@@casParkaM It is quite tough to find contracts, especially because we're not taught how and it's a totally different skillset than making art. No wonder we're having trouble 😂 But it's definitely possible to learn, and agents can help us find them too :)
I would love to work with an agent. I’ve applied to children’s book illustration agencies in the past and have gotten nothing but rejections. I kinda of given up.
@@artsdragons2779 It's completely normal to get rejections when applying to agents! I was rejected a lot and eventually ended up being signed :) I've heard this same story from many other artists. Don't give up! Keep improving and sending your portfolio again!
Thank you so much Ness for all the info! I didn´t catch the name of your agency and I would like to try! Could you please write the name? Btw, I´m subscribing right now!
For anyone shocked because of the +25% cut for the agent/agency, remember Upwork and similar platforms take 20% of the artist earnings but will not make sure it's a good deal for them with a decent pay. They just take. Having an agent sounds much better.
Omg I am so glad I found you! So far you give the most realistic art and business advice! I been trying for a few years and usually get projects that get canceled so I need a better route. Thank you for your advice!!
Thank you for talking about the expectations of having an agent. I'm a recent art school grad whose dream is to illustrate for picture books, and none of my profs talked about this. So I made the mistake of applying to a bunch over the course of a month thinking that if I land an agent that I can rely on them as my main source of income (I haven't even got an acceptance letter out of the ten I've applied to yet, just two rejections). Looks like I'll be applying to some companies instead to ensure I have at least one source of steady income. Thanks for the video!
I don't think it was a mistake to reach out to agents! After all, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose :) I admire your gumption and willingness to put yourself out there! When it comes to agents or even reaching out to companies directly, persistence is the key. Get a pitching schedule going to send new work to agents and publishers every 1-2 months. Good luck!
@@ArtBusinesswithNess Thank you!! I appreciate your kind words :) Quick question regarding agencies, when you receive a rejection letter from an agency, is it appropriate to reply and thank them for their time? Or is it better to just leave it? I know they get tons of emails a day so I don't want to clutter their already full inbox, and I'm just not sure if it's okay to do!
I actually was wondering how to submit, but you always answer all my questions. I appreciate your content and I really appreciate the cat tree, cat persons are definitely awesome haha 💖
i have worked with 2 agents and the experiences were NOT GOOD. Both were blackmailing me. My long term agent would not let me out of the contract, and when I finally got out she would lash out and try to destroy my career. She was taking 50% of my income and she made shady deals with clients on my behalf. Ones that are giving them all the rights. I m still suffering the damage she did, even I had a succesful career of 10 years as an artist, I last year decided to change my artist name and start all over again at zero.
On a related subject, have you ever been in a situation where your agency offered you a contract while you were already on another project and you weren't sure yiu would have the time to do both? How often can you refuse contracts offered by an agency, and for what reasons? Also, what do deadlines usually look like? (how tight or negociable) So many questions!
It's happened plenty! My agent actually makes it really easy, she literally says "We had this come in for you, are you available? If so would you be interested?" So I can just say yes or no :) And it's not even just about availability, I've turned down projects from my agent if it wasn't paid enough, or if I didn't like the terms, or wasn't interested in the topic. They don't really put on the pressure which I appreciate! Although it is good to accept projects in the first 6 months in order to start climbing up in the agency, but after that you can take or leave what you want :) The deadlines and pay depend on each client/contract, so it's all over the board.
Thanks for posting this Ness. It’s very valuable information for people like myself who are just sharpening their skills with hopes of lining up an agent and illustration work in the near future.
Thank you for another very informative video!! I learned a lot! And I reaĺly enjoy watching! Right now, I am stuck choosing between illustration agency and literary agency. Because I really want to become an author-illustrator one day. Actually, I have written some stories already. On the other hand, I want also to have many illustration projects. Haha That's one thing I need to solve first. And yes! Asking questions to agency before signing a contract will be hard for me I think. But you are right, it's better to ask them than to regret anything.
Thanks Nash, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Maybe it would help you to reach out to some artists from the agencies you are considering, and ask for feedback about their experience? I think you may need more data to make this decision, it's not something that comes 100% just from within. Best of luck!
Great video. Very informative. I did have a couple of questions about agents. Under the what is allowed and what isn't part of a contract: once you've completed a job, assigned through an agent, can that client reach out to you directly and ask for new work, excluding the agent involvement (cutting out the middleman)? Also, how difficult is it to break a relationship with an agent?
