So, in early 2009 I went all in. I approached a number of licensing agents, approached some major companies, and started to see some pretty amazing opportunities appear. I had the great good fortune to see my work appear on greeting cards, calendars, figurines, coffee mugs and a whole bunch of other stuff. It appeared I was well on my way to hitting and surpassing the financial goals I’d set for myself.

The reality kicked in, and sales weren’t what they could’ve or should’ve been. This is a humbling experience. I began to seek answers to the lackluster sales in licensing, and one thing immediately became clear: I hadn’t created an engaged, committed audience – I’d skipped that step and went straight to manufacturers. As a result, I had lots and lots of people picking up the products with my characters, enjoying a hearty belly laugh, but then setting them back down and walking away without making a purchase. There was no emotional connection or buy-in, and that made all the difference in the world.

Whether you are a cartoonist or licensed artist, you have to (if you want to be successful in licensing, most particularly character licensing) find a way to connect with your audience, keep them engaged, and provide them with a means to follow you, your story, your art, your techniques, and your future intentions. And keep building that audience – the most imperative element of all. I did a great deal of research with other artists and cartoonists, and this was the brilliant column of light leading to the answer that I’d somehow missed along the way.

I’m not complaining – we’re still signing with new licensees and broadening the possibilities with my characters. But I owe it to the licensees to give them the best chance at not only recouping the investment they’ve made in my art, but of profiting from it as handsomely as my supporting efforts can manage.

So how do you go about building that audience? What tools and resources are out there to guide you in developing a systematic approach to communicating and building an emotionally invested audience? There are countless ways and viewpoints, but here’s a few I found exceptionally helpful:

Books (conventional and Kindle):

“How To Make Webcomics”

“How To Use Facebook For Business”

“The New Rules Of Marketing And PR”

Podcasts: The podcasts cover a broad spectrum of topics within the field of art and comics, but as you listen, you’ll hear about successful techniques, tools and resources that have led to some of these artists having committed audiences numbering in the millions.

“Escape From Illustration Island”

“Webcomics Weekly”

“Tall Tale Radio”

These are just a few to get you started, but sufficient to keep anyone busy for a considerable period of time in learning the methods for effective audience-building. Good luck and feel free to chime in with additional ideas and experiences!

Here’s one of the earliest cartoons I created, heavy on cross-hatching and strictly black and white. Color hadn’t yet entered my skill set.

Like most cartoonists early on, I’d had my sights set on syndication and had submitted several concepts to the major syndicates, all of which were impersonally rejected. The work had been created with that in mind – heavy use of bold blacks, drawn to what I’d understood to be the required dimensions for reduction, etc.

After a steady stream of military deployments, I’d find myself reinventing the work when I’d return home – not really a bad thing. I started adopting a more ‘cartoony’ style, abandoning the chase for a more realistic look, which tends to be less memorable and engaging in cartooning. Part of what’s required for a successful cartoon is a distinctive, memorable look, the start of what some describe as a brand.

You can see here where I began to abandon the cross-hatching style and give the characters a rounder, softer look.

Soon, I began trying to identify traits that I considered visually funny. Among the first was glasses. I started drawing large glasses on my characters and giving them something of a dumpy look. If you look around, you’ll find physical traits that you consider humorous, and when exaggerated, make for a character that becomes memorable and fun to look at. Now, mind you, we’re not looking to do so in an effort to be mean or cruel – I’ve heard some VERY unpleasant stories from caricaturists who draw people who are paying to have their features distorted in a cartoonish way. Turns out, they didn’t like that!

Among the first cartoons where I begin adding glasses as a humorous feature.

When I went to my family home near Albany, New York, my mother has a picture of my great grandparents. I hadn’t really given the matter a great deal of thought at the time, but when I saw my great-grandmother’s glasses, I knew they’d make a great addition to my developing characters.

Among the first uses of the stereotypical “Spectickles” over-sized fifties-ish glasses.

