Creator Spotlight with Cartoonist Maryette Clement
This week we’d like to introduce cartoonist and author Maryette Clement. Maryette’s book, The Teenyboppers #1, is available on Amazon. Be sure to also follow her on Instagram.
What was the inspiration behind becoming a creator? What do you enjoy most about the creative process?
I have been drawing all my life. I’ve always loved cartoons so it was inevitable that I would choose an artistic profession. I first created my comic strip as a teen and spent several years perfecting my drawing techniques and developing my characters. For the past few years, I got tired of my work getting rejected by syndicates. After attending several comic book festivals, I realized I could self-publish my work and went that route. The best part of the creative process for me is seeing the finished product. It is extremely gratifying to see how all your hard work paid off. I really can’t describe the feeling of being able to hold a book in your hands that you made all by yourself.
Can you talk through your creative process? How long does it take? Does everything you produce make money?
All comic strips start as an idea. Once I have an idea for a cartoon, I make a rough draft. I have a notebook where I make all my rough drafts. Once I’m satisfied with the drafts, I draw the strips in pencil by hand. This is followed by coloring, lettering, outlining, making copies, scans and finally editing on the computer. The timeframes for all these steps vary. Editing takes the longest. I have sold some copies of my book but I’m still in the “getting exposure rather than making money” phase.
When did you first become aware of copyright, and why?
I first became aware as a teenager. I copyrighted the comics that inspired my book as 2D visual art when I was a teen. This happened because, at the time, a woman I met claimed she wanted to market my work. So before sharing my work with anyone, I registered it with the U.S. Copyright Office to protect it.
Have you experienced copyright infringement and, if so, how has it affected you personally and financially?
In April of 2024, I discovered two books containing my book’s interior pages were being sold in the Amazon Kindle Store. One even had my name listed as the author. This didn’t affect me financially, but definitely affected me personally. It was a shock. I felt so violated. It is beyond upsetting to see people try to claim something you worked hard on as their own. I immediately tried to get these fake books taken down. Amazon KDP and Goodreads didn’t exactly make it easy for me. After approximately four days of communication with Amazon and Goodreads, the fake books were removed.
What is the best piece of advice you would give other creators in your field about copyright and how to protect themselves?
Copyright your work as soon as you possibly can. I cannot stress this enough. There isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t get your work, whatever it may be, copyrighted. You have to protect yourself and your work. It’s downright foolish not to do so.
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