Question

[kriadydragon]

To anyone who's had a piece of art done for a book they sold - or who just happens to know how these things go down - how was the matter of payment handled? Was it just a one time payment or did they get a certain percent of the profits for every book sold?

I'm wondering because I'm seriously thinking about getting someone to either do a piece of art for the cover of my story or to do a joint project with me for the cover. Because while I have great ideas for the cover what I lack is sufficient enough art skills to pull it off. Some things I could probably do but other things I can't, and I want my story to have as much of a fighting chance as possible when I finally publish (I'm publishing independently, you see). So I want my cover to be something that's going to intrigue people and most especially not provoke them into dismissing my story because the cover wasn't all that great. So I'm seriously thinking about seeking out someone with better art skills to help me out. But since I'm doing this independently rather than through a company, I'm not sure if there's some sort of... I guess you could say etiquette or "business rule" or something about these kinds of things - like, for example, it's better to pay them this way rather than that way to avoid lawsuits or something, or that they're supposed to be paid a certain percent with each book sold because that's just how it's done. Or if it's simply up to you and the artist how it should be handled.

If I sound like I'm being paranoid about all this, blame my brother. He's Mr. Cautious about things like this (heck, it took us forever just to pick the font for my last book so that we could avoid any "possible" copyright issues), and his caution is contagious.

Comments

[sholio]

I've done some illustration work, and my thoughts are these:

- The usual thing in illustration is for the person commissioning the art (i.e. you) to pay a flat fee, rather than offering royalties. This is simpler and easier for everyone involved. A book with a LOT of illustrations might be handled differently, but for covers or spot illustrations, usually it's a one-time fee.

- At the very beginning, arrange payment terms, dates, and any other instructions (such as needing to approve sketches before the final art is made), IN WRITING, and make sure everyone is on the same page. "In writing" can just be a series of emails between the two of you, as long as there's something to refer back to later. I haven't had a contract for most of the illustration I've done. That said, it might be worthwhile to draw up a simple contract (you can find example contracts for basically everything online) and have both of you sign it if you want to avoid any problems down the road.

- Don't pay them before you have the finished art with any edits made. You can either wait and pay them everything at the end, or pay a small amount (10%, 25%, whatever you agree upon) up front as a good-faith gesture. Once you pay them the full amount, though, you've lost any leverage that you have and are at prime risk of getting screwed over, so wait 'til you have the art and are fully satisfied with it.

- As the client, you TOTALLY have the right to ask for changes to be made to the finished art. Asking them to redo everything at the last minute really isn't fair, especially if you saw & approved sketches beforehand, but if you get it and the hair color is wrong, or you'd like to see it with brightened colors or a different background ... then ask! That's your right as the person who is commissioning the art. If you completely change your vision for the cover halfway through, or need the artist to buy a new stock photo for the background that costs extra, they might want to renegotiate a higher price, but you don't have to settle for a piece of art that isn't what you want.

... does that help? :D

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Yes! It's been a big help. Thank you so much :D

[ladyrose42.livejournal.com]

A local artist, who has done covers for popular mainstream books, has retained the rights to sell prints of his artwork. Just something to consider in the "contacts".

[ello76.livejournal.com]

Not a writer or an artist myself, but at the SF World Con, I've seen originals in the art show that I had also seen on book covers. Yes, I could have owned the Whelan original from the cover of Anne McCaffrey's White Dragon - if I had skipped house payments for the next several years. You may pay less if the artist feels he can sell originals and prints himself. You'll have to work out any conditions on that with the artist beforehand.

[karri-kln1671.livejournal.com]

I have several friends and acquaintances who have done cover art for books. They treated it like a standard commission, so no royalties on the book, but they will most likely sell prints of the arts. All the professional artists I'm acquainted with have been burnt on payment at some time or another, so require payment up front, but will work with you to make sure you're happy with the final product. If you need some recommendations, let me know.