Within a few years, I’d finally landed where I suspect my “Spectickles” characters will remain in appearance. I sought feedback from family, friends, cartoonist colleagues, and the buying market to better tweak my characters, resulting in what you see now. But, as you’ve read, the process took time, a great deal of thought and consideration, and the acquisition of new skills to get where I wanted to go.

I continue to work in new mediums, create new characters and cartoons, and utilize different tools as the mood strikes. All of which are an essential part of developing as an artist and cartoonist. And most importantly, to me anyway, all of which has been enormously enjoyable and rewarding.

In cartooning we have a term called ‘slanting’ where we create work specific to a magazine or publication’s theme, such as cuisine, wine, golf, etc. We develop a series of concepts specific to that editorial need. Exactly what I should have thought of prior to the meeting.

Another key factor is shape. I draw my cartoons in seven inch square boxes with text beneath. When I first started working as a cartoonist, I’d read that this was the preferred format for newspapers, so that’s what I did and never had any reason to change. In many cases, it works well for art licensing, particularly for greeting cards, t-shirts and anything where a rectangular presentation fits. There are a number of manufacturers I would love to partner up with, but I know the current format I use won’t work. Should I have the good fortune to sit down and meet with those companies, I would make those alterations, and perhaps create a mock-up showing how my work would look on their products. A case in point is my latest licensing partner Hi-Look who manufacturers lens cleaning cloths for eyeglasses, iPads, iPhones – you name it. The format had to be exactly square which required some reworking. And so I did.

Humor is a great fit for many manufacturers who license art for their products. But having a great humorous illustration may not be enough. Remember to present material topically appropriate to the manufacturers needs, and make sure that the formatting will work in an attractive and enhancing way.

Now, here’s what happened in New York City. Admittedly, I’m not a fashion mogul. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure I even know what one is. But, being aware of that, and knowing I would be going to a place where such things are noticed, I thought I might better show up wearing something other than my typical cargo pants and hiking shoes.

My son-in-law Nik is the peripheral opposite of me in terms of fashion. He knows his stuff, so I asked him to give me some pointers, to which he graciously offered to accompany me on a trip to Macy’s to correct my fashion deficiencies. And so we went. After trying on a dozen or so fancy-schmancy pairs of jeans, then a like number of button-down shirts, sport coats, and shoes with a squarishly pointy end, very expensive but surpizingly thin socks, and a belt that looks just like the belt I always wear, but for only three times the cost, I was ready.

The evening prior I made the 5 hour drive to Albany to spend an evening with my parents. The next morning I woke up well before sunrise, showered, shaved, and started getting dressed into my new, fashion-savvy clothes. I caught the early train to New York City and arrived without incident. As it turns out, Penn Station is a pretty massive place. By the time I found my way through a sea of people to the 7th Avenue exit, my feet, jammed into their high-fashion squarishly-pointy shoes, were painfully blistered.

It was at this moment I reflected on what a bad idea it was to buy expensive, squarishly-pointy shoes, not breaking them in, and having to walk over a mile through the busy streets of Manhattan to my very important appointment.

Within only a few blocks I was visibly, painfully limping, trying to scrunch my toes into different positions to alleviate the friction which was sanding the skin off of the outsides of me feet and heels. At long last, I arrived at the Madison Avenue address. Three and a half hours early. And it was very cold. But fashion didn’t allow for a jacket. Time for more reflection.

Outside the building were a number of circular benches, one of which I quickly planted my butt upon. The relief to my feet was wonderful. So now I have lots of time to kill. In the cold. I took the opportunity to commence shivering. As I looked around I noticed a great deal of security, both within and outside of the building. My attention focused most specifically on the bomb-detection officer and dog which seemed to, in turn, be focusing on me. I suppose my look of obvious discomfort didn’t help their perception of why I might be sitting there.

