FAQ: Do I need an agent to succeed in art licensing?
The answer all depends on you!
The art licensing industry is accessible to individual artists who want to do the work of marketing their art. However, there are also many agents who help artists who choose not to take care of that side of their business.
Here are five facts to consider when deciding if you want to work with an agent:
FACT: Agents want to work with artists who “get” licensing and have enough work to make it worth their investment of time and energy to promote. If you only have a limited portfolio, you may have a hard time finding an agent. Licensing is a numbers game – manufacturers are always looking for “what’s new” so agents need artists who can really produce on a regular basis.
FACT: Agents do the marketing side of your business and for that, they share in the royalties. Most art licensing agents work with a 50/50 split while some take less and a few take more. So you need to assume that you will get more than twice the business with an agent than you would on your own, or you will be behind before you get started.
FACT: Marketing your work isn’t easy. Licensing is a competitive industry and there will be lots of rejection – or lack of response – so you need to have a thick skin and the ability to keep at it. Just as you need to create a lot of art, you will have to make a lot of phone calls, send a lot of emails, and nourish relationships to get business. Sometimes you will feel like you are communicating into a void… the reality is that many manufacturers are so busy that you won’t get a response unless they want your art.
FACT: Some artists will find every excuse under the sun to postpone making a call or showing their work to anyone. Those are the artists that should absolutely consider an agent – SOMEONE has to do the marketing, if you aren’t going to, try to find someone who will.
FACT: Finding an agent doesn’t mean guaranteed riches. You still have to do the work, create the art, study the trends, meet the needs of the manufacturers and work as a team with your agent. You don’t head to an island to sip margaritas and paint every so often.
Not sure if you would be happier working with an agent or doing your own marketing? Click here to get a free questionnaire to help you decide…
No matter what you decide is best for you – for now – I’ve written an eBook to help you shorten your learning curve.
| I want help finding an agent…
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I want help doing my own marketing…
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If you want to find an agent, there are more than 25 listed on the AGENTS tab of this blog. Thirteen of them gave feedback in the eBook and the rest have asked to be listed for artists to find. This is a resource only and I can’t guarantee that you will hear back if you contact them.
Whatever you decide – I wish you much success!
– Tara Reed
Artist Questions about Agents and Manufacturers Answered!
I got a few last-minute questions that we weren’t able to get into the call line-up but I thought would make helpful blog posts. These two are related to agents and manufacturers….
Marilyn asked: What are the best ways to let agents or licensing companies know about my work – website, mailing, etc?
There are many things you can do to get the attention of agents or manufacturers – here are a few basics.
- Have some sort of website they can go to to see your art. It could be a blog with some images or a more traditional website. These days most people expect you to have some space on the internet so they can quickly look and decide if they want to learn more.
- Email or Direct Mail or dare I suggest you pick up the phone?
Getting your name and art in front of the right individuals is important since they make the decisions. Check manufacturer websites to see if they have submission guidelines or pick up the phone and ask who to contact. - Trade Shows. There are a variety of trade shows for artists in licensing as well as industry shows where the manufacturers can be found. Here’s a blog post with links to the art licensing shows.
Be sure to look at the “agents” page of this blog for a growing list of art licensing agents and their contact information. They have all asked to be there so they are open to new artist submissions. I have also written an eBook – How to Find, Interact and Work with Manufacturers Who License Art if you prefer to market yourself.
and Karen wanted to know: Once you sign up with an agent and submit images, how much time can you expect to pass before you start seeing results?
Karen’s questions is a bit trickier and if we were on the live call I’d start with my famous “it depends”… There is simply no way to answer this because there are so many moving parts.
Things that could influence the timing could include:
- The time of year you start working with an agent and how your art lines up with what manufacturers are looking for at that time.
- How much art you have in your portfolio for them to license. Licensing is like a dart game – the more art you have the more likely you are to hit the bulls eye.
- The agent’s process – how long does it take them to get you into the line-up and out the door to be presented to manufacturers? What type of marketing do they do for new artists, if any?
I think this is a great question to ask an agent that you are thinking about working with. You want to go into an artist – agent relationship with some realistic expectations. If you think you should see results within 3 months and they have found it takes a year to see if your art will be a fit for them and the market, that’s good information to have upfront.
Resources for learning about manufacturers who license art
I received an email a few weeks ago that said something like this,
“I want to learn more about how to contact manufacturers, and please dumb it down because I’m new.”
This just made me shake my head and say, “REALLY?” I have so many resources for learning about the many facets of art licensing but they want me to answer them personally, oh, and dumb it down too. I’m all for being helpful – really I am. I’ve written articles, done many free interviews, done more than 25 ask calls that are available free to anyone who listens live and many replays are free too. There are more than 400 blog posts about art licensing. If a person isn’t willing to look for some answers and just expects a personal response to a basic question that is readily available, they probably aren’t going to do so well in this business.
