What is Syndication?

Simply put, the newspaper syndicate is the business partner for the cartoonist. Here is the way it works:

The aspiring comic strip creator submits a comic strip to the syndicate. The syndicate reviews it to judge whether they a.) think it meets the standards of comic readers and b.) think it will sell to the newspapers. They also take into account things like competition. How many comics about alligators are already out there? Do they already sell a similar strip? And they consider audience. Do they already have any strips that cater to stay-at-home moms? Or single men? Or kids? Or reptiles?

Let's say the alligator strip is very original and funny so they decide to pick it up. They have comic strip sales teams who sell it to the newspaper editors. "Hey we have a great new strip about an alligator that's really hilarious! Readers in such-and-such cities really like it! You gotta give it a shot!" The newspapers buy the comic strips.

The artist delivers the finished art to the syndicate. The syndicate distributes it to the numerous, appropriate newspapers. The newspapers print it for you to read (laugh at alligator's tomfoolery). The newspaper pays the syndicate for the strip. The syndicate takes their 50% and the cartoonist gets the remaining.

Those are the very basics of how comic strip syndication works. There are plenty of pros and cons to this system and yes my dear blog readers, I'll be talking about them in posts to come.