Discussion Forum - How to sell your work?

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Discussion Forum - How to sell your work?
Ashley and Nayim

Few weeks before the half-term, we held a discussion forum lead by two of our peers, Ashley and Nayim. 
 The topic of the forum was 'How to sell your work?'. 
It is a topic that many beginning illustrators are afraid to approach, mainly because they don't know where to start off.

 -A and N started with the Advantages and Disadvantages of working together in a collective/studio.



(image - https://hereandnowblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/open-for-business/  )

Advantages: 

+ sharing costs and equipment;
+ promoting each other;
+ sharing the workload;
+ help and support each other;
+ inspiring and motivating each other.

Disadvantages:

+ shared cost and equipment - how do you split the costs?;
+ splitting the profits - can you split it equally?;
+ disagreements - can you solve differences and arguments?;
+ different personalities - can they work together or are those temperaments too different?.

-Next A and N discussed the advantages/disadvantages of agencies and agents, as well as when to take on an agent.



Advantages:

+ they can promote you;
+ they can secure higher fees;
+ clients trust them more.

Disadvantages:

+ they take a profit percentage from you;
+ misunderstandings may occur;
+ they may want exclusive rights.

However, before you sign a contract with an agent you should have been commissioned before and take it very seriously. Track the record of agent's and agencies industry success, get an agent who can specialise in your style of work. Most important - KEEP TRYING if you can't find it at first.

Here is a short list of available agencies:

+ Heart Agency;
+ Folio Illustration Agency;
+ The Artists Agency;
+ Debut Art; 
+ Synergy Art;
+ The Association of Illustrators.

 Agencies can provide support, portfolio reviews and wider promotion through their websites, however many of them ask you to pay for the membership and for being represented.

-A and N talked with us about Portfolios as well.


(Portfolio example - Nayeon Lee)


+ Stick to provided guidelines;
+ Incorporate advice from trusted advisors;
+ Make it memorable;
+ Update it regularly.

Here you can find more Portfolio examples.

- Furthermore we discussed ways to promote our work and in turn sell it.


+ Competitions:

§ YCN;
§ MacMillan Children's Book Competition;
§ Creative Review;
§ D&AD;
§ Association of Illustrators;
§ Folio Illustrators;
§ TFL;
§ Penguin and Puffin Books.

+ Websites for selling your work:

§ Etsy;
§ Threadless;
§ Zazzle;
§ Society 6;
§ Big Cartel;

+ Other options:

§ Craft fairs;
§ Comic Cons;
§ Local markets.

- How to approach email

Emails should be kept personal but at the same time professional. 
Avoid too much familiarity. Be selective in who you email.

- Using Social Media to Promote your work: 

+ Best days to upload your work - Thursday-Sunday;
+ Best time of the day to upload your work - 12 noon - 6pm;
+ Keep your private profile and art profile separately. 

-Blogs

+ Make them stand out;
+ Supply clear and professional images (72/100 dpi);
+ Seek contributors.

 Overall, I think it was a good discussion, though maybe it lacked a little bit more information on how to set up a website and what to avoid when doing it. On the other hand it provided new sources of information and ways of selling my work that I wasn't aware before.


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