Andertoons Cartoon Blog

Mailbox! - Legal Throwdown Edition

Got this today:

Your cartoon with 2 women, where one states that she has decided to quit sleeping her way to the top and second base her way to middle management, is very offensive, and could result in a sexual harassment lawsuit, for you and/or anyone who posts or shares it. Thought you would like to know. If in doubt, you may want to have an attorney or compliance export review cartoons, of this nature.

Oh good heavens...

Make sure you tell PETA about that "...no one knows you're a dog" cartoon too.

Here's the cartoon.

Technorati Tags: andertoons, cartooning, cartoonists, cartoons, law, mail

The Email I Hate Most - Mailbox

I get this email about once a week from various folks who come across our favorite cartoon website:

Looking for the cartoon that has General Custer on the front line, battling Indians with handguns and rifles. Standing in the wings is a salesman with a Gatling gun (early machine gun). The caption reads: “I haven’t got time to see a salesman. What we'’re using works just fine.”

Can you tell me where to find it?

Ugh... Seriously, once a week.

I just got it again from a nice fellow, but every time I see "I haven't got time to see a salesman," I want to scream!

Anyone know who did the original on this, his/her address, and sleeping habits?

Technorati Tags: andertoons, cartooning, cartoonists, cartoons, email

The Gag Cartoonist's Business Plan

Got this in my email the other day:

Hi there,

I am a product design student from Wales, UK and I am working on an assignment where I have to come up with a business plan. I just wanted to know what it takes to set up a business in cartoon illustration, and what it involves, as this is an area I have great interest in. What do you do that sets your business apart from other similar businesses?

I'd be very grateful for any information you could offer.

Thanks very much for your time.

Normally I just ignore stuff like this. I get a fair share of "tell me what all your markets are and how I make money" emails, but the above note seemed nice and it gives me an opportunity to blog about the business side of gag cartooning.

Let's see... Business plan...

I've used the phrase before – more so recently – but to be honest, cartooning isn't the kind of business where you get your idea, get a loan, set up shop and hope to make a profit in a year or two.

Here's some advice on how I've done it so far (I say "so far" because it's a precarious job and I may very well be wearing an orange apron next week while directing you to the key copying guy), and I'm going to keep it more on the financial end of things:

1) Keep your day gig as long as you can

I worked for a screw manufacturer, a metals distributor, and a auto advertising website for a combined total of about six years before making the leap, and even then it was with the caveat that I juggle cartooning with being a stay-at-home dad.

Being a professional cartoonist most realistically means fitting it in, even when it's your only source of income.

I drew cartoons early in the morning before work, on my lunch hour and at night for years. Now I do it while the kids nap, go to preschool, and on the weekends. (Note - lately my schedule has eased a bit since hiring a babysitter for a few hours, two days a week, but that's taken me almost 10 years to be able to support as an expense.)

2) Things you should buy

As I said, cartooning isn't business as usual, but there are some things I found helpful starting out:

• A cheap computer - My first was an Emachine that came with a printer, monitor and scanner for $500. It worked and allowed me to get things done. You can buy a stable of Macs later.
• Gag Recap - I'm not sure if this is around anymore, but it was a good place to get the big markets and see what sold. Subscribe for about a year and then drop it. (Note - Don't ask other cartoonists for markets. Nothing says "I'm a complete and total amateur!" better than asking professionals to give up their hard-earned sources of income. Think about it.)
• Good newspaper subscription - You're gonna run outa ideas fast. Good cartoonists read to stimulate the writing process. I love the Chicago Tribune.
• The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker - You can get the paperback for about $25 now. Starting out I raided about every library in the state and read every book of cartoons I could find. This is more or less a one stop gag cartoon education.
• Mountain Dew - You're gonna be up early and stay up late. Coffee is good too.

