In a recent post, Reinhard Schleining asked if the monthly top-10 retainer program had been abandoned. The answer is NO. Far from it.

Going forward, you will find that Clickwheel has more in common with a website like YouTube than a comic book publisher like Marvel. In general, the aim is to provide tools and services for comic creators to get their work on Clickwheel, iTunes and other media platforms, and then use those tools to promote your work. However, we still believe in rewarding quality and performance, and will have a publisher model within our larger service provider umbrella.

So how will it work? Like a comic publisher, a creator or creative team will be paid an agreed amount for a commission. Depending on the circumstances and the creator, the commission may be a collection of existing work formatted for download, comics done exclusively for Clickwheel, a combination of the two, or a completely original work.

I know what you’re thinking: NO. We do not own the rights to your intellectual property in ANY of these scenarios. Sometimes we will offer money for temporary (usually six months) exclusivity to run the work, but we do and will never own the work. We are simply renting it.

So how do YOU get in on this? I will be using this program in a few ways – first, to reward and promote existing Clickwheel comics and second, to introduce new comics to our site. If you’re part of the former, simply creating a killer comic on Clickwheel will likely get you the attention you need.

But we’re also looking for new work that, for example, uses the unique capabilities of the iPhone, so if you have an idea for a commission, send me a pitch, and I’ll give it my fullest consideration.

If you’re NOT part of Clickwheel, and I don’t come looking for you, apply for an artists’ account at Clickwheel with links to your work.

When does this start? It already has. At the end of June Clickwheel will feature our first exclusive works and you’ll see just what we mean.

It is my hope that this initiative will allow Clickwheel to reward more than just download numbers, and also create a sustainable way to reward the great work you guys do.

Now send me some submissions!

Tim’at’clickwheel’dot’net

Yes, and no. Basically, think of this component like a small comic publisher within the larger scope of Clickwheel. The best analogy I can draw is if someone were to sit down and draw a Spider-Man comic for Marvel, it does not mean that Marvel will necessarily pay them and publish it. As I said, I’ll be accepting pitches, so I recommend emailing me your idea and a sample frame or two before finishing a piece because if you do the whole thing ahead of time I can’t make any guarantee it’s something that will fit our commission plan at that time depending on what’s running.

However, if you have something in mind, do let me in on the idea and we can discuss options.

There will be an additional incentive program coming down the pipe as well, but one thing at a time.

Yes and no. It can be a pre-existing comic but it needs to be fresh stuff FROM that comic. If the work in question has already seen online publication it is not eligible for this program.