The hours passed while I chattered away until the appointed time finally came. I limped into the building and approached the security desk to check in and get my badge. Into the elevator I went and up to the floor to the offices where the meeting was to be held. I was still about a half-hour early, so I stood in the hallway looking awkward, fidgeting in an attempt to appear as though I belonged there. Here’s where the military did me a disservice. For all of my 20 year Navy career it was mandated that you show up to your appointed station or watch 15 minutes in advance. In most circumstances, this is good advice. It wasn’t on this day. 15 minutes to the appointed time I energetically limped straight through the door – into the middle of someone else’s very important meeting. Yet more awkwardness. I smiled embarassingly, apologized profusely, and backward limped out of the room to resume my awkward place back in the hall, where sweat began to bead on my forehead. After a short time, the gracious people whose meeting I intruded on walked by with kind smiles – the kind you give someone who is on their way to a root canal. I entered the room, and the meeting proceeded as I’d described above. Upon its conclusion, I limped back to the elevator and into the lobby. I raised the lapels of my sport coat to ready myself for the cold, limp-hindered walk back to the rail station when I noticed all the umbrellas. Umbrellas are a key indicator of rain. And so it was. So I finished my day with a higher quality level of shivering, wet to the core, limping like Captain Ahab on a train where I came away with one very significant, non-pain related lesson: bring artowrk that suits the occasion and the prospective client. And wear hiking shoes next time for Pete’s sake.

Some of these effective methods have been written in detail in previous blog posts, so I’ve provided a hyper-link to those pages with a brief explanatory note. Others I’ll explain in fuller detail within this article with links provided to a number of very useful resources. So, here goes.

Submitting To Magazines - in this article I discuss some of the high paying markets which accept regular cartoon submissions. Even though these are the toughest markets to crack, they’re a great place to hone your skills, push yourself to create on a regular schedule, and should you make a sale, a very nice check to receive along with the accolades that go with being published in these prestigious magazines.

Selling Cartoons Via Your Web site – There are some very successful cartoonists who make respectable incomes by selling their cartoons via their websites. These cartoons are used in newsletters, Powerpoint presentations, magazines – you name it. Some of the more tech-savvy cartoonists even have their sites automated so that the entire transaction is completed without them having to do anything other than check their accounts. Some of the key considerations when selling your cartoons this way are, for one, protecting your work from those who feel less than compelled to pay for it. Watermarks, low resolution thumbnails, and protective coding are all effective ways to protect your rights. Some of the very talented, and subsequently very successful cartoonists who make a comfortable living this way are Randy Glasbergen, Ted Goff, and Mark Anderson.

Syndication - Syndication was, at one time, the Holy Grail for many cartoonists, the path to wealth and fame. While the prospects have decreased alarmingly via this route, there are still success stories being made, and it’s my suspicion that syndicates are working hard to reinvent and resurrect themselves, so don’t count them out.

Licensing - This is my favorite. While humor is one of the tougher sells (believe it or not) in licensing, there are still innumerable possibilities for cartoonists. As you’ll read in the article, we’re literally surrounded by examples of places who may be interested in your work. And since this is passive income (royalty-based), you can have your cartoons working hard for you even while you’re lounging on a beach somewhere.

Having Other Entities Sell Your Cartoons – There are no shortage of heated discussions among cartoonists on this topic, and it’s one you’ll need to examine for suitability for yourself. If you work another full-time job (or two), and you don’t have time to market your cartoons, this may be the way to go. Sites such as Cartoonstock, Artizans, and Artist Market all provide a central place for those seeking cartoons to do their shopping. Keep in mind, you’ll need a relatively large body of work to be considered (these are contractual relationships) and even if you are accepted, your work will be swimming in a sea of cartoons by other artists – getting found and noticed may time some time. But the benefit is you can focus your time on the things you need to and your work will still be available for others to purchase rights to. As mentioned, consider your needs and goals carefully, and see what they have to offer.

Live Caricature Events – I’d never given the matter much thought as it’s not my forte, but caricature artists can make a very nice chunk of money by creating caricatures at live events. As I’ve recently found out, there are actually companies who hire caricaturists to work at everything from birthday parties, retirement parties, boardwalk booths, fairs, and a long list of other events. If you’ve got a talent for caricatures and you can work fast, you may want to check out local events at nearby parks and perhaps even businesses who are trying to encourage floor traffic – if you charge $10 to $20 a pop, and you’re there all day, or all weekend, you may find yourself pleasantly surprized by this avenue. But, be sure to bring a thick skin too – I’ve heard a few stories of people who didn’t care too much for the artist’s interpretation of their appearance.

