Your Career In The Comics (Paperback)

by Lee Nordling (Author) "On the face of it, newspaper syndication has three completely different casts of characters-from role players to starts-with completely separate functions..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, The Far Side, Gary Larson (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0836207483
• ISBN-13: 978-0836207484
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #280,586 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Info, truth and a reality check, May 10, 2000

By A Customer

I'm a syndicated cartoonist who has worked on a panel and a strip. If you want a realistic view on the world of cartooning, this is the book. Sure it provides useful insights into the creative and business processes. But best of all, it provides a serious reality check. It serves its readers best by honestly conveying the difficulty of cartooning; the relentless task of meeting dealines and quality standards; and the often surprising lack of huge monetary rewards. About the only thing missing (though you can't fault the author since the book published in 1995) is the growing use of the computer to create, send and disseminate cartoons. If you are serious about cartooning, read this book. If you're still serious after that, go be a cartoonist.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An serious look at the business of making people laugh, December 3, 1997

By A Customer

"Business?" you say? "Aren't the funnies just funny pictures with funny words? Hell, my KID can draw a better strip than that clown who draws 'DILBERT'!"

Maybe so, but your kid needs to know in advance what he's in for, especially if he really CAN draw a funnier strip than anything on the funny pages. "Your Career in the Comics" lays open for all the world to see the very process that brings comic strips from the cartoonist's kitchen table (some can't afford studios) to your kitchen table. As one discovers, it's NOT a career for the faint of heart or the uninspired.

Beyond giving the aspiring cartoonist the basic guidelines for such things as preparing a portfolio and who to send it to, the book includes comments from cartoonists, syndicate editors, newspaper editors and artistic agents. It also demands that the reader take an honest look at his or her own abilities and decide if he or she will be as committed to their work as a syndicate would be to a strip they really like.

It's interesting to note that after 50 years in the business, Charles Schulz is finally taking a vacation and for the first time ever, "Peanuts" will appear as reruns. Are YOU that dedicated, too? :)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Book on Newspaper Strips, January 18, 2000

By	Christopher (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This is by far the best book on this subject I've read. If you want to be a newspaper comic strip writer/artist, I can't stress enough -- you have to buy this book. It will put you years ahead of those trying who don't have it.