A Cartoonist's Dream

I've loved cartoons as well as cartooning, since I was a kid. At age of 10, I tutored cartooning at class breaks in exchange of nice treats at my school cafe. On our field trips, my classmates in the tour bus clustered together and enjoyed my comic books that I brought to share. I still remember that I always reminded my readers of going back to do their homework instead of getting addicted to comics, which was a common problem for many parents at that time. I grew up and chose a very different career as an engineer - a rigid training that cartoonists would have tried to stay away as far as they could.

Since the birth of Cartoosh, I've wondered what American cartoonists do to make a living. Here is what I found out: working and dreaming to become a "syndicated" cartoonist.

What is "syndicated"?

A syndicate is a company that do everything to bring you your favorite cartoons or comics except the creation which is certainly the job of the cartoonist. The syndicate screens the cartoons, identifies the ones they can sell well and profit, edits, packages, promotes, prints, sells, and distributes them to the newspapers, magazines, and medias.

Why do cartoonists dream about being syndicated?

Needless to say, they need to make a living. When a syndicate identifies a cartoon or comic strip, they'll sign a contract with the cartoonist. The contract typically describes how many cartoons the cartoonist has to provide and when. It also sets the price or the compensation the cartoonist is going to receive for his or her work. How much can a syndicated cartoonist make? It depends on how popular those cartoons would become or the number of newspapers/publications purchase the cartoons. In general, a syndicated cartoonist can make between $20,000 and $150,000, while a few superstars may make over a million.

Who are the syndicates?

The most popular syndicates here in U.S. are (in no specific order):

• King Features
• Creators of Syndicate
• Universal Press Syndicate
• The Washington Post Writers Group
• Tribune Media Service

What's the chance of being syndicated?

Well... very small. A syndicate typically receives over 5,000 submissions in a year and chooses only 2 or 3. Due to the Internet, the newspapers and the syndicate industry have undergone series of consolidation over the past decade. The recent economy turmoil makes it even worse. Many newspapers have cut back on the number of comic strips they carry. Even for the cartoonist who survive the storm, they'll likely find a portion of their income perished. Some cartoonists are urging their readers on their blog to voice their favor of their favorite cartoons and to keep them published on the newspaper. That said, you should be very proud, if you're a syndicated artist today.

By no means, I'm trying to discourage you from submitting your artwork to syndicates. I think that's every cartoonist's dream and every cartoonist ought to give it a try. Note that every syndicate has different submission requirements and guidelines. Use the links above to find out the details. Some syndicates require 24 cartoons or comics to get a sense of consistent quality of work. The review process usually take 6 to 8 weeks. If they like your work, they'll definitely be in contact with you. Otherwise, they may not. Keep in mind that rejection of your submission does not mean that your artwork is not good enough. There are many factors that affect outcomes of the screening process. You should keep submitting your work to the syndicates at regular basis, knowing that you might not hear back from them.

What has changed in the syndication industry?

Twenty years ago, a syndicated contract typically lasts 15 or 20 years long. If that is the first contract, you can image that the terms wouldn't be very favorable for the cartoonist. The cartoonist may see his or her work getting popular, yet his income has remained flat. Worse, most syndicated cartoonists lose copyrights of their work to the syndicate under the contract. Few may be able to negotiate a better contract and/or retain copyrights, when the contract is finally due. In February 1987, Mr. Richard S. Newcombe founded Creators Syndicate with an intention to grant shorter contracts (typically 5 years) and let the artist to retain the copyrights. Since then, the industry practices have changed quite a bit.

Where to go from here?

Over the past decade, the Internet has opened up the avenue of information to the public. Everyday, billions of people surf the Internet for information. The old revenue model by signing a syndication contract to make a living has also changed. The RSS subscription has replaced a good portion of traditional newspaper or magazine subscription to deliver news, articles, cartoons, and so on. Some are fee-based, and others free of charge. Many artists puts out their artworks for sale on the self-publishing sites like Fine Art America and deviantArt, others make their artwork available at the print-on-demand sites like CafePress and Zazzle.

All these new developments are welcoming to a cartoonist or an artist. I foresee new technologies and Internet applications like Web 2.0 will help cartoonists and artisits realize their dreams faster than ever.