Self Publishing – More and more cartoonists are exploring this avenue. Lulu.com, among others, provides platforms and visibility to self-published authors and artists. I haven’t pursued this avenue (yet) but I’ve heard a fair numer of success stories by other cartoonists. And self publishing doesn’t necessarily mean a tangible book – Kindle stores and ebooks are exploding in popularity, and if your work is priced right and given a full dose of consistent marketing, you may find yourself with a nice bundle of money. With an electronic version of your book, there’s virtually no overhead and depending on how you approach it, nearly every sale could be pure profit.

Print On Demand - This is a great place to get your work out there by creating a store of products that feature your work. The print-on-demand company does all the heavy lifting for you. I can personally attest to the value of this approach – I’ve had months where I’ve broken the four-figure mark in royalty payments, and that’s with no real marketing. Imagine if I wasn’t such a distracted idiot!

As mentioned in the beginning, this is just a smattering of ways to generate income with your art. Do some digging and you may find that making a living as a cartoonist is not so remote a possibility after all.

Before we work our way into specifics, I would offer this recommendation: have a vision for your work. What is the ultimate outcome you’re looking for (other than, perhaps, becoming filthy, stinkin’ rich)? Have you developed strong characters that have broad reach and appeal and can be built into a brand? What sort of applications can you see for these characters? What products would your work be best suited for? What countries and cultures might you be able to connect with – could you see your work in other languages or are there barriers that would have to be overcome? Are there other forms of media such as animation where your characters might be suitable? Who is your target audience? How recognizable are your characters to the public now – where have they appeared thus far?

By answering these questions (and others) for yourself, you’ve got a roadmap to help you get where you want to go, and give a licensing agent a better grasp of your expectations. And remember, while you may have a passion for the characters you’ve created, be open to the feedback you’ll be offered. Licensing may not be a viable route for what you’ve got so far, but by being open to experienced input from industry professionals, you may be able to alter your current roster, or create new work that would be better suited to this specific business avenue. Flexibility, when in good measure, is a strength. Loyalty to unmarketable characters, from a business perspective, is a weakness  - you’ll have to decide what is more important to you, sticking with characters you’ve fallen in love with and feel like family but will never make you a dime, or making the changes necessary to make them appealing to  manufacturers and a buying public. That choice is solely yours.

It might be helpful, before you seek the services of a licensing agent, to answer this question, “How will this agent benefit from representing my work?”, which relates strongly to the series of questions we asked ourselves earlier. It’s important, because that’s what they’ll likely be asking themselves when they see your initial email. Here’s where brutal honesty will be your friend. How professional is my work? When I put the work out there myself to magazines, or wherever else you made it visible to the public, what sort of feedback did you receive? Has anyone been willing to pay you for your cartoons in the past? Have they been competitive markets or smaller local venues (Your Mom and Dad don’t count for our purposes). Have you approached the greeting card market (something I recommend both as a litmus test for your work in a royalty-based enterprize, and as a way to begin building a recognizable brand if you aren’t currently or have no desire to be syndicated – and you’ll open your mailbox and weep with joy at the checks that miraculously arrive every three months – how do you like them apples?) Listen to the feedback and determine what is genuinely objective and useful to you, then step up to the plate and make those changes. If you are pursuing licensing, it means you are a business, and your decisions need to be less emotional and more market-reality-based.

Now, here’s where the rubber hits the road. Which licensing agents or agencies should I be targeting for my cartoons/characters/brand? This is by no means an all-inclusive list, but Joan Beiriger’s Blog is a fantastic resource for this, and other art licensing industry information. Not on this list is the ‘Big Kahuna’ of character-centric licensing agencies, CopCorp. Their industry leadership, global reach, and track record of stunning successes (Hello Kitty, Happy Bunny among many, many others) puts them at the top of the character licensing spectrum. If you have the opportunity to attend licensing shows such as the Licensing Expo held in Las Vegas, you’ll no doubt be impressed by their presence there. If you should decide to approach them for possible representation, you’ll need to be at the top of your game – they represent only the strongest candidates for success. I would  advise against wasting their time with anything less, and make sure you’ve done your homework by answering the questions we’ve presented above.

