Artwork is expensive. Its time consuming if you produce it yourself and time consuming if you need to manage various licensed pieces. Many, if not all RPG books have some sort of artwork in them to either convey a message or dress up a page. You will probably want artwork in your book, and how much you have depends on your ability to produce it or your budget to purchase/license it.
It has been my experience that you should start thinking about artwork about the same time you start laying out your book or supplement (after you’ve written the material, proofed it and proofed it again). If you keep a few things in mind while you are considering what pieces to create or choose, you can save yourself time and or money.
THE COST
Whether you are creating or purchasing it, artwork will cost you time. If you are creating it yourself, congratulations on your talent and ambition to do so. If you are not then you are more than likely working within your own budget (if this is your own project) or within a project manager’s budget (if creating the material for a client or company). Getting the most bang for your buck is what I’m after in this post, so I tend to consider how much I’m spending before I start browsing for pieces.
SPEND #1: COVER
Color pieces typically cost more than black and white, larger costs more than smaller. For those on a budget the first thing you want to nail down is your cover piece (should you elect for one). This is usually the most expensive (unless you are contracting out a custom, fold out map designed to your exact specifications) and the most flashy. Throw your money here first and choose a strong piece that will convey the message you’d like to get across to someone picking up your material for the first time.
Usually this is a full color piece, often times custom. Sometimes you can find artwork in a portfolio that you really like and works well with what you had in mind. Buy the piece, lock up the rights, do what you need to do to make it yours (a brief bit about that later).
SPEND #2: CHAPTERS/SECTIONS
Still have money left after this or do you want more art? Great! The next place I’d throw my money is on the individual chapters of a book. I’m a stickler for getting my money to go as far as possible, so once I have the cover piece nailed down I immediately turn a blind eye to all other color pieces and focus solely on black and white. With a strong chapter title and font use you can make an image that lacks color really stand out and divide up your material nicely.
Once black and white piece per chapter throughout the book will break up all that text.
SPEND #3: HEADER/FOOTER
Still more money left? Want additional art? A header/footer to a page is an inexpensive way to add flare to a page and drive your dollar farther. Since you can reuse it on every page you really get mileage out of this decision. Choose something in black and white that doesn’t draw too much attention away from your text.
SPEND #4: SUPPLEMENTAL IMAGES
At this point you are spending more than I normally would (or you’ve found some killer prices/deals on artwork). Look through your work and choose pieces (a quarter page or smaller) which would help break up large blocks of text and go well with the words they would be placed next to. Eight pages of background information or location descriptions read much easier when they are broken up by two to three simple illustrations to give your eyes a break. Don’t go crazy and try not to drop more than one per page (or one every couple pages if you have a few to use). The goal here is to give the reader a break, give them something to stare at and ponder for a few seconds before diving back into your material.
SPEND #5: A WORD ON MAPS
If your book or supplement requires a custom map to go along with it, move this spend step directly below the cover one. Some people love creating maps, others hate it. Their pricing might reflect it. This will be a very specific, custom piece that will require explicit notes and communication between you and the artist. It might cost a little more than you were hoping for. Again, black and white is easier (and less costly) than color in most situations, and will cost you far less when you go to press.
TO LICENSE OR BUY?
If you’re not creating your own artwork (or you don’t have generous, artistically inclined friends willing to donate their hard work towards your cause) then you’ll more than likely be either buying or licensing it from an artist or company. This is where some of the frustration comes in and where people tend to get ahead of themselves spending money.
Before you decide to even look for art, set a budget and stick to it. A hard line in the sand will stop you from need to take a second mortgage out on the house to finish your first book. Artwork can be expensive, so make sure you know exactly how many pieces you want and where you want to put them before you go looking. This will more than likely be the first expenditure of money in your quest to publish.
Licensing images is great because its usually far less costly than buying them outright, with all the rights. You find something you like, contact the artist or company and negotiate a price based on personal or commercial use, amount of times it will be used, for how many years or how many editions of your material, then you agree on a price (flat fee or royalties – shoot for the former as the latter requires much more work on your end).
Licensing comes with a few things to consider. If the license is not exclusive (as in you are the only one who can use this particular image for the set time frame you decide upon) then you could run the risk of someone else coming across and putting those images in their books as well. You must also pay attention to how you can use the image, as determined in your licensing agreement. In some cases you can only use the image in print and not online (so no digital copies of your book – unless you pay an additional fee), you might not be able to use it on a medium larger than a book or in advertisements without paying additional fees.
This is something you get used to looking out for the more you do it but your first time around ask lots of questions, get everything in writing, and know your limits.
Buying images is a little different. This can involve outright ownership of the particular piece. When I’ve purchased pieces in the past it comes with all exclusive, usage rights for as long as I need them for. This does not come cheap and you will pay a decent amount of money for significant pieces. Cover images are one area where I tend to buy my pieces outright (illustrations on the insides of books are less important) because there’s nothing more horrifying than seeing your freshly printed book on the same shelf as another freshly printed book, both with the exact same cover image.
It has happened once before, and never since then.
CONCLUSION
Artwork can really add that next level punch to your RPG publication. If you don’t rush through the process you will save lost time and money. Consider where you want to use the artwork in your material and purchase pieces appropriately. Read all agreements and fine print, ask lots of questions, and good luck!
Submitted May 30, 2019 at 04:48AM by neziritch http://bit.ly/2McU08j
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