Todd Allen, a frequent source of commentary on webcomics, e-commerce and so on, has launched a column at Comic Book Resources, and already he’s putting things in some context:
Want to work in comics? If you’re already using your skills in a different field, you might be startled and dismayed by the salaries in comics. Point in case: Devil’s Due recently posted an opening for an “Online Web Store Manager” (as opposed to an Offline Web Store Manager, I suppose). Go ahead and take a look. You’ll find they want a lot of territory covered for a whopping $11/hr. Finally, a comics position that makes an assistant editor look like a high-paying job. Passing this listing around e-commerce and interactive types has produced a combination of laughter and disgust. A typical response being a creative director saying “we pay our interns $14/hr.”
He also looks at emerging sales channels for comics. Worth a read.
“A typical response being a creative director saying “we pay our interns $14/hr.”
Alas, I think this is true of the publishing field, in general. Anyone wanna offer me $14 or $15 as a graphic designer? I’ll be a very grateful employee-slave.
He makes a few small errors in his analysis of distribution, but has some interesting things to say.