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PSA to comics-makers: if you're agented, please alert yr agent anytime you intend to include yourself in an indie published work like a Kickstarter anthology or art book or zine. These projects can conflict with book contracts; we can solve but only if we know you're doing it! /1
The best time to do this is BEFORE you participate, not after you've agreed or when the indie project is coming out. 9/10 times it's an easy contracts issue but that 1/10 times it can get really messy! If you are newly signing with an agent, loop them into in-progress stuff. /2
FYI I'm not subtweeting a client situation; just sharing as a general reminder. Comics-makers are often used to being one-person machines & it can take practice to get in habit of alerting agent about "little stuff" but we want to protect all yr endeavors & need data to do so. /3
I can't speak for all agents but for myself: it's rare that I'd take a commission on indie projects; so don't withhold info for $ reason. I just want to be sure yr "extracurricular" comics work doesn't accidentally put you in legal breach of your current/future book contracts. /4
Getting some questions, so for clarity: this thread was aimed at comics-makers who are also working (or hope to soon be working) in the traditional publishing space making graphic novels. If you make single issue comics or are all-indie, the thread’s info may not apply to you. /5
(But since many graphic novelists think of themselves as comics-makers or cartoonists first, I went broad with my category description in the first tweet, rather than narrow.) /6
Literary agents receive a financial percentage of your traditional book publishing & ancillary deals as commission (most agents are not salaried; we make money if and when our clients make money; it motivates us to work hard for & with you). /7
So if you take on small side gigs that we didn’t generate & aren’t handling for you (aside from being sure we know & can carve out protection for said gigs in your book or related-to-book contracts that are our primary focus for you), we don’t usually take a % or get involved. /8
But! What you think of as “a small side gig” may in fact look v. different in legal terms to a publisher (& being in breach of contract is not fun for anyone). So when in doubt, if you have an agent, tell them early+often about ALL of yr projects, even seemingly-small ones. /End
