Part of our guide to licensing cartoons as an author (coming soon)
Who handles image permissions for the cartoons in a book, the author or the publisher? Whoever your publishing contract says, and you should settle it before anyone buys a license. At CartoonStock we license cartoons to authors, publishers and the picture researchers who work for them. The license works the same way for all three, so what matters is agreeing early who holds it.
Why It Matters Who Handles Image Permissions
Our licenses are non-transferable. A license bought by one person or company can’t later be handed to another. So if an author licenses a cartoon and the publisher then assumes it has to do the same, you risk paying twice. If each assumes the other has done it, nobody does.
The fix is a short conversation at the start. Decide who handles image permissions, and tell us whose name should go on the license and the invoice.
Whoever it is, they need permission for every cartoon in the book. If that part is still unclear, our post on permission to use a cartoon in a book (coming soon) sets out why.
When the Author Handles Permissions
Many authors handle their own permissions, and it’s straightforward. You choose the cartoons, license them from us, and pass the details to your publisher.
Before you buy, ask your publisher three things:
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- The expected print run, including ebook downloads
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- Whether the book will sell in the US or Canada
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- Whether translated editions are planned
Those answers set your license. The print run decides your band, and our guide to which license size to choose when you don’t know your print run (coming soon) walks through it. The territory decides whether you need worldwide or everywhere outside the US and Canada.
Self-published authors are both author and publisher, so the job is always theirs. Using cartoons in a self-published book (coming soon) covers that route.
When the Publisher Handles Permissions
Publishers often handle image permissions through an in-house team. Publishers who license regularly, or several cartoons at a time, can be set up with an account and invoiced.
If that’s your situation, your part is simpler. Give the permissions team the cartoon IDs you’ve chosen and the pages they appear on. They take it from there.
When a Picture Researcher Does It
Some publishers and authors hire a picture researcher or an agency. We work directly with researchers and sourcing agencies, so they can search, shortlist and license on your behalf.
A researcher still needs to know whose name goes on the license. Tell them at the brief stage, not after the invoice arrives. Publishers setting up that brief will find more in briefing picture researchers and sourcing agencies on cartoon licensing (coming soon).
Keep a Record Either Way
Whoever clears the cartoons, the author stays with the book through every edition, so the author needs a record too. A new edition, a translation or a change of publisher all start with “what did we license, and on what terms?”
Every license comes with a PDF listing the cartoon ID, use, print run band, territory and term. Keep a copy even if your publisher bought it. If your publisher asks you to complete their permissions log, filling in your publisher’s permissions log (coming soon) shows where each answer comes from. Academic authors often clear their own permissions, and licensing cartoons for trade and academic books (coming soon) looks at that side in more detail.
The Bottom Line
Anyone can handle image permissions: the author, the publisher or a researcher. What matters is deciding who before anyone buys, because licenses can’t be transferred afterward. CartoonStock licenses to all three, and every license pays the cartoonist.
Licensing cartoons for publishing · Ask us about your book
Q&A: Who Handles Image Permissions
Q: Can my agent or a researcher license cartoons on my behalf?
A: Yes. We work with picture researchers and sourcing agencies regularly. Agree whose name goes on the license before they buy.
Q: I licensed a cartoon, then my publisher increased the print run. Who pays?
A: Whoever holds the license tells us, and they pay only the difference between the two bands.
Q: The invoice needs to show my publisher’s details. Can you do that?
A: Yes. When you first license with us, give the invoice address exactly as it should appear.
Keep Reading
Questions to ask before licensing a cartoon (coming soon)
Related Posts
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- Using a cartoon on a book cover (coming soon)
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- How to credit a licensed cartoon in a book (coming soon)
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- Can I use the cartoon when promoting my book? (coming soon)