You have to work hard and make things happen – they aren’t handed to you on a platter.
However, there are so many artists who read and look and learn that I thought this would be a great time to point you in some helpful directions when it comes to finding information about interacting with manufacturers.
ARTICLES about finding and working with manufacturers
- The Seven Steps to Art Licensing Shopping Research
- The Art Licensing Equation: What it Takes from Both Sides to Make a Great Partnership
- In Art Licensing, Communication is Key
- When NOT to ask “What are you looking for?”
- In Art Licensing, Who Comes Up With the Ideas?
- 7 Ways Finding Manufacturers Who License Art is Like Online Dating
- 5 Reasons a Company Might Choose to License Art
- 5 Reasons To Consider Promoting Yourself in Art Licensing
VIDEO about finding manufacturers
eBOOK: How to Find, Interact and Work with Manufacturers Who License Art
ASK CALL REPLAYS – many answer specific questions about manufacturers who license art
Look through the many free and for fee audio replays – over 250 hours worth – to see what questions have been asked and answered about manufacturers. You can see everything at www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/audio-archives.html
If you have specific questions, feel free to submit them for consideration for the next call. The schedule and links to the website(s) to submit your questions are also on that page.
I hope that helps! Wishing you much success!
– Tara Reed
If only David Tutera could design my trade show booth…
Well, it’s “We Wedding Sunday” and one of my favorite reality shows is on – My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. It’s a visual paradise to watch him take a theme (usually gone wrong) and turn it into an over-the-top-amazing event… oh. Did I mention that this is done in 3 weeks?
The premise of the show – David Tutera shows up at a bride’s door, 3 weeks before her wedding. He sees what her plan is – they always have a theme, from safari weddings to Alice in Wonderland to Diva bride and more. He gets to know them and then he takes over. He changes everything and the bride (and groom) have no idea what will happen until their wedding day. It’s a truly feel-good show – unlike Bridezillas that is watched for the train-wreck factor. (I recently did a video and blog post – There is little room for Art-zilla behavior in art licensing – not to be missed!)
David Tutera is a wedding and event planner, author, speaker and adding new wedding related licensing deals to his portfolio by the day it seems. He has bridal jewelry at Sears, Bridal Collection of wedding accessories and craft supplies at JoAnn Fabric and Crafts, bridal gowns by Faviana to name a few…
As I start to plan my booth for SURTEX, I realized it is very much like planning a wedding or other big event – every year. (Ditto if you are getting ready for the Licensing Expo in June.) Just like David does with his brides, artists have to decide what feeling they want to convey in their booth, how to attract the attention of manufacturers and really show who they are.
We have budgets to stick to so the over-the-top-amazing booths are pretty few and far between for individual artists. Which is fine… but wouldn’t it be cool? I’d LOVE for David Tutera to show up at my house 3 weeks before SURTEX, see what I have planned and transform my 10×10 piece of real estate on the show floor. Who knows? Maybe he’d even upgrade me to a 10×20!
But alas, I will probably be planning my booth myself with my own check book, as I do every year.
However, there is some advice in this video interview with David about what to focus on when it comes to allocating your budget that I think is great food for thought for anyone exhibiting at SURTEX or the Licensing Expo. It’s under 3 minutes so humor me – you might get some ideas!
If you are exhibiting at one of the two upcoming art licensing shows, here are a few tips:
- Think of it as an event and don’t try to plan everything the week before. It’s an investment so give it the time and attention it deserves.
- Think about the overall impression you want to give to manufacturers – and decide how you can achieve that within your budget.
- Add your participation – including booth # – to your email signatures now, so manufacturers know you will be there.
- Bring lots of business cards – they are inexpensive, easy to pack and the most frequent thing someone will walk away with.
Want more help?
We’ve got lots of resources at www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/shows.html to help you feel prepared, confident and ready to maximize your investment of both time and money!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
P.S. Learn all about David Tutera at www.DavidTutera.com
P.P. S. If you, David Tutera, read this post – please leave a comment – it would make my day! LOVE your show! Better yet - email me! Would love to interview you about your show and licensing deals with Sears, Joann Fabric and Crafts and more…
Catch a creative wave by listening to the Ask Drew and Maria Brophy replay – it’s free!
Another great call with our latest art licensing experts – artist Drew Brophy and his wife / business mind, Maria. There were 80+ artists listening live – were you one of them?
Here is what we covered…
- How Drew Brophy got into art and licensing
- What’s the most important thing you’ve done to connect with/market to customers in your niche to create a fan base?
- How important do you feel your work connecting directly with consumers is to your ability to get licensing agreements?
- How important is it that you create art that will fit on certain products vs. just creating whatever you feel and letting art buyers decide what to do with it?
