Dan Berry Sessions (ARD604)

Dan Berry Sessions

Websites

·         Portfolio: Show off artwork, let people contact you for commission work, look professional

·         Portfolio & Blog: Same as portfolio but blog makes you look active and engaged

·         Webcomic: Run scheduled updates, allow people to read the comic

·         People generally only click 3 times, for 15 seconds each

·         Don’t have difficult-to-spell domain names

·         Don’t use non-existent words unless they are easy to remember and the make sense

·         Try to use your own name for the domain

·         Keep a professional e-mail separate from personal (standard with a new website)

·         Keep it simple and easy to understand

·         Landing Pages (Click here to enter)(Under construction)- DON’T USE THEM

·         Plugins: don’t make people download plugins, and don’t use Flash as Apple products can’t see it

·         The aim is to show off your artwork, not your website, so don’t include distracting elements like borders, buttons, etc

·         Avoid scrolling, flashing buttons, pop-ups and odd cursors

·         Ukhost4u.com : CMS (Content management system)

·         Keep menus as clear as possible

·         Don’t put things like ‘Uni Work’ or ‘Personal’

·         Don’t try and make it do extra stuff that isn’t necessary

·         Use things that other people have built, not build your own

·         FREE websites are not FREE

·         SquareSpace – lets you make a website and have a domain name. You have to pay for it but there are coupon codes online.

Publishing

·         Ideas are usually generated in-house

·         Different stories suit different publishers

·         New talent is generally found through events like ComicCon as artists can show off portfolios and business cards

·         Lots of people are found through word of mouth

·         Angouleme festival

·         No one can tell what sells, but they tend to shy away from commercial stuff

·         If you pitch an idea, have around 8 pieces of sequential art to prove that you can tell coherent stories. Short synopsis.

·         If you are a good writer yourself, it can bolster your chances

·         Meet deadlines, or say so if you can’t

·         Be willing to participate in promotions

·         Pace yourself

·         Allow one year to finish a graphic novel

·         Try not to use Facebook or Twitter to post things to companies

·         Rather use e-mail or physical post

·         Don’t pitch irrelevant things to the publisher, so read up on what they have published

·         Try not to pitch finished books

·         No preferences for style (realistic or cartoonish)

·         You will be matched to a story based on your style

Contracts & Rights

·         A contract is a legal document (a safety net)

·         Both you and the client have a copy

·         Both of you sign it

·         Outlines the project to avoid confusion

·         Don’t be shy about putting in details

·         There should be a ‘Kill Fee’ (Cancellation Fee)

·         Outline the amount of work, size, medium, intended use, phased delivery, project name, revisions, total price, lump sums, half up front and remainder in instalments,, and whether the client may use the artwork if they haven’t paid

·         Rights are how you will be credited for the work, what you’ll receive and how much it will cost to print without crediting you

·         DON’T just sign a rights contract without reading it carefully and seeing a solicitor

·         Make sure you have a signatory to chase after for your money

·         Verbal agreements are useless

·         Don’t be afraid to ask them to sign a contract; if they shy away, they are not worth it

·         Google the company to research them. If they have no website, be suspicious.

·         E-mail them to ascertain their authenticity

·         Solicitors are helpful but can be pricey

·         License- the freedom to do something

·         Giving a company a license to use your work, means they can use your work for a specific use

·         NEVER let a company have the full copyright to your work or full reproduction rights for any of your work

·         NEVER let them get the right to sublicense your work to other companies

·         NEVER let the  have the original artwork

·         Put 40% of each received fee and put in savings account

·         You don’t have to sign anything you aren’t comfortable with

·         Reproduction rights determine what kind of products the company may distribute with your work on, including territories in which they may sell them

·         Make sure there’s an indemnification clause

·         Make sure there is an option for you to cancel the contract if they breach their terms

·         This is part of your job!

·         Ask for advice if you’re not sure