Other than the cost of art supplies, what are the costs of running an art licensing business? What”s essential and how and when do these costs fluctuate?

Every artist will probably answer this question a little differently but let’s look at some of the basics of the business.

1. Art supplies, as the artist stated in the question, are definitely a cost in any art business – licensing or otherwise.
2. Computer, scanner  and software.  Art licensing requires digital art files.  In the 8+ years that I’ve been licensing my work, I’ve sent original art to a manufacturer ONCE.  Companies expect artists to be able to deliver digital files for use in production.  Sometimes they will manipulate the art to fit their products, other times they will ask you to help.  So you need a computer and some skills.
• MAC or PC.  Whichever you prefer.
• Scanner.  You don’t have to pay for professional scanning but you need to be able to get professional results from your home scanner.  Without good raw digital art, it won’t work well – or sell well – on products.
• Photoshop and/Or Illustrator.  These are the two most commonly used programs in the industry.  I would venture to guess that all artists making a living (or close to it!) in licensing have the professional versions of these programs, not the “Elements” or other versions designed for the home-hobbyist.
3. Web Presence.  It’s essential to be online. You need email.  You need somewhere to send new companies to take a peek at your work – this could be a blog, a website, even a facebook page would work.  But you need to be there somewhere.
4. Promotional Materials.  This can vary widely.  You might just have business cards or you might create elaborate mailings to attract attention.  Some artists send out brochures, postcards, etc.  How you market your business is up to you!
5. Advertising.  This is optional but a way many artists keep their name in front of manufacturers.  Look at the art licensing trade magazines like License!, Total Art Licensing and Art Buyer for ways to get your art and name out there.
6. Trade Shows.  Exhibit at trade shows (there are 4/year that are specifically for artists who license art – learn more about them).  Attend industry trade shows where the manufacturers you want to connect with will be exhibiting.  Trade shows could include things like travel costs, food, booth costs, entrance fees, etc.

Basically, art licensing is a business and can involve all the costs of running a business.  You might need an accountant or book keeper to keep track of your money, you might hire help, etc.

It is more than the cost of paint, paper and brushes but much less that buying into a franchise with can cost tens or hundreds of thousands.

Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara Reed

As the 2012 Winter Conference & Trade Show fast approaches, it is time to review and submit your License & Design Exhibit Space Contract.
Click here for License & Design Contract Package

LICENSE & DESIGN EXHIBIT PACKAGE
Turn-Key Booth:

• 10’x10’
• GEM panel booth
• Carpet (section color)
• 4 lights with electrical
• 6’ black draped table
• 3 side chairs
• Wastebasket
• ID Sign

We are excited to inform you that this year, License & Design is centrally located on the show floor in prime exhibit space. Also, the Premier Booth Package price has not increased from last year and remains at $1800 and still includes carpet, lighting, hard walls and much more. Details of what the package includes is listed on the License & Design Exhibit Space Contract.

Learn more about the show and get the contract.

Click here for the License & Design Floorplan

Exhibiting in License & Design provides you with new business opportunities to network with attendees, exhibiting companies and fellow designers. It also gives you exclusive access to CHA’s VIP Art Director program, exposure to accredited members of the media, and a free spot in CHA’s Designer Showcase event. Please send in your exhibit space contract for immediate placement on the show floor!

CALL ANTHONY LICATA TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR BOOTH
Anthony Licata, Senior Sales Manager
Phone 201-835-1203 . alicata@craftandhobby.org  
WWW.CRAFTANDHOBBY.ORG

Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara Reed

P.S.  Want help putting your best booth forward?  Visit www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/tradeshows.html to see a variety of things to help!

Here are 5 things to include in a press kit:

1. Contact information! Don’t overlook putting your business card in the press kit. You want them to find you if they decide they want to do a cover story about you and your art, right?
2. Press Releases. If you have done any press releases that would be relevant to the press at the trade show, be sure to include them. Speaking of Press Releases, make sure you are giving good information for a reader and not just talking about yourself. You are more likely to be included in an article, etc. if you give tips that people can use (like “5 things to include in a press kit”) vs. tooting your own horn (like “I’m really great at making pretty press kits”) — see the difference?
3. Company Fact Sheet. Now that I told you not to toot your own horn, that doesn’t mean you don’t include some basics. Who are you? What is your story? What do you do? Are you an award winning artist? Put it here. Supporting charity? Write it down. New in business or going at it for 20 years? This is the place.
4. Promotional Materials. Do you have postcards, brochures or flyers that show / describe your art or products? That should be in there! Like everyone, press people are busy people. And they have a LOT of press kit choices to look at… I had the pleasure of getting in the press room when I worked with Simple Scrapbooks™ magazine, trust me, it can be overwhelming. The person needs to “get” who you are and what you do at a glance… what can you include that will catch their attention and make them want to learn more? That is the key to a successful press kit!
5. Presentation. How you present your press kit is as important as what is in it. As I said in #4, I’ve been the press person and walked the press room. Usually they have racks and racks of press kits, some are in folders, some are tied with bows, some are really ornate. (How creative the kits are depends a lot on the industry.) So you need SOMETHING on the outside to make someone stop and say, “Cool! What is this about?” Maybe it’s a catchy headline, or a captivating image. I’ve seen press kits in pocket folders, envelopes, even pizza boxes. I caution you against doing something too big (they may not find a spot for it) or too small (people may not notice it).