If you start with an agent or agency that has a more regional focus such as the U.S., North America, Canada, UK, etc. but you believe your work has a broader appeal, I’d again refer you to the links to licensing agencies outside the U.S. Ms. Beiriger makes available on her blog,  and there are some very good and capable ones to be sure. I can tell you from experience that MGL Licensing is an extraordinarily effective agency (why, they carry the magnificent work of the charming, well-mannered, snappy dressing, tall dark and gruesome Bill Abbott! What more do you need to know?)

What can you, in return for providing broadly appealing, professional, timely, well rendered, and marketable material, expect from your relationship with a licensing agent? First, in the ‘getting to know you’ phase of the relationship, after they’ve decided to represent you, open, honest, and frequent communication is critical. Knowing your expectations of the agent, and their expectations of you will be key to creating a long-lasting and successful relationship. And to be clear, it is in every respect a relationship. You are trusting them to actively seek appropriate opportunities for your work and to follow the roadmap that you’ve sketched out in your discussions. In turn, they will expect you to deliver professionally rendered work on time, and be flexible to potential changes necessary to make the work suitable for the licensing categories where there’s a good fit. Your licensing agent will seek to obtain advances on royalties as good faith payments for your work, to be deducted from future royalties. Your licensing agent will handle the administrative functions required in your licensing program; negotiating mutually beneficial contract terms, seeing that the contracts are properly executed, managing incoming royalty payments and seeking remedies should there be issues with those payments. They will frequently travel to the numerous annual licensing shows and display your work for potential licensees to consider for the products. There are a number of other functions and services that they provide, but those are the biggies.

How will the licensing agent be compensated for representing you and taking on the considerable workload mentioned above? There are a number of ways, some I’d recommend, some not so much. In the agents and agencies I’ve worked with, there is a royalty-split arrangement, meaning we divide the advances and royalties at a contractually agreed-upon precentage rate. Those rates can vary greatly, and it’s something you’ll want to very carefully consider. The rates typically run from 25 to 50%. I haven’t heard of any that fall outside that range, but it’s certainly possible. There are many other very specific terms that will be contained within the contract you’ll be expected to sign with your agent, all of which you must be intimately familiar with, either by working with a suitable attorney with experience in licensing contracts, or from doing your own homework. Remember, nothing is written in stone. A contract is just an agreement between two people or entities and there’s virtually nothing that can’t be changed to reach that amicable middle ground. Don’t be shy – speak your mind – you’re legally binding yourself, so be comfortable with whatever you lay your signature down on.

What has been discussed above is a mere surface scratch on the enormous amount of information on the subject of character licensing. Yet to be discussed are such important topics as branding, character development, and so much more. As more questions come in, I’ll try to elaborate to the best of my ability, as well as seek input from other more seasoned professionals.

My intention in creating these articles is to arm my fellow artists with the information necessary to take meaningful and immediate action. The rest is up to you – will you step up to the plate or watch the game from the sidelines?

As in the previous articles on Cartoon Licensing and More About Cartoon Licensing, I stress the fact that I’m not an expert, nor am I describing the only way to approach these markets – I’m simply describe my way which has worked pretty well in the past.

I described briefly one approach to researching markets most appropriate to your work – going to your local gifts stores and retailers who carry products adorned with art that is similar to your own. This is exactly the method for greeting cards. Walk the aisles and seek out cards with cartoons or humorous art, then flip the card over and have a look at who produced it. On my Iphone I have a little notepad app and I write down the information there.