3) Things not to buy

Even more important is avoiding unnecessary expenses. Don't bother with:

• A drafting table - It's nice and it makes you feel professional, but no one cares what you drew the cartoon on. I worked at a coffee table in my living room for almost a decade.
• Mailing lists - Don't waste a grand and upwards for hundreds of markets that couldn't care less about cartoons. Use Gag Recap to find the biggies, read cartoonists' blogs and websites, and peruse libraries and bookstores.
• Business cards - I had 1000 printed up and used about five. Plus, your style is going to be changing a lot early on. A total and complete waste.
• NCS membership - You need to be earning at least half of your income off cartoons to even really apply, but as much as it's a great place to meet other cartoonists, it's largely social, and certainly not neccesary to work as a cartoonist.
• How-to-cartoon books - It's not rocket science here folks, and if you can't draw a little already, you shouldn't be looking at a career in cartooning. Most are outdated. Read blogs.

4) Watch your money

Anyone will tell you most businesses fail early because of accounting issues. Know how much you are making, spend as little as you can initially, and track it to the penny.

Generally artists don't like the business end of things. Learn to be good at it, or be an instant success and hire an accountant.

5) It's not about the money

It's hard and it's often discouraging, but if you love it you'll keep doing it because in the end, no cartoonist really does it for the money.

Technorati Tags: andertoons, business, cartooning, cartoonists, cartoons, money

Orange Alert

I recently got two emails about this cartoon.

Here's the first:

Dear Sir, I dont understand this joke. Please explain it to me.

And the second:

Today's cartoon, "This, my fellow poets, is the enemy," LOVED IT!

Obviously I like the second email better, but, honestly, I sorta knew this'd be obscure when I did it.

Here's the thing, first writer: nothing rhymes with "orange."

Seriously. Go ahead and try it.

So the joke is that a group of poets (folks who rhyme a lot of the time) would really hate that word.

Why do a cartoon that 99.9% of the population won't get? That's the great thing about being an independent cartoonist – I can do whatever I think is funny.

And the .1% of people who get an oddball cartoon like this, generally think it's really funny.

Technorati Tags: andertoons, cartooning, cartoonists, cartoons, mail

Mailbox - The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

For a change of pace, and because I had a really good ugly email, here's three emails I've gotten recently.

The good:

Used one of your cartoons for company newsletter I write every Sunday. First time - pleasure to pay a reasonable amount for a good product and zero hassle. Thanks for your service - I'll be back, next time I'm desperate on a Sunday night deadline. Maybe sooner.

Can't enough of that.

The bad:

I think your cartoon are so idiot I heat them I have never seen something so borring and stupid but even of that I love you

Oooooooookay...

And here's the ugly (from a successful cartoonist I've admired for some time):

Hi, Mark, was looking at something else, and came across your site here (and of course your comments at the Wisen.) Gotta say, I'm shocked and disappointed you are giving your cartoons away for free; you're in some of the top markets in the country, so you don't need the exposure. It really devalues cartoons everywhere when even good cartoonists do this. But you say on that page it gets you more work...how's that working for you?

What I absolutely love is that first there's the dressing down. Then, just in case it's profitable, 'how's that working for you?'

I don't feel obliged to explain myself or my business model to friendly emailers, much less this person.

My response:

Thanks for your email! And thanks for stopping by the site!

Technorati Tags: andertoons, cartooning, cartoonists, cartoons, email, mail

Dear Recycled Paper Greetings, I GET IT! - Mailbox

Normally I save my Mailbox entries for goofy emails I get, but today's mail was goofier than normal, so here it is:

Let's see... The top left is copy of Reader's Digest from my editor. I'm in the October 2006 issue (page 13)...

...with this cartoon. Nice.

The bottom right are a few rejections from Harvard Business Review. Pretty standard, and I sold them recently.

But the big brown envelope underneath is a load of rejected material from Recycled Paper Greetings.

You might remember a particularly crappy rejection letter from RPG a while back. Well, since then I've gotten a few of these packs back from them. Today's is pretty typical:

Five packs I sent out between March 2, 2006, and April 4, 2006. Two opened, the other three unopened.

I'm fine with rejection, and I haven't sent them anything since their "dear God, stop sending us stuff" letter. But, criminy, enough with the rubbing salt in the wound already!

I GET IT! RECYCLED PAPER GREETINGS DOESN'T WANT MY CARTOONS!

