I get you, I think the craft of drawing and writing are not that different, but it's the market appeal that makes the difference. You can sell a customer on a picture in a moment, all they have to do is look at it. Writing however takes a commitment to see if it's even up their alley and even then there is so much room for the error that you can't just spot in a glance.
And nowadays where people's attention spans are as fast as their internet connection that's just gotten worst for us writers. So although I get where you coming from I feel it's the market appeal that chooses the value between the two.
writing is an underappreciated artform, and there's nothing we writers can ever do to bridge that gap between us and artists. what would you have us do? are we supposed to color our words red and blue and include 3D glasses inside of every book? or make it so that every letter is a different color of the rainbow? or maybe the pages themselves can have a cool frame? or we can play around with the fonts?
no.
being a novice has little to do with the quality of your writing. honestly, the only thing that matters is the time you put into it. there's a clear difference between someone who fleshes out every detail of their story (a planner), compared to someone who works everything out as they go along, on the fly (a pantser).
if the person who's doing the writing for your story is the latter, you may as well do it yourself cause you could most likely produce something of the same level, or even of better quality (though that's very rare either/or) than they could ever provide you with. the problem with this is that you'd be stretching yourself too thin and it would take longer before you see any results.
artists have this mentality where they think all writers just feel this bowel movement coming, rush to the bathroom, and crap words out onto a page. they don't know of the blood, sweat, and tears, the heart and soul, that go into every page. at least for some of us (me included).
i think if anyone ever in the future asks for free artwork, whether it be for the cover to a novel or a full on comic, they should show examples of their writing, or give an in-depth explanation on what the story will be about (not just the plot but themes you'd be planning to utilize as well), or if they already have their story out for the world to see, how large of a fan base do they already have?
that should be the deciding factor for artists. "do i see potential in this idea? is the story enough to keep me engaged, let alone the readers? is this story up my alley? can i deliver on what it is the op is looking for (artwork)?" the last thing on your mind should be about how much you would be getting paid.
you know what my answer would be if i was the one asking for an artist, promising them pay, and they asked me how much they'd be getting for their time? i'd tell em, "whatever we make off patreon." that's how it is for us, so why not them, right?
here's a scenario. imagine if i made a thread on here titled," making a comic, looking for an artist to help with that (paid)." what do you think the first response would be like? none of the aforementioned (paragraph 6), of course. instead, they'll shower you with their portfolios saying "they're interested", or ask how much will they be getting. not a single inquiry about your story. obviously later they would ask about it, but the first two things they always do is this.
and when you actually go into detail about what they'll be getting paid, you're scared shtless to suggest a 50/50 split, because god forbid. there's this consensus on every forum of this nature that artists are overall more important than the writers and that they make 99% of the story; that without them, none of it would be possible.
"okay then, does 60/40 sound about right?"
"cold"
"um, then 70/30?"
"warm."
"80/20?"
"warmer."
"90/10?"
"warmer."
"...99.9/0.1?"
"hot, hot, hot!"
so doodling some stick figures gives you people the right to be entitled assholes with inflated egos? because anyone can write, right? it's just that easy. you just pick up a pen and go, gO, GO! finito! masterpiece!
is that what we think. well you know what i think. i think writing is ten times as hard as drawing and ten times more significant.
let me ask you this. artists, if you drew the same pose countless times in repetition, would you say that the next time you draw that pose, you would have it practically mastered? you don't need to answer that, because I already have the answer. i know that unlike writers, artists have the ability to master their craft over time. but with us? it doesn't matter if you're a ny times best seller, it doesn't matter how many copies you sold, it doesn't matter how many books you've read or how many shows and movies you've watched, WRITING CAN NEVER BE MASTERED. not ever.
when you tackle a new project, you always start fresh. when you write you're first draft, it's always a jumbled mess. the insecurity never goes away. you'll never be as good. you think just because you have a magnum opus under your belt, it will get easier from here? nope. never. you will always be just that, a greenhorn. writers are like scientists. they don't have control over anything or everything, they just do whatever works, and if it works, it works. if it doesn't, then it doesn't. that's it. that's what writing is. discovery.
and now, about writing being more important than drawing. real quick, when you read a comic, would you say your time is spent more on gazing at the pictures or reading the words? well, there's your answer. and don't you dare try and lie to me or yourself. i saw a reaction of the latest chapter of the solo leveling manwha (at the time) and the guy reacting to it barely gave the illustrations a second glance, focusing only on the story. how do i know this? he was scrolling like a m'fer soon as he got done with reading a speech bubble. if you're one of those weirdos who does the opposite, good for you, but newsflash, you're in the minority.
so how about we show a little more appreciation towards our writers huh? they deserve it. the most an artist can do on their own is make a stupid gag comic, or a silent film type, or just a plain shitty comic because as i said before they stretch themselves far too thin. but real writers create whole ass worlds for us to sink our teeth into among many other things.
writers are heroes on the same level as doctors, police, fire men, you name it. they exist in everything we live and breathe today. without them we have nothing but our boring nine to fives to clock in to and our fake friends to hang out with, and seeing who cancel culture cancels next and working on correcting our pronouns.
**** a director. **** a cameraman. **** an actor. they all play their part, sure. but they're not what makes the show, and neither do artists. writers are at the core of everything and make it 100x better. breaking bad was only as good as it was because of the writer and the direction they took it in. game of thrones was only as good as it was because of the writer. people seem to forget it's their script that these people follow religiously. without that, THEY ARE NOTHING.
stop looking down on us. we arent some sweat shop workers or ants waiting to be squashed on. we have worth. and you know what. so do artists. i don't want you thinking I don't respect them as people, or for what they do, but it's not like they need me to say that because they literally have it said to them by everyone else. they believe they have a right to treat us like sht and it's because of you (in general) that they think this way. no one gives a crap about writers except when we conveniently happen to write their favorite stories. and let me tell you, your favorite story isn't your favorite story because of the art, it's your favorite story because of the writing.
another thing. I AM NOT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM ENTITLED. I DON'T GIVE A FLYING **** IF ARTISTS WANT TO GIVE ME A FREE COVER FOR MY NOVEL OR NOT, BUT DO NOT DENY ME OR ANYONE ELSE THEIR RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH.
and yeah, i know, free speech works both ways, but you know what? no matter how many times you try and warn us, we won't stop. we'll always be those grimy hillbilly bumpkin cheapskates asking for free stuff because we're greedy. because that's what it is. it's not like we come from tough backgrounds or anything or are in a rough spot. nothing like that. just pure greed is what it is.
just in case you missed it, i do not respond to anyone unless they agree with me or if i feel like it, as i do not feel like going back and forth with you all for who knows how long.
so cya :) have a good day