- How do you choose what a new designs to create?
- Where do you go or what do you look at to recharge your creative batteries?
- How do you stay motivated if things are slow?
- What gives you the most joy in what you do?
- How do you deal with rejection?
- Maria, what was your 1st year at licensing Drew’s work like? What was some of the things that you did to get Drew’s work visible.
- What are the most important first 3 steps to set me on the road to learning to license my art?
- How can you figure out which licensing market one’s style of artwork would be most appropriate and succesful in?
- How can one be sure he or she is getting a good “deal” when negotiating a first contract?
There wasn’t a lot of action on the Facebook page during the call but quite a few artists were tweeting away – here are a few of the comments:
“Loved listening to @mariabrophy and @DrewBrophy talk art, licensing biz and surfing! Thanks @ArtistTaraReed! #ask”
“@ArtistTaraReed @mariabrophy knowing that perfection does not have to be met for success…#ask”
“@ArtistTaraReed: @DrewBrophy talks abt being unemployed every Mon morning – u have 2 figure it out! < yes! #ask” Keeps us on our toes!”
“People want to be a part of your story as an artist” – @DrewBrophy #ask
“I love this call so much-I’ll be replaying it for inspiration! They are so grounded, relaxed, smart and thoughtful!”
If you missed the call, the mp3 replay is available for free at www.AskDrewBrophy.com.
Thank you Drew and Maria for sharing your experience and insights – truly appreciated by all!
– Tara Reed
P.S. Coming up next…
Wednesday, February 16, 2011: www.DebbieMumm.com/askDebbie/
Art Licensing guru Debbie Mumm got her start and stays true to her fabric and quilting design roots. Over the years she has expanded and built her business to include just about every product imaginable. This is an amazing opportunity to listen and learn from this talented artist and business woman – submit your questions for consideration!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011: www.AskTaraReed.com
Time is running out to be a part of the live smARTist telesummit!
I just got my speaker instructions and I’m excited to get the smARTist telesummit under way – it starts NEXT WEEK! I have my ducks in a row and I’m sharpening my pencils to take notes while I listen to the amazing team of panelists Ariane has gathered for the 5th annual smARTist™ telesummit.
If you are on the fence, listen to these two audios of artists talking with Ariane to see what you think…
It’s now or never to participate live! Click the link to sign up or get that piece of info you might need to make a decision. www.smARTist.com/tara*
Hope you join us!
– Tara Reed
* this is an affiliate link – I am compensated for my participation when I earn referral commissions from artists who click my link. Thank you in advance – it helps me have “blog time” in my days. 
How To Take Your Art Career To The Next Level
Being an artist is a tricky career, and one that is constantly fluctuating. So how in the world do you not only make a sustainable living at it, but actually thrive?
Ariane of smARTist says it’s all about diversification. (Sounds like “vacation,” lol!)
So, I’ve invited Ariane Goodwin, Ed.D., art career coach and host of the only professional development conference for visual fine artists online or off, to come talk with me about how selling your art is joined at the hip to multiple streams of income.
Join me on November 10 at 4 pm Pacific / 6 pm Central / 7 pm Eastern for this open telecall.
What is frustrating you the most, right now, about your art career?
Let us know – enter it below. Otherwise, just put “no question” in the space, enter your name and email and you’ll get the dial-in details. Hope you can make it – this is an amazing opportunity for artists and I’m thrilled to be a part of it this year!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
P.S. To get signed up today to learn about Ariane’s Early Bird Discount, CLICK HERE*
Four Reasons to Consider a Password Protected Portfolio on Your Art Licensing Website
How much art should you show on your website? Should you protect some of it online, or email images upon request? These are questions that are swirling around the minds of many artists in or considering art licensing… (Yes @cindyannganaden and @sparkyfirepants – I’m finally doing the blog post you’ve been waiting for! Sorry for the delay.)
Let me begin by saying that having a Password Protected Portfolio isn’t a requirement when you are starting out.
Personally, I don’t think I had one until I’d been licensing my art for 3-4 years. However, I believe there is great value in having it now – so once you are committed to licensing, I would put it on your definite to-do list.
Artists who sell their work online, need to show everything they have to offer. It will be hard for someone to buy your amazing, original oil painting if they have no idea it exists. Art licensing is a little different. Manufacturers don’t expect unlimited access to every santa, candle or scarecrow you’ve ever painted… and there is a risk in putting huge volumes of available art online for all the world to see. Here are four reasons to consider a password protected portfolio on your art licensing website.
- Safety. While an artist who sells originals can put art online then take it down when it sells, artists who license their work can license it to multiple manufacturers. So instead of art that rotates in and out based on availability, our portfolios grow and grow. There is a risk of being copied – either by manufacturers who blatantly use your work without compensating you or other artists who might be a little too inspired by your work. It is safer to show enough of your art on the open pages of your website to give manufacturers an idea of what you have, and then password protect the vast majority of work so only those who need to see it, do.
