Shelf Life - Oct 1, 2015

[CBR News]

Ron Marz has signed a lot of autographs over his career. This week, he wrestles with the notion of creators charging for their signatures at conventions.


Full article here.

[Andy E. Nystrom]

I just wanted to say I have a huge amount of respect for the no autograph fee proponents. If everyone creator charged even $5 per autograph at a show and someone wanted autographs from 20 people, then that's $100 right there. This is prohibitive for people seeking autographs as mementos, as opposed to people seeking autographs for resale. For many actors, $40 range seems to be the going rate, which can be a tough pill to swallow if you just want to get a signature on something you already own to show your friends (Troma President Lloyd Kaufman is one of the few in the movie business to be vocal against autograph fees). The autograph for me is a way for me to work up the nerve to say hi to a creator I like and act as an ice breaker (and a way to later show friends what a fun time I had). So for non-speculators, autograph fees don't so much act as an investment but as an added expense to consider before attending a convention on top of the ticket price.

At the same time I also agree that people should try to limit how much they bring to keep the line moving and not wear out the creator. My rule is bring no more than five items per day, and three is more the norm for me.

[Anjohl]

I am a vendor at these kinds of con's, so I see things from a different POV than some of you. Time is money, so while I appreciate creators/celebrities signing for free, I will at least buy the most attractive thing they have for sale.

I had the pleasure of meeting Canadian comics legend Richard Comely this weekend, as we were working the same event, and I talked to him at length, and bought the collection of all the old Captain Canuck issues, which he signed for free AND sold below cover.

SO, I bought a second for a cartoonist friend.

Pay it forward, I say.

[blackNblue]

I have to say, I've never been to a Con, so when a friend of mine came back from one and said she paid some $150 to have someone sign things for her, Michael Rooker, and the Scooby Doo artist, I just about fell off my chair! To me, the Con was paying people to be there, and also charging attendees fees to attend the Con, let alone have access to signature hall H. Surely they were being given money to sit there and sign for fans, who make their work profitable.

Marz does make a point here that there is a bit less compensation for some creators when they sign things. I can't imagine having to make it through the Winter on signing fees, frankly. So while I'm less vehemently against signing fees, you can be rest assured I would NEVER pay for a celebrity's signature. If you're making your living on my hard-earned money and you want me to pay for the opportunity for me to have you scribble your name on something, you've got another thing a'coming, and it ain't going to be my cashola. Besides that, as a creator, I WILL never charge for my signature. EVER.

Just my opinion, I don't respect people asking for money for signatures. I'll donate to Heroes Initiative to support creators that need it, gladly, but signature should be free for fans.

[ignition]

My penchant for getting autographs comes primarily from the sports world so people charging for autographs is basically the norm for me. I actually prefer having to pay a modest fee (for a baseball player, $5 is about fine for a regular signing) to keep down on the amount of people who are just jumping in a line because someone is signing (and inevitably asking "who's that person?"). Now, I've shelled out $50-90 to get hall of fame baseball players BUT I do place comic artists on a different scale. Paying $10 or so for Mark Bagley or $100 for Stan Lee is perfectly acceptable for me. Paying $10 for a non-historically established artist or writer (thinking Bendis or Hickman) would definitely turn me off.

[007 Romanzo]

I think signature should be free for fans.

Noemi Wedding