Selling cartoon ideas

July 20, 2005 12:49 PM

Say you have an idea for a New Yorker-style cartoon, but you're not a cartoonist. I've heard you can sell these (a friend of my father's used to do so often). Can you still? How?
posted by gottabefunky to media & arts (2 comments total)

It's called being a "gag writer". It's probably a good paying hobby to combine with submitting jokes to comedians and talk-show hosts, and greeting-card companies.

> How do single panel freelance cartoonists keep coming up with new ideas? The answer is simple - many them don't, and welcome ideas written in a succinct 1-2 lines....

Some cartoonists buy ideas outright. They may pay from $5 - $50, but more likely you will work on commission. If a cartoon is published, the artist will then pay you between 20 - 30% of her royalties. Since toons can go from anywhere between $25 - $250, your pay can vary greatly.

The best book to start looking is probably the annual Writer's Market.
posted by dhartung at 4:26 PM on July 20, 2005

There are also idea brokers, like bCreative.com (a client of mine), to whom you submit your idea, they'll shop it around, and if it sells, they'll split the royalties with you.
posted by waldo at 6:59 AM on July 21, 2005