After gathering the preliminary information, it’s time to fire up the laptop and dig a little deeper. Look up the companies you’ve written down, and learn more about their various lines, and see if it’s a good fit for your cartoons. On most greeting card websites, you’ll see a hyper-link for their submission guidelines. Have a look at how many samples they’d prefer, when they want submissions to be sent and in what format, are they looking for specific event or seasonal material, and do they prefer emailed or snail mail submissions – all important to know if you intend to present yourself as a professional – and you should.

In addition to walking along the aisles of local businesses, have a look at the Greeting Card Association website page of companies seeking submissions - another great avenue to explore. The GCA website is filled with helpful information and industry insight.

In our global, instantly connected marketplace we aren’t limited to our own borders either. As you seek homes for your work, think about other places where your work might be well received. What about Canadian greeting card companies? Great Britain has a vibrant greeting card market which I’m told is bigger than that of the United States. And they have their own Greeting Card Association UK with a very long list of member companies - these are not as clearly delineated as those of the US version – you’ll need to go to their respective websites and see if they accept submissions, but it’s a long, no doubt fruit-bearing list with the right research.

That’s a lot to get started with, right? Well, there’s more – the Australian Greeting Card Association and its list of members who may (or may not – you’ll need to check) accept submissions from freelancers.

With all the resources listed above, you should have plenty to get you started in creating the royalty-based end of your cartooning or art business. Stay vigilant, know your markets, follow the guidelines, submit only work that’s suitable, and never give up – it’s a competitive market and it may take time to get through the rejections – but it’ll happen if you keep working at your craft. Best of luck and email me some success stories – I love to see my fellow cartoonists succeed!

Having had all these wonderful experiences, it compels me to offer whatever assistance I am able to newer cartoonists who are trying to make their way in this sometimes confusing, if not daunting, world of rights. I’m not a lawyer, nor do I pretend to be an authority on copyright law, I only offer reflections of my own experience – something that may have value to my fellow cartoonists. For specific information, I would happily recommend attorney extraordinaire, Harvard Law graduate, and passionate cartoonist Stu Rees. Stu has written the definitive work on syndication contracts and has made it available for anyone with aspirations of working with a syndicate. Check out Stu’s site and the National Cartoonist’s Society site for more information.

First, I divide the rights associated with my cartoons into two broad categories. The first is licensing rights, and the second is publishing rights. In my Neanderthal head, it’s easiest to simplify things this way in order to better understand them based on their uses. Licensing, as I define it for my own understanding, is one entity granting permission to another entity to use it’s visual property for the purpose of producing products or materials that would benefit from having that visual property incorporated on that product or material. In other words, a guy who makes coffee mugs won’t sell many mugs if they’re plain, unadorned mugs. Put a “Spectickles” cartoon on it, and it will no doubt sell a hundred gajillion – at least. So mug-maker guy approaches me to ask if he can put my cartoons on his mugs in order to sell lots. At this point, we need to figure out how I should be compensated for it, and under what specific conditions he can use the cartoons, and what the geographic limits are – all of which have monetary value. In our discussions, we find that mug-maker guy has a big operation and produces a lot of mugs – enough to fill trucks that go to gift stores all over the United States and Canada. Sounds like he’ll need North American rights. Since he doesn’t (yet) distribute his mugs outside of the US or Canada, there is no need to provide rights outside that area. If he expands in the future, he’ll need to come back to you and seek permission to use your cartoon on his mugs in an expanded territory. And since mug-maker guy only produces mugs and nothing else, you need only grant him the specific rights for coffee-mugs. Since this is made clear in your agreement, you can then take the same image and offer it to greeting card companies, calendar companies, and so on – just NOT to other coffee mug makers in North America. If you are approached by another mug maker who happens to be in England or Australia, you would be well within the confines of your agreement to offer it in these places, as long as their distribution channels keep the mugs in their respective territories.

By carefully managing your rights, you can have a single cartoon used in a variety of licensing categories, all providing streams of royalty-based income. That’s without any mention of publishing rights, which are yet another source of non-conflicting income, separate from licensing. As mentioned earlier, I would recommend more specific discussions with someone like Stu Rees, who are indisputable experts in the world of rights as they pertain to cartoonists.