, I'm not kidding.
As a publisher, though, I assure you I would rather just pay you x-amount up front and be able to use your art forever on that particular project without having to mess around with paying you every quarter-year for the rest of my natural life. Aside from being _much_ less of a hassle on my part, in the long-term I'd be financially ahead, too. But to do that, I have to have the working capital. Which is limited at the moment. Thus the strategic dilemma for a publisher in my position: pay you once now and have less money to get things off the ground otherwise, or pay you forever after and have more money available on the front end to get things off the ground.
Fwiw, most artists want their cash up front. {g}
WHAT RIGHTS WILL WE RETAIN OR LOSE UNDER CONTRACT?
All usage rights will be mine, but (unless you insist on being paid some flat sum up front, and assuming I agree to that) you'll receive the right to royalty compensation for any units sold at point-of-purchase to the end user (be that an individual, a library, whatever). Typically you'll be allowed to use your work for your own self-promotion as you like, but not to sell it or otherwise directly capitalize on it.
WILL WE BE EXPECTED TO PUT UP ANY OF OUR OWN MONEY...?
No, absolutely not. Wait, that wasn't strong enough. _NO!!_--ABSOLUTELY _NOT!!_
I'm not that kind of 'publisher'. (As an ironclad rule, you should never accept 'publication' from someone expecting you to put up some of the funds, including a promise to buy some number of units, etc. Contractors are another thing, but I would be contracting _you_, thus paying _you_.)
WHAT IF WE ARE UNDERAGE?
That could be a bit of a problem, if we’re talking book-art; but for website art, which is what I’m primarily after at this time, there shouldn’t be any problem with me sending you a money order or cashier’s check in the mail. It would be like being paid to mow the lawn for a summer. Except with less chance of sunburn, stings, allergies, being struck by lightning, etc.
Jason Pratt
Bittersea Publications