Here are some other resources for more nitty-gritty information about Press Kits and Press Releases:

http://www.glmshows.com/press/guidetopr.htm

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/constructing-a-press-kit.html

http://advertising.about.com/od/publicrelationsresources/a/fivepresskits.htm

http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneursstartupsmagazine/2001/december/46660.html

And don’t forget about my new eBook – How to Be a Press Friendly Artist – that includes not only press kits but press releases, website additions and more.  Check it out at www.PressFriendlyArtist.com

May the press be with you!

– Tara Reed

P.S.  For more information about how to prepare for your upcoming trade show, check out the many available resources at www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/shows.html

Perspectives of a First-time CHA Exhibitor

As I packed up my table, I reflected on what a great show it had been…

Wait. I should back up.

As I set up my table, I had high hopes that I would…

Oh. Sorry. I need to back up a little more. In fact, I’d like to go back to May of 2009 when I walked the floor of SURTEX. This is important, because all the work I did beforehand set the stage for exhibiting at the CHA Winter Trade Show, my first.

The Back Story

Last year I walked the SURTEX floor for three days, absorbing all the pretty colors and drinking gallons of coffee. More importantly, I paid attention to how it all worked. I observed how artists designed their booths and how they presented themselves. I watched the flow of traffic and tried to see what booths visitors were attracted to and how they spent their time with the artists.

Here are a few key notes I made to myself:

• Dude. Don’t eat in your booth.
• Don’t have your head buried in a book or laptop, but don’t give people the fish-eye.
• Show the art! Big, bold, clean. Easy to see style at a glance.

I made many more notes, but these were the biggies that I carried with me to my own table at the CHA Trade Show. We’ll see if I followed my own advice a little later.

At the end of last year, I reread Tara Reed’s ebook “How to Find and Work with Manufacturers.” I looked into more shows and found the CHA show, which I noticed was coming up fast. I took a plunge and decided to get a table at the Winter show.

Okay. That sounds super easy, like it took 5 minutes to decide. It didn’t. It was important for me to look at my budget and plans for 2011 very closely before deciding if it was the right decision.

Some factors I considered were:

• I’m already planning the Expo in June. Will this show get in the way of those plans?
• Do I need a whole booth at CHA? Can I afford that with a comfortable margin?
• Who will I meet at the CHA show? Is this truly my audience?
• What do I expect to get out of this show?
• Can I afford this travel right now?
• I’ll have to drop everything and start prepping now. Will my clients still be handled?
• How long will it take me to walk to Los Angeles? Can I survive without food for three days?

Just kidding on that last one. Wanted to see if you were paying attention. I flew and ate, of course.

You can probably guess that the answer to most of those was “yes,” because I did the show. One thing I did was opt for a table rather than a whole booth. Why? It has to do with what I expected to get out of this show.

Expectations

First, I saw this as an opportunity to do a trial run for the Licensing International Expo, where I’ll be exhibiting in June. That doesn’t mean that I could half-ass my prep or presence at the CHA show. It means that I had an opportunity to test some marketing ideas and get a feel for what standing behind a table for four days would really be like. Walking a show is very different from being “on” eight hours a day.

I also expected that I would not be signing contracts at the show. This isn’t pessimistic, it’s realistic. My sales philosophy can be summed up in two words: creating relationships.

This is how I’ve run my business since I started. It’s a little like dating. Sometimes it takes a lot of chatting before you even go to dinner. If you whip out an engagement ring when you meet, you’ll freak them out.

I narrowed down my expectations to simply meeting art directors and manufacturers and letting them walk away with a good impression of my company. This really helped me chill out and I think I appeared very natural and relaxed at the show.

Sparky Preppypants

As little time as I had, I did a lot of prep for this show. I took advantage of all the marketing and contact opportunities that the CHA people made available. I also created a few of my own. My mission here was to simply get the word out. I wanted the right people to know I would be there, because nobody knew or cared who I was until I told them. I also looked to another art licensor, Khristian Howell. Her Showstopper program helped me through a lot of this. Between Tara Reed and Khristian, I was steeped in a ginormous cup of information tea.

