Creator ownership is an arrangement in which the creator or creators of a work of fiction retain full ownership of the material, regardless of whether it is self-published or by a corporate publisher. In some fields of publishing - such as novels - creator ownership is a standard arrangement. In other fields - such as comic books, recorded music, or motion pictures - it has traditionally been uncommon, with either work for hire or publisher purchase of the material being the norm. Self-publishing is the publishing of books or other media by those who have written them. ... Publishing is the industry of the production of literature or information - the activity of putting information for public view. ... DeFoes Robinson Crusoe, Newspaper edition published in 1719 A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... The record industry (or recording industry) is the industry that manufactures and distributes mechanical recordings of music. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of... A work for hire is an exception to the general rule that the person who creates a work is the author of that work. ...

Comics

Although there have been creator-owned comics for much of the medium's existence, it has become increasingly common in comics publishing since the late 1970s and 1980s. During this period several new publishers went into business, offering comics writers and artists the opportunity to have their work published while retaining the copyrights to the characters and the stories. Dark Horse Comics, Eclipse Comics, and Fantagraphics were influential examples. Other creators took advantage of the then-new direct market distribution system for comics, to self-publish their work. Dave Sim's Cerebus and Wendy and Richard Pini's ElfQuest were prominent examples of this approach. Established publishers such as DC Comics and Marvel Comics began to offer creator-ownership contracts in limited circumstances. Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book publisher, one of the largest independent publishers behind dominant publishers Marvel Comics and DC Comics. ... Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several influential indendent publishers during the 1980s. ... Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, underground comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, and graphic novels located in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. ... Dave Sim (born May 17, 1956 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian comic book writer and artist, best known as the creator of the 6,000 page graphic novel Cerebus the Aardvark (a comic which began as a cross between Conan the Barbarian and Howard the Duck). ... Cerebus the Aardvark (or simply Cerebus) was an ambitious monthly independent comic book begun by Canadian artist Dave Sim in 1977, and running for 300 issues and 6,000 pages, through March 2004. ... Wendy and Richard Pini are the husband-and-wife team responsible for creating the well-known ElfQuest series of comics, graphic novels and prose works. ... Elfquest #5, 1979. ... The current DC Comics logo, adopted in May 2005. ... It has been suggested that Felicia (pseudonym) be merged into this article or section. ...

In the 1990s, creator ownership became a cause célèbre among many comics creators, including those working in the dominant genre of superheroes. Image Comics was founded by several superhero artists, with a provision in its charter that the company would not own any of the material it published; that would be retained by the creators or the studio for which they worked. In addition to series set in their own continuity, DC published several creator-owned series set in the DC Universe (e.g. Sovereign Seven, Xero), traditionally the exclusive province of work-for-hire contracts. A cause célèbre (of which the plural is causes célèbres) is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and/or heated public debate. ... Spider-Man, one of the best-known superheroes. ... Image Comics is the third or fourth largest comic book publisher in the United States. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared setting where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. ... Sovereign Seven was an American comic book, published by DC Comics. ... Xero is: A character from The Atrocity Exhibition by J. G. Ballard. ...

Although some comics readers also support the cause of creator ownership, and some creator-owned series have been very successful, this arrangement has not always been advantageous to creators. Writer Peter David has frequently pointed out that his creator-owned works have sold a small fraction of the series he writes as work for hire, featuring popular publisher-owned characters. Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956) is an American writer, best known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels. ...