Hi David :) Both of those depend on the terms of your contract. For instance when I left my first agent, it was as easy as sending them an email saying "Hey guys I want to leave". In my contract, it was said that I'm not allowed to work with clients introduced to me through my agent by myself without involving my agent, for as long as I was with them and 6 months after leaving. Other agents may have other terms. They will likely have some clause to prevent you from stealing their clients (which seems fair). However be careful that there's no clause that prevents you from finding your own work outside the agency, because that would not be reasonable of them to ask (and could screw you over very badly). Read the contract very carefully and ask lots of questions about the terms!
Very interesting! Professional artists rarely talk about this in detail. Thank you for sharing what you know and your own experiences! Personally, I would like to find an agency once I have a solid portfolio. As you've said, one shouldn't expect to find all their contracts through agencies, but it can take a lot of work off your plate. Since self-promotion has always been very time and energy consuming for me, if I have a little less of it to do, all the better!
When I started I really wanted a particular agent because they picked up someone in my school who's work I admired. And that person did well. But when the agent met with me, they didn't offer to sign me. A year later I'd found big advertising jobs on my own. Then the agent wanted to meet with me and take 30%. "At least I won't have to market any more" I said. "No you still have to." Was their response. So in effect, they'd take 30% of my income just to write an invoice and suggest a price. I did not accept their offer. And now its not even clear they exist as a company.
Thank you so much for that video! I'm glad you talked about that "final review"... I've just sent a one pager to an interested agency with about 25 images to review. The wait is killing me. I know it depends on the agency, but do you know how long it might take for them to come back at this stage? 😬
Wow congrats hun!! Just getting to this point is no small feat :) There's really no way t tell how long it'll take, it depends for each agency. They will likely review your portfolio with multiple agents/staff present, so it can take a bit to schedule such a meeting. Some agencies wait until they have a stack of portfolios to review until doing a meeting. So don't worry if it takes a few weeks, it's not necessarily a bad sign. Good luck!!
Hello Ness! I'm learning a lot from this channel, thank you :) I am doing editorial illustration and recently have begun doing kids book illustration, would you recommend getting 2 agents, one for editorial work and one for kids books work? Thank you.
It's not normal procedure to get 2 agents. Most agents demand exclusivity, so you can only have one in most cases. There are lot of agencies that can get both editorial and picture book work as well...
I have actually been looking for one lately after one of your first videos where you mentioned an agent. Are there websites you would recommend that contain multiple art agencies? I haven't found one yet, but was wondering if you knew of one
Apply to agencies anyway! It can take months or even years to get signed by an agent, and after you're signed, it can still take months for them to get the word out about you and start getting you work. You can also always refuse gigs they send you whenever you're too busy!
Thank you so much for this video! I was wondering if there would be a problem if I were to apply for an agency in the us (for example) while being overseas. Currently I'm living in Brazil, but I've been considering joining an american illustration agency for a while now :D
listening to this as i paint, glad i found you : ) any recommendations for good agents i should try for? you probably forgot my art though . . liked video
I'm a fairly new illustrator who's been doing freelance work for a year now and I sent a submission to an agency without knowing anything about the whole agency thing lol. I thought it was a freelance gig, so I was surprised when they sent me an email asking if I were available for a call. I'm kinda nervous because I'm still a student in uni and I don't really have awards or recognitions backing me up, though I do have 2 picture book projects I'm currently working on. So where do I go from here? I'm honestly confused. Do agencies even accept student illustrators?
Honestly in the freelance illustration industry, no one cares about whether you have a diploma or not haha... I have a diploma in traditional animation and since I've been freelancing full-time (last 3 years) I've been asked about that exactly zero times. It's all about your portfolio. If the agent likes your work and wants to talk to you, that means they thing you're good enough to do the job :) During this call you can always bring this up if it's bothering you. I don't think it will be an issue if they like your work. Also it can take up to 6 months for an agent to find you a first gig, and you have the freedom to accept or refuse any gigs they send you if you don't have time. You could take a couple gigs here and there when you have free time, until you finish uni. It's not like a full-time job or anything. You have a say in how much or how little work you take.
Thank you for a great video as always Ness, I just got an agent yesterday, just wondering, do they have to by law let you do other gigs or have a second agent? Or does it depends on the agent?
Congrats! It entirely depends on your contract, so read it carefully and negotiate with your agent any clauses you're not comfortable with. Normally, agents want to represent you exclusively (so you probably can't have another agent). However, it's not common for them to not let you get your own gigs by yourself. Agents don't find all of an artist's work, so if they didn't let them look for work themselves, that artist would really be in a bind and their career would fail. It wouldn't benefit anyone. So if you see a clause like that in your contract, be very weary and negotiate to have it removed! Lastly, the agent/artist relationship is an equal partnership that should be based in transparent communication. So while it's good that you're asking these questions, you really should be asking them to your agent, not to me! Congrats again, hun :) Which agent is it?
