Cheap art

**bat** · June 21st, 2003, 01:31 PM

Anyone else been seeing 'cheap art' sites lately? I am working on a children's book, and while perusing a self-publishing forum, noticed that many writers want art, but don't want to pay. Expecting to make their millions of selling a book that catches on, they don't appear to be too interested in paying their illustrators much, pointing out a 'self-publisher's' budget. One writer pointed out a site called renderosity, where he said, and I quote:'Most of them are unknowns, and would pratically soil themselves to get a chance to be recognized." Hey, great, wonderful. Does anyone else see the irony in a writer wanting an artist to work for peanuts.

And one writer pointed out one of his books where he has an excerpt that suggests a writer get exclusive rights to all art, or get no art from that person. Cool, so the writer can keep making money, the illustrator gets paid one time and cannot even sell prints. What an awesome idea! I, of course, was quite vocal in opposition to these ideas. Maybe I am not loved by all in that forum, but hey, no skin off of my nose.

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**oglzogl** · June 21st, 2003, 08:00 PM

I was approached by a writer and asked if I could contribute some artwork for a book he was writing.. of course he couldn't pay. "That is fine," I said. "I like your story and would be willing to invest some of my time. But if the book does start earning money then I would expect to be compensated too." Of course, I would have been investing in the creation too... Maybe not financially, but it's still an investment. He didn't understand why I would feel that way.. I didn't understand why he didn't. Needless to say, I didn't do his drawings. Too bad for him.

**Kortez** · June 21st, 2003, 09:06 PM

this just sucks, i don't know what a writer would say if a film producer asked him to write a story for free but I'm guessing it would be somewhere along the lines of "hell no!?"

Originally posted by oglzogl
I didn't do his drawings. Too bad for him.

exactly, too bad for him!

**darkcult** · June 21st, 2003, 11:07 PM

Well you can take it the way that it is exposure for writer and artist too,
but if writer is acting like an ass then ... :nono:

**bat** · June 21st, 2003, 11:30 PM

Well, I wouldn't say that most of the writers were acting like asses, basically, one guy is telling writers to get exclusive rights, or NO rights to artwork, period. And the guy pimping renderosity was acting as if there are throngs of artists out there that would appreciate just being published without financial compensation. Maybe there are a lot of people out there that are independently wealthy and just do art for kicks, but I know a lot of artists/illustrators who do it because they can and it pays the bills. Why any creator would think another creator would work for nothing just boggles my mind. I expect bottom line number crunchers to expect this, but not so much other creators. I wouldn't expect anyone to work for me for free, and I don't buy that self-publisher's budget. You pay the printers, advertisements and other PR, you pay the artist.

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