Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, dc, dc comics, entertainment

DC Comics Announces New Payment Plan For Creators, And For Colourists To Receive Cover Credits

Just received in the mail,

From: From the Office of the Co-Publishers
Date: June 24, 2014 at xxxxx PM
Cc: "DiDio, Dan", "Lee, Jim", "Ganem, Lawrence"
Subject: DCE Participations Plan Update

We have news to share regarding a project we have been working on for some time. We will be rolling out a new, modernized participations payment plan effective July 1, 2014.

DCE's current participation plan dates back over 30 years and was created for a simpler and very different marketplace.  The current plan no longer reflects today's business landscape where comics are sold in a variety of formats and through a myriad of sales channels.  Ultimately we made the decision that the best path forward was to create an entirely new plan that covers new work going forward.  Great care and consideration went into building this new participations structure and we feel that it provides both us and all of you with a fair, competitive, and versatile plan for the future.

There are a few significant differences between this new plan and what DCE has offered in the past.  Perhaps the biggest difference is that all participations will now be calculated based upon DCE's net revenue from a book's sale rather than on the cover price.   This change gives us more flexibility to sell our material in new distribution channels that have different pricing models.

Also, physical and digital sales will no longer be treated separately.  Digital sales will now be added to print sales and the sum will count towards achieving the sales threshold which triggers participation payments.

We've also standardized sales thresholds for all periodicals.  There are no longer separate thresholds and percentages by channel (direct market vs. digital vs. newsstand).  We've also added a threshold for collected editions.  The new thresholds and percentages are designed to generously reward high sales performance.

We are pleased to announce the very welcome addition of Color Artists to the participations pool.  Color Artists will receive moving forward cover credit for their work alongside Writers, Pencilers and Inkers.  In addition, Digital First talent will now be eligible to receive additional compensation and share financially in the success of their books.

In addition, DCE is modernizing our systems for both reporting participations and making payments.  Beginning July 1^st, all reporting under the new structure will be sent electronically.  Also, those of you who live in the United States will now be able to receive your payments via direct deposit. Information on how to sign up for direct deposit payments will be sent to you shortly from the Talent Relations department. International talent will continue to receive payment via wire.  We're very happy to offer these upgrades, which will result in getting paid faster.

And last, beginning on July 1^st, DCE will begin transitioning to the use of electronic service agreements.  The work-for-hire service agreements that historically have been transacted on paper will now be handled electronically and sent to and from your editor via email.  We are confident this will make the process quicker and more efficient for everyone.

We recognize this is a lot of information to take in, and we anticipate you may have questions.  The DCE Talent Relations team is well-informed in the new participations plan and looks forward to discussing with you any inquiry you may have.  Feel free to reach out to the team at xxxxxxx@dcentertainment.com

DCE is committed to being the publisher of choice for top talent in the industry and to further strengthening our relationship with our talent ensuring that together we continue to create the comics we can all be proud of.  Thank you and we look forward to working with you throughout the year.

Sincerely,

Dan & Jim

DC Entertainment Co-Publishers

So yes! Credited colourists on covers, just before any awkward questions can be asked at San Diego Comic Con. A percentage of sale revenue rather than unit revenue – so as books increase, creators get more. But in sales (and DC Comics have sales to retailers all the time, as well as on ComiXology) they'll get less. And , for the first time, Digital First creators will get royalties, a problem we highlighted a while ago.

The proof of the pudding, of course, will be in the eating.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!