What's the going rate ...

I'm probably wrong but I imagine it would be however much you can get the artist to accept. I also imagine it would depend a little on how interested the artist was in the work.

Inkdaub's right. There's no "going" rate, I'm afraid. Not really.

And the more you pay the better your art will be.

In theory.

You can offer some creative openings for the artist, maybe even allow co-creator credit, and that might bring the page rate down for you.

You might get someone for $5 a page, but remember that in the real industry, there are pencilers AND inkers. If you want someone to do both, in theory you should offer them an amount that covers both disciplines.

Pro rates are gonna start at the low end, around $100 and you can go as high as $300 plus if you're running with the big boys.

But has been said here before, getting an artist ain't that easy, and good ones that are reliable, are as rare as rocking horse poop!

Try advertising on Figma, PencilJack and Digital Webbing. You can also check out online portfolios at Deviant and maybe approach the artist directly.

Oooh, check out Deviant. Lots of talent there. My daughter, who's seventeen and planning to go to Sheridan College for a BA in Arts and Animation, has a page there. Am I out of line if I ask you to check it out? If you want to take a look, PM me.

DigitalWebbing is useful for a lot of things besides trying to find an artist too. they have a very useful web-site, they're an interesting publisher, and they have some helpful forums.