Charles Schulz Didn't Own Charlie Brown. Here's What Creators Can Learn From It.

He didn't own Charlie Brown. He didn't own Snoopy. He didn't even get to name the strip. United Feature Syndicate's terms were standard for the era: 100% of the rights, or no deal. Schulz was 27, unknown outside St. Paul, and needed the platform. So he signed. The syndicate also told Schulz that his title, “Li'l Folks” had to go. It was too close to an existing strip. They renamed it “Peanuts,”…