Julie Larson’s The Dinette Set is now with United Feature Syndicate. Julie left Creators Syndicate in January to pursue self syndication citing that she could “sell just as well as a syndicate, especially when it’s one’s own property. I know its going to get #1 priority.” Multiple attempts to contact Julie to ask why the reversal have gone unanswered.
The Dinette Set will begin its run with United Features effective May 31.
I can’t speak for Julie, but I discovered a couple of things going this route.
One, when you leave some syndicates, they immediately try to replace your strip with others in their line-up.
Two, selling is a full-time job.
Three, editors are usually really nice people..
Four, besides the Sales Department, you also have to establish your own Accounts Receivable Department and a Legal Department.
Five, any given cartoonist can sell as well as or better than a couple of the major syndicates out there, which is nothing to brag about, but probably couldn’t touch the other syndicates.
Six, a substantial amount of a cartoonist’s income goes to American Color for doing nothing.
Seven, you can garner a better deal with a syndicate with an established feature.
“Six, a substantial amount of a cartoonist?s income goes to American Color for doing nothing.”
American Color? What are they for? I looked around but just got a bunch of printing links… nothing that struck me as comic-centric. Do they make colors press-ready or something?
Isn’t American Color the company that colors the Sunday strips and the daily strips that appear in color?
American Color handles the layout and printing of Sunday Comics for about 150 newspapers. Some cartoonists color their own Sundays and some commission it to American Color.
Gotcha. Thanks, guys.
I live in Canada, I wonder if there’s a Canadian Colour?
this will be her third syndicate