If you are a cartoonist, in particular a gag cartoonist, there is no question about it. The New Yorker magazine is the place in which to publish your cartoons.
In 2023, I pursued cartooning professionally. I sent single-panel gag cartoons to the The New Yorker as regularly as their policy permitted.
The first cartons I submitted where Rub Me the Wrong Way and Yard Sale. I thought I had a great shot of landing them into the magazine, especially the first one.
I guess, though Rub Me the Wrong Way just was not New York enough.
Not so terrible, right?
Well, The New Yorker has this policy—they will not permit you to publish your cartons elsewhere. They want exclusive first rights to them. If you publish them elsewhere first, even on your website, to The New Yorker magazine, they are deemed damaged goods.
You have two choices: Wait. Re-submit the cartons, or you can put away your pride and publish them elsewhere, like on your website.
Honestly, did you really want the permanent home of your cartoons to be on your hard drive? I certainly did not.
It is almost as if you are giving up the rights to your cartoons to The New Yorker before you even publish them there. It is like you are in The New Yorker magazine jail or have become a member of their cartoon cult.
However, if you are willing to swallow your pride with a gulp and look elsewhere to publish your cartoons, I am willing to bet your work will still be seen, for example, on popular social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
While you are waiting to get a cartoon published in The New Yorker and receiving rejection and rejection, you could be getting views somewhere else—if making money from your cartoons is not your sole goal.
Getting your cartoons published in The New Yorker magazine might be formidable feat, but it can also be thought of as a cheap thrill. You will only get paid, make money once, once you have gotten a cartoon accepted for publication in the magazine. However, on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, you will be receiving regular checks long after your cartoons are published there. You will only receive a one-time payment from The New Yorker.
Of course, on social media, the truth is that you will need a lot of views, thousands of them, to begin making money, but it is still better than waiting on The New Yorker just to accept your cartoon.
It look some time, a month or so on Instagram, but I am now receiving thousands of views for my cartoons. On TikTok, it took four months, a bit more challenging (probably because they are still-life cartoons, not animated) but two of my cartoons made what I like to call the 1k Club. One is approaching the 2,000-view mark, and the other the 4,000-view mark.
Yes, The New Yorker magazine is the place to submit and sell your gag cartoons. The question is, though: How badly to you want your cartoons to be seen and enjoyed? You can be prideful and prestigious and wait on The New Yorker forever, or, you can turn to social media meccas like Instagram and TikTok.
With The New Yorker, it is more about prestige, I bet, than a paycheck.