Comics

  • These rates can be used by publishers, organisations such as teaching institutions, the corporate sector and individuals wanting to commission comics creators to produce comics work, including graphic novels, comic books, web comics and cartoons/comic strips.

  • For graphic novels you would be offered rates of pay as you would a picture book with advances weighted in favour of the artist in recognition of the hours of work involved. 

  • The ASA recommends that comic creators who create original work do so under an exclusive licence whereby they retain the copyright. However, if the work is produced for a pre-owned project, brand or character where the copyright resides with another person or entity, then the comics creator may need to assign copyright in the developed work.

  • You may be offered two payments for the one work: (1) pages rates; plus (2) royalties for copies sold over a certain threshold. It will be up to you to negotiate the best offer you can achieve in your experience and circumstances. For example, assume that a publisher releases 10,000 copies of a comic book containing 24 pages of art and story with a recommended retail price (RRP) of $20. The writer will receive a page rate of $100 per page, totalling $2,400; and the artist will receive a rate of $100 per page for pencilling and also $100 per page for inking, totalling $4,800. Once sales exceed 7,500 copies, for example, then the writer and artist could ask for up to 5% each of RRP; That is, 0.90 cents (exGST) each per copy sold over 7,500 copies.

  • Where publishers or other commissioners want to bundle jobs with one particular artist (e.g. pencilling, colouring and lettering), then ASA recommends the commissioner to pays out the rates for each individual job component or negotiate a reasonable package rate with the artist that does not undercut the total of all job components by more than 15%.

  • Please note the ASA recommends these rates apply as minimum Australian rates. Overseas companies may pay different rates. There will also be variations in pay scales for emerging talent as opposed to established brand-name creators, or those who have amassed a large backlist of titles and many credits.

  • Rates are exclusive of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

 

NB: This is a general summary only and not intended as financial advice. They are intended as a minimum & creators are encouraged to negotiate the best deal that can be achieved.  Inevitably rates will need to be tailored to your individual circumstances. 

Contact the ASA on 02 9211 1004 or email [email protected] if you have any queries regarding this information.


We encourage you to read the Australia Council for Arts report – Graphic Storytellers at Work which includes a section on making a living as a graphic storyteller.

Rate categoryFY 2024/25
(WPI 3.2%)		FY 2025/26
WPI (3.4%)		Notes
Concept sketches /Storyboards
B&W		$59-$71$61-$73These rates can be used when artists are employed only to produce concept art or model sheets for a project
Colour$91-$107$94-$111 
Thumbnails/Roughs/Layouts/Panel$37-$54$38-$56Layout artists can be attached to a project to work exclusively on storyboards (rough sketches in a panel layout usually on an A5 page). The panel layout artist focuses on design of panel points-of-view on each page, using the script as a guide.
Pencilling$107-$215$111-$222Applies to clean pencilled artwork
Inking or Line Art$80-$161$83-$166Includes shading
Colouring
Per Page		$107-$161$111-$166 
Per Cover$310$321 
Painting
Per Page		$215-$375$222-$388 
Per Cover$536-$1071$554-$1107 
Flatter$18$19A flatter is a colouring specialist that prepares the inked or sketched comic book page for the colourist with digital art software such as Adobe Photoshop.
Lettering$37-$54$38-$56This job involves creating print-ready caption boxes, sound effects, thought and speech balloons and titles.
Writing (story and script)$80-$107$83-$111Writing involves creating the story outline, page breakdowns and script.
Cartoon/Comic Strip$161-$208$166-$215For additional cartoon/comic strips rates, please consult the recommended rates at Australian Cartoonists Association Professional Rates, November 2020.
Zines$54-$80$56-$83Zines are low-circulation self-published mini-comics or mini-magazines using original or appropriated text and images, which can include sequential art (comics content). They can be hand-made or digitally produced and are usually photocopied.
Convention SketchesUp to individual artistUp to individual artistWe recommend artists charge for convention sketches, as some recipients collect free sketches then trade them for profit (e.g. sell them online). Make sure all pieces are signed and dated. For more information and tips on pricing convention sketches, check out this article by Julie Ditrich, 2014
Original finished comics for saleUp to individual artistUp to individual artistWe recommend artists rank their pages in the following groups: Covers and A, B and C pages and work out rates on a descending scale according to grouping, popularity of the published work and reputation of the artist. Make sure all pieces are signed and dated. For digital files, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT’s) are usually sold via auction through an agency. Beware of any agency charging greater than a 20% fee and seek further professional advice.
Commissioned artworkUp to individual artistUp to individual artistFor artwork rates, please see the ASA’s Book Illustration rates or the National Association for the Visual Arts Practitioner Rates
Editing/Script Assessment
Per hour		$59-$80$61-$83Increase rates by 20% or more if doing a written script assessment. Refer to the Institute of Professional Editors for more editing rates and advice.
Per page$17-$27$18-$28 
Project Management/Mentoring/Consultancy$155$160Consultancy can include talent scouting

Comics rates were reviewed and updated in August 2023. The next review and update will be published in January 2026.

As per all rates of pay, a WPI increase of 3.4% was applied in July 2025. We appreciate it may take organisations a budget cycle to update their own rates.