Royalties

[Kai Saarto]

Rob Klein wrote:

> For Kai Saarto: The vast majority of the Artists and writers that work for 
> Egmont, Hachette, Sanoma, Sanoma/VNU, Disney Italia and the other Disney Comics 
> publishers are and were free-lance, not in-house employees. Therefore, most (if 
> not all) of us would really have no access to official figures that could tell 
> us whether or not the cost of royalties should require an increase in the price 
> of the comics.  David Gerstein, Gary Leach and Bob Foster, on this list (plus 
> one or two others, worked in-house, as employees. They may be able to answer 
> your question with some authority.  We free lancers can only guess. I am afraid 
> tht Gary was probably correct when he stated that the publishers, if required 
> by law and court order to pay such royalties, would claim that that would raise 
> their costs, significantly.  At first, they would use that as an excuse to 
> overturn such a decision.  Then, if that failed, they would use it as an excuse 
> to raise prices.  Remember, however, that they can only charge what the market 
> will bear.  

Personally I'd be willing to pay a few percents extra, if I knew that 
the writer/artist gets his share for a job well done. Perhaps this would 
make stories a bit better as a really good one would probably get 
reprinted - thus making a better profit for its creators?


Thanks for the thorough reply, Rob!

-Kai Saarto