It's pretty clear that not only did they not take the time to even look at most of what I sent them (even though they took seven months, and accept, hell, solicit submissions), but they clearly didn't read the little postcard I include with everything I send out. (Ironically, it was paper-clipped to the top of today's returned stack.)

"To save on postage, I no longer ask for my cartoons to be returned to me via SASE. Instead, please indicate your intentions by checking off an option below and returning this card to me. Please recycle any unwanted cartoons."

No, you read that right...

"Please recycle any unwanted cartoons."

You'd think Recycled would understand this. But no, they send back mostly unreviewed submissions Priority Mail. What a waste of postage, energy, and time.

It's very clear RPG doesn't want to do business with me. OK. I don't need or want Recycled's business.

I work with a number of greeting card companies, and I have one in the wings that I'm very excited about. (More later...)

But enough already with the packs.

I think next time I'm gonna refuse it and let them choke on it when it comes back.

Technorati Tags: andertoons, greeting cards, magazines, rejection

Invoice "Re-consideration" Request

Got this a while back from a largish textbook client, and thought it'd be interesting to post:

Dear Mark,

Invoice # REMOVED for permission to use REMOVED and REMOVED

We have received from REMOVED the invoice for your kind permission to use two of your cartoons in REMOVED

Many thanks for this, but before I pass it for payment, I just wanted to check the invoice total of REMOVED - I realise this is for two cartoons, but it is the highest charge for any cartoon being used in this book. As REMOVED is a not-for-profit organisation, I would appreciate any re-consideration of this sum that you can give at this time.

As soon as I hear back from you I will pass the invoice for payment.

With all good wishes
REMOVED

So here's the gist:

1. We wanted the cartoons
2. We agreed to the price
3. We're printing the book with your cartoons
4. But now we want to pay you less

Ummmm.... No.

Nice try. Someone there has some chutzpah, but no.

Technorati Tags: andertoons, books, cartooning, cartoonists, cartoons

Mailbox - Brown Bear Edition

I don't normally post the few complimentary emails I receive in Mailbox, but, hey, it'll be a nice change of pace.

This from a woman who used this cartoon to open a presentation:

So I decided that I really needed to set the stage for the comic (Brown Bear) to be best received by 35 brand new teachers at 8 am in the morning and here's what I did:

I asked them if they were all familiar with Brown Bear and held up the book and they all nodded. I told them that I realized we had a long day ahead of us but that I wondered what in th eworld happens to storybook characters after the film crew leaves and Eric Carle packs up and returns to wherever. What did those forest animals do while they were living off the land and their royalty checks. Then I put up the overhead of your comic and there was dead silence and then substantial laughter - then I said, sounds like the squirrel wished he had had the lead role...thanks, it was fun :)

See, this is what I love about doing business online. I do this relatively obscure cartoon about a children's book, and someone finds it and is able to use it.

Anyway, thanks for the lovely email!

Technorati Tags: andertoons, cartooning, cartoonists, cartoons, websites

Mucho Mailbox!

Yes, it's mailbox time again! Let's see what people are emailing me lately...

I enjoy cartoons. Be anything!

Good for you. You too!

hey do you have any colored cartoons i am tired of black and white holla.

I'm not up on slang (although I recently did a cartoon involving some bling), so I actually Googled "holla" and got this from UrbanDictionary.com:

Holla-

1. A way for a brotha to say he wants to get in your pants
2. A pimp ass way of saying 'what up'
3. May be used to end a conversation

So I can sleep at night, I'll assume this person intended definition number three. (And yes, I do work in color.)

Talk Talk Please !! I made up a cartoon and named it Sammy Kazam!

Sir, please step away from the keyboard. Nice and easy, that's it. Come on now, I know you don't want to send that email...

Technorati Tags: andertoons, email, mailbox

More Mailbox

Here's another for you...

"Do you have any Whup Ass Can Faxes"

Cans of Whup (or "Woop") Ass are SO last year.

Savvy packagers focus on new marketing partnerships with products like Glad-Ware. The Whup stays nice and fresh, and the packaging can be re-used by the ass-ee.

Now that's added value!

Technorati Tags: andertoons, email