Here are some things I did to get the word out in a short time:

• Looked at the list of attendees and researched all of them. Many were not suited to my style of art, but this was valuable to know. No wasted effort!
• Handcrafted and mailed invitations to select art directors I knew would be at the show, who I really wanted to meet.
• Used the CHA Showbiz Connections system to contact manufacturers directly.
• Wrote a few blog posts where I mentioned the show. I also put banners up all over my site, telling visitors I would be exhibiting.
• Sent out a press release to announce that I would be exhibiting.
• Created a Valentine’s Day contest to promote my show presence and get traffic to my site in a relevant way.
• Kept talking about the show on social media sites I frequent. Not everyone cared about the show itself, but all my contacts knew I was going and supported me.

For my table at the show, I created the best display I possibly could. The idea was to attract attention, to get visitors to my table. Once there, they could explore a little more and look at my catalog. People aren’t spending hours at a booth or table. They’re busy and have their own agendas. So everything I created served to communicate what I’m about and what kind of art I produce at a glance.

And of course, I created take-aways like business cards, as well as a couple methods of collecting contact information from interested people.

Showtime at the LCC

I know. At this point you’re dying to know how this all played out in real life.

The License & Design section was on a lower level from the main show. So we didn’t get the hordes of traffic that booths on the main floor like DCWV or EK Success Brands got. This was to be expected, because the bulk of attendees were either retailers or crafters. Those people had no interest in buying or licensing art.

The good news here is that it was easy to spot the people who were in a position or had a need for art. Many of them came directly to my table, either from one of my prior marketing activities or just because they were attracted by my display.

The people who walked by with a scrunched-up face, mouthing, “Sparky… Firepants??!” were clearly not interested in my art or not buying art at all. Either way, I didn’t worry about them at all.

The people who did visit my table got my full attention. Even if I was playing it relaxed, inside I was totally “on,” tuned into the conversation. I didn’t miss a word. Again, my intent was not to wrestle a contract out of every art buyer. I asked questions, learned about their company and their needs. I gladly led interested buyers through my catalog and answered questions, but no pressure. Think cocktail party rather than Marrakesh street fair.

As soon as they left the booth, I whipped out my pad and jotted notes. This was invaluable later as I entered leads into my database. With the long, full days I sometimes had trouble remembering who wanted what and where they were from.

I also made friends with the other exhibitors around me. We all had very different art styles. Rather than set ourselves up as competitors, we helped each other out by watching a booth during bathroom breaks or steering relevant buyers to someone we thought was a good fit.

Even with all my prep, there were art buyers I invited who didn’t come to my table. The reason was simple. They were busy working their own booths, talking to retailers about their products. Rather than get offended or hurt, I decided to bring the Firepants to them.

I had to be careful here, because I didn’t want to get in the way of their sales flow, just as I wouldn’t want vendors hogging my time at my table. My approach was simple: just stop and say hello. This was a new thing for me. I am not a born salesman or networking type dude, so I was nervous. I think I circled some booths more than a few times, getting my courage up. But it went very well. I ended up having some great, no-pressure conversations and I think I left a good impression. Mission accomplished.

A few good mistakes

Of course I made some. But only good ones. Here are some things I will do differently next time:

• Print more brochures and press kits
• Bring more business cards (I blew through 200 before the last day)
• Better shoes (maybe converse shouldn’t be my shtick)
• Hire or entice someone to work the booth with me

Okay, so I bent a couple of my own rules. For instance, I ate in my booth a couple times when traffic was slow or non-existent. I made sure I took tiny bites of a Cliff bar instead of filling my face with a forkful of saucy pasta. I rationalized that it was better to be chewing a small snack than to be passed out cold on the floor. Next time if I have someone with me in my booth, I’ll go somewhere else to eat.

I also used my laptop a few times to connect with art directors and handle some trade show business. I just made sure I was ready to close it and smile when someone approached.

Success?

I hope by now you can guess that the CHA show was a huge success for me. I connected with some great buyers who I never could have by sitting in my studio. The internet is handy, but it can’t replace being there in person.

So far, those people have a positive impression of Sparky Firepants. From here, it’s about following up and continuing to create those relationships that will hopefully turn into business at some point.

Even though I didn’t expect to land a contract at the show, I did get one after doing my post-show follow-ups. At this writing we’re still negotiating, but I feel like my hard prep work and relaxed, yet attentive attitude paid off.

Now it’s time to turn my focus to the June Expo. I’ll be bringing these new lessons with me. Hmmm. I may need a bigger bag.

###

David Billings is the creative brain behind Sparky Firepants.