I was also wondering about the possibility of working with more than one agency at a time to fill up your work schedule more. Good to know they usually like to be exclusive.
Hi Ness! I just found out about your channel, i have a question though, once you have an agent you don't have to pay them anything on a monthly/yearly thing right? they'll only get money from you through the projects they've successfully given to you? or it depends?
Most agents work only by commission, it's the industry standard. There is a very small percentage of agents, mostly in licensing, who ask for a yearly fee in order to pay some of the overhead in the licensing industry like the very expensive trade shows they have to exhibit at, but this is in exchange for a LOWER commission. And most agents don't charge this fee so you can decide not to partner with an agent that does this if you're not comfortable with this..
@@ArtBusinesswithNess Thank you very much for the reply..I'm planning on doing full time on children's book illustration especially picture books..i've had experience working with them but not fully since I'm a per project illustrator for a vanity press company. Do you strongly encourage membership to SCBWI? whenever you can afford it?
@@LLoydL The SCBWI membership can be great/terrible depending where you live. If your regional chapter is active and you're near enough to attend the SCBWI conferences, it can be great. I got a membership 1 year but my local chapter in Ottawa is dead and I'm way too far for the New York conference, so honestly it wasn't worth it at all for me...
@@ArtBusinesswithNess Thank you soo much for the speedy replies Ness! very much appreciated! I used to live in asia but now I've relocated in the uk and I'm hoping to make it here on my own as an illustrator. I'm currently revamping my portfolio to make a good impression on agencies i'm planning on applying in the near future. The SCBWI in my area looks active as I've received several emails/newsletters on events near my location but still a bit apprehensive since i don't know anyone or i have zero knowledge what to do once i'm there. I'm a bit keen on trying out the membership but i'm holding that out until I have a good portfolio to show.
Neither! The pricing for the artwork is decided by you and your client together, after discussions and negotiations. The agent can help you with those negotiations but does not make the decisions. In some cases, the agent will only relay the offer to you and won't negotiate unless you tell them you want them to go ask for more money.
I want to be a children and teen illustration however im afraid of getting my art stolen or taken Away, im in the dark when it comes to this topic j don't know if i should be a freelance or a studio. Very confusing and overwhelming
I hope you don't let fear of art theft stop you from doing what YOU want to do with your art. Pursue children and teen illustration if you want to! Don't let bad people stop you :)
I have 2 styles of illustration. Super detailed surrealism and more illustrative kidlit. If I am submitting to an agent for licensing work, should I include both styles in my portfolio or stick to one?
If you're submitting for licensing work, you should really have a portfolio tailored specifically for licensing. Meaning patterns, collections, mock-ups of your illustrations on products. Both styles could potentially work, as long as the content of your portfolio is strategically tailored to licensing. Separate styles into different portfolio categories (different pages on the same site) so it's well organized and show no more than 2 styles. Hope this helps!
Hello Ness, I am a children book illustrator from India....I was wondering whether contacting any agent from UK or US will help me or I should find one from my own country?
You are not limited to an agent in your own country! You can submit to publishers and agents anywhere in the world :) Most of these big agencies represent the artists worldwide, meaning they could find you work with companies in different countries.
Not usually. Most agents have an exclusivity clause. It would be hard to get around that and then even if you do, there would need to be an extremely clear boundary between the 2 agents. For instance, one who gets you only picture book work and the other gets you only licensing deals. Or one markets you just in America and the other just in Europe. They can't overlap at all.
As long as the artist is talented and has marketable artwork, yes an agent can help. However, places at agencies are extremely limited and competition for those places is fierce. Agents have their pick of artists, so they don't usually go for struggling beginner artists. They have hundreds of experienced applicants who can prove their work has sold, so that's much less risky for agents.
Great question :o I'm not sure actually, never known anyone in this situation! A person will usually be well into their 20s before they reach the skill level required, and the time to pursue illustration jobs full-time. However, I can't see why you couldn't try :) Give it a shot and you will find out! There is nothing to lose after all.
I'm sorry to hear that hun :( Try not to take rejections, silence or art critiques personally. They are just doing their job and you are more than just your art (even though for us artists, that's hard to internalize). You have the power to improve your art, and you have the power to learn anythign that you need to succeed. Don't let these agents get you down, improve and try again later!
@@KimJImagery With freelance illustration there is no need to meet, all the work is usually done through email and you don't have to reveal anything about yourself. So I'm a little confused :o
