"Of the 225 syndicated newspaper cartoonists in North America, only about a tenth are women, says Jay Kennedy, editor-in-chief of King Features Syndicate, distributor of Between Friends. However, that number has risen in the last decade and will likely snowball as women see more role models, predicts Kennedy.
But regardless of gender, the odds against breaking in are no laughing matter. King Features, for instance, receives about 6,000 unsolicited cartoon submissions a year. It chooses three.
Industry-wide, only one in three comic strips survive the first year in syndication, says Kennedy. 'To survive five years is an absolute success.' Between Friends is in its 12th year of syndication.
The secret of Bell-Lundy's success?
'She connects with readers,' says Kennedy. 'She's a very good observer of her own life and others' lives and reflects it back in a humourous way.'"