Special Agent … ???
I think I am torn by my feelings about whether to pursue an agent or not. I consider agents to be worthwhile if you don't have the time, or energy, contacts, or right persona to do the grunt work yourself. Which artists really like to use the other side of the brain anyway! It's common knowledge that most artists are bad business folk and are usually disorganized; can't follow through and frequently forget to send an invoice on time. Either that, or they are simply not good at communicating. Hands up who likes to talk about money???
An agent serves a wonderful purpose to this aspect of having to work for yourself. They are brokers. It's in their best interests to connect you with the right people, and sure, they'll be right there — on time— with an invoice, taking care of business … literally. When you make money, they make money. They may take a quarter of what you earn, but they will be charging the going rate. You may find — like I know I do — you undersell yourself and charge much less than the industry standard.
According to Mela Bolinao, of HK Portfolio, the business of being an agent is serious work and they don't take kindly to slackers. They'll get you the audition, but the rest is up to you. If you don't hold up your end of the bargain, then "bye-bye." On a positive note, most agents will work with you on creating the perfect portfolio and will expect you to be creating new pieces on a very regular basis.
Aside from earning a 20 to 25 percent commission, you'll also be expected to cover partial costs of advertising, too. Including postcards, leave-behinds (8.5 x 11 promo sheets left with ADs at publishers after showing of a portfolio) and maybe a portion of a page featured in Picture Book. They're not hidden fees neccessarily, but you have to be aware and ask.
I had a portfolio critique last year with Piper Smith of Lindgren & Smith — an agency in New York. She was a lovely, sweet woman who gave me some extremely good advice about my work. And told me which pieces she thought were "wonderful" and what I should be creating more of. Of course, she also said the agency does not take on first-timers. So that was that.
I'm on the fence about agents. At present, I'm okay with the way I'm working. For me, going to local workshops and conferences and meeting with editors and art directors in one-on-one sessions is my way forward. I have met some who I didn't 'connect' with, while I totally hit it off with others. I think of it as trawling through 300 Jack-in-the-Boxes before stumbling across Pandora's Box! This brings me to the right fit. Just like publishers, it's a question of finding The One that's perfect for me and my work. Maybe, if I get so inundated with work and simply don't have the time to market myself, I'll shop around and try to find a rep to take me on. Right now, I just want to focus on actually becoming published!!
Mela Bolinao offered some great tips on creating a children's book portfolio, which I posted last year. You can check them out here.
I admire Courtney and anyone else who consistently sends out postcards and work samples. It shows great determination. Bravo! If you have a copy of the Children's Writers and Illustrators market book, there's a section all about agencies. I have a 2007 copy up for grabs if anyone wants it, just let me know and I'll mail it to you!
An agent serves a wonderful purpose to this aspect of having to work for yourself. They are brokers. It's in their best interests to connect you with the right people, and sure, they'll be right there — on time— with an invoice, taking care of business … literally. When you make money, they make money. They may take a quarter of what you earn, but they will be charging the going rate. You may find — like I know I do — you undersell yourself and charge much less than the industry standard.
According to Mela Bolinao, of HK Portfolio, the business of being an agent is serious work and they don't take kindly to slackers. They'll get you the audition, but the rest is up to you. If you don't hold up your end of the bargain, then "bye-bye." On a positive note, most agents will work with you on creating the perfect portfolio and will expect you to be creating new pieces on a very regular basis.
Aside from earning a 20 to 25 percent commission, you'll also be expected to cover partial costs of advertising, too. Including postcards, leave-behinds (8.5 x 11 promo sheets left with ADs at publishers after showing of a portfolio) and maybe a portion of a page featured in Picture Book. They're not hidden fees neccessarily, but you have to be aware and ask.
I had a portfolio critique last year with Piper Smith of Lindgren & Smith — an agency in New York. She was a lovely, sweet woman who gave me some extremely good advice about my work. And told me which pieces she thought were "wonderful" and what I should be creating more of. Of course, she also said the agency does not take on first-timers. So that was that.
I'm on the fence about agents. At present, I'm okay with the way I'm working. For me, going to local workshops and conferences and meeting with editors and art directors in one-on-one sessions is my way forward. I have met some who I didn't 'connect' with, while I totally hit it off with others. I think of it as trawling through 300 Jack-in-the-Boxes before stumbling across Pandora's Box! This brings me to the right fit. Just like publishers, it's a question of finding The One that's perfect for me and my work. Maybe, if I get so inundated with work and simply don't have the time to market myself, I'll shop around and try to find a rep to take me on. Right now, I just want to focus on actually becoming published!!
Mela Bolinao offered some great tips on creating a children's book portfolio, which I posted last year. You can check them out here.
I admire Courtney and anyone else who consistently sends out postcards and work samples. It shows great determination. Bravo! If you have a copy of the Children's Writers and Illustrators market book, there's a section all about agencies. I have a 2007 copy up for grabs if anyone wants it, just let me know and I'll mail it to you!
1 Comments:
Thanks for all that information Leezy, very interesting, neutrally said, and useful! Thanks also for sharing the children's book portfolio tips. Will read them!
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