Over the past ten years, David’s illustration work has appeared in Highlights High Five magazine, The Electric Company, Blue’s Clues, language textbooks, e-learning kits, and children’s products sold in stores all over the U.S. His work has won several awards, including a Daytime Emmy nomination for his work at Nickelodeon.

He lives near Portland, Oregon with his wife, three children and 50 alpacas. Learn more on his website: http://sparkyfirepants.com

– Tara Reed

P.S.  If you are getting ready or considering exhibiting at an art licensing trade show, hop on over to http://artlicensinginfo.com/shows.html and see all the info and resource choices to help you make the most of your investment.

I was excited to get an email from Paul Brent this week with this special offer.  During the October Ask Call, Paul focused on getting ready for art licensing trade shows – preparing your art, focusing your time and efforts and more.  He’s offering to take it a step further with artists interested in personalized help – at a special rate for a limited time.

I’m calling it the Paul Brent Trade Show Special Coaching Offer!

HERE ARE THE DETAILS:

WHEN: for hour-long coaching sessions between now and Christmas (2010)

WHAT: Paul will review an artists portfolio, talk with them about what they have, what has been successful and help them create a strategy for their upcoming trade show.  So whether you are signed up to exhibit in Altanta, at CHA, SURTEX or the Licensing Expo – Paul’s years of experience and keen eye can help you make it an even better show.

COST: $175/hour  – normally, Paul charges $225 / hour for coaching but has decided he really wants to make this Trade Show preparation session affordable and has cut his rate.  But only for this topic and only for this limited time!

Paul Brent knows trade shows.  He’s been licensing his art for over 20 years and has been a part of SURTEX from the beginning of the show.  He’s also been a regular exhibitor at the Licensing Expo.  If you are serious about your time at the show, seriously consider this amazing offer.

SIGN ME UP!

Here’s to your trade show success!

– Tara Reed

P.S. For other great trade show prep resources – CLICK HERE

I was given permission to reprint it here (why re-create the wheel, right?)

In our month-to-month, step-by-step march to SURTEX 2010, October brings us to what licensing veteran and public relations pro Kay Degenhardt calls “the most important task for right now,” determining the size, configuration and location of your booth.

TO-DO THIS MONTH:
Decide What You Really Need

Trade show success, just like real estate, depends on three factors: location, location, location!

And which location works best for you depends on how you plan to use your booth.  Here are some guidelines to help you decide:

If you are a textile designer. Because designers who focus on the textile and wallcovering trades have asked that an area be set aside for their specialty, the folks at GLM have carved out two aisles specifically geared to the textile trades.  While many of your designs will translate beautifully to paper goods and other products, the size, motifs, and techniques used to produce those patterns are geared to manufacturers of decorative fabrics, home textiles, wallpapers, and even apparel fabrics.  If your designs fit this overall category, you might consider asking for a spot in this special section.

If you are selling designs outright, you will want a booth that can accommodate as many showing tables and counters as you need for your inventory, the scale of your work, and the number of designers and/or staff you will have on hand.  A corner booth is a good bet, as it allows several people to show designs at the same time.

If you are licensing collections, an entirely different booth display may be more advantageous.  In addition to your latest work, you may wish to feature licensed products already on the market(be sure to call them in early enough!),especially if they are being shown at the National Stationery Show in the adjacent aisles.  By displaying the finished products alongside your newest collection, you’re illustrating your diversity, and also reminding potential clients that your name and work are highly desirable.

If you are a generalist - like many surface designers – you gear your work toward the larger marketplace.  Whether you are licensing or selling your work outright, the question is, how do you set yourself apart?  How do you draw attendees to your booth? The answer: create a unique setting.  Use color.  Study the work of truly great merchandisers.  Anthropologie is one retailer that’s mastered “enticement merchandising,” the trick of drawing customers from one vignette to another.  Take it all in and use it to create your own special environment at SURTEX.

If you are still sitting on your SURTEX application, get up and get it off to GLM pronto!  Space is limited, so the sooner you apply, the more likely that the organizers will be able to accommodate your needs. Besides, you’ll want all the time it takes to make your space exactly what you decide it should be.

Couldn’t have said it better myself!  So there are some things to consider and prepare whether you are exhibiting at SURTEX or any other show.  I’ll be at SURTEX exhibiting and teaching and look forward to meeting lots of licensees and artists alike!

Here are some links for the SURTEX SHOW:

sign up for the On The Surface Newsletter

register to exhibit

plan your travel & book your hotel

main web page

Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara

P.S. another reminder that I have an eBook & teleseminar replay to get you ready to exhibit! CLICK HERE

(disclosure: I receive no compensation for telling you about this)