- Speed. There are times when a manufacturer needs art in a hurry. They may call and tell you what they are looking for. When that happens, I always send them things I think might work, but also invite them to log-on and look through my online portfolio as well. Very often they stumble across something they are interested in, that doesn’t fit what they requested. Without the work being online, they wouldn’t have known it was available.
- Expectation. Art licensing is a fast-paced business and more and more manufacturers expect to be able to go online and see what art is available. When I asked some manufacturers if they saw an up or downside to working with agents, (for the eBook, How to Find an Art Licensing Agent ) one responded by saying: For us, some agencies are more likely to have easily accessible portfolios – either online or printed, that allows us to see what art is available quickly. So if they are expecting easily accessible portfolios from agents, why not be the artist who delivers as well and exceeds expectations?
- Ease. The easier you are to work with, the more likely you are to get licensing deals. There is a lot of great art out there. Competition is tough. So what makes you quick and easy to work with? Maybe it’s the way your clients can keep up with what you have any time, day or night. That can be done with an online portfolio.
Here’s to your creative – and secure – success!
– Tara Reed
P.S. If you use WordPress for your website, the WishList Membership Plugin* is a great way to create a password protected area. You can learn more about it if you get the free audio with Kim Beasley from the “Ask About WordPress for Artists” call in June 2010. Go to www.AskAboutWordPressForArtists.com to get your copy today.
* FTC disclosure: The WishList Membership Plugin links are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you make a purchase. This helps me keep blogging and sharing and paying my bi
Why you should consider adding video to your marketing mix
Daniel Tardent, author of the SEO for Artists eBook* who did the Ask Call with us in February asked if I’d write a blog post about video marketing for artists for his blog at www.ArtMarketingSecrets.com In case you missed it on his blog, here is what I came up with…
Did you know that YouTube represents 25% of all Google searches?
Did you know that in Decmeber of 2007, 2.52 billion people searched for videos, up 114% from the previous month? Wonder what that’s up to now! (Here’s where I got these Statistics)
Video is the future, is your film rolling?
I’ve been hearing this for several years now – you need to add video, video, video, video. But what kinds of video can artists create to help increase their exposure, build their brand and get more business? How can we get in on the surge in video searches?
Here are four types of videos artists can create to help promote themselves on YouTube:
- Show your work. If you are shy in front of the camera, you can create a slide show of sorts that shows your art, your studio, work in progress, photos, etc.
- Show yourself working. People are often interested to see “an artist at work” – can you set up a camera and draw, paint or sculpt while the film is rolling? You could speed up the video to make it look like you are working top speed and add audio or music to go along with it.
- Promote events. Are you a gallery artist looking to do more shows? Have someone take some video of you at an opening, talking with others, showing your art on the wall. Use that to promote yourself for future events. Do the same for craft fairs, commission work, public speaking, etc. Show you and your work in action to help others visualize you in action for them.
- Have some fun! Have you ever noticed that the videos people share the most are videos that make you laugh? Or videos that catch your attention by comparing unusual things? What can you do to make a viral video (meaning people keep passing it on!) related to your art? Spoof a famous commercial or skit? Stand on your head while painting? Have fun but make sure your fun is true to you, your art and your brand.
Once you have some videos, where will you put them? The first step to cash in on all this YouTube searching is to upload them to YouTube. But also consider creating a YouTube Channel – where you control the look and feel and can organize your videos as you see fit. That way people can follow you and know when you post new content. It’s a great way to build a following of people who enjoy video content.
To learn more about how to create your own channel, go to http://www.youtube.com/advertise
Pay attention to the description and keywords you use when you put your video on YouTube as well. According to YouTube, 24 hours of video are uploaded every minute so you need to make sure the right people know about your video or your efforts will be for naught. Treat your videos as you would treat your SEO for your website.
Videos can capture attention and add interest to your blog and website as well. You can link your videos to Facebook. Video is a more personal way for people to get to know, like and trust you and that is who people like to do business with.
Newer computers have video and microphone capabilities. Most digital cameras and some phones can take video as well. So don’t believe you have to have a production company create your video or huge budgets to get it done, just believe that it can help you promote your work and commit to give it a shot.
Here’s to adding video to the mix of your creative success!
– Tara Reed
P.S. You can get a free audio replay of the Ask Call with Daniel by registering at www.AskAboutSEOforArtists.com
P.P.S. To learn more about his eBook, SEO for Artists, CLICK HERE (this is my affiliate link)
P.P.S.S. Here’s a great example of an artistic spoof video – they had some good videographers but you’ll get the idea.
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