Ronnie Walter Talks About Making Money with Art Licensing and MORE!

Hey Ronnie! I consider you my go to person for all things art licensing. Would you take a minute and give us a little background on you for our readers?
Of course—I’m a licensed artist, writer, and also an art business coach and teacher. After getting my BFA I worked a variety of jobs in my quest - I worked in the ad department at a major retailer, sold color separations back when there was such a thing, became a staff illustrator and then Art Director at a stationery company, and then finally went out on my own as a freelance illustrator twenty-some years ago. In 2000, I formed Two town Studios with my husband Jim Marcotte, and we worked as licensing agents for a number of artists and properties for the next 16 years. I’ve licensed my art on all kinds of products including fabric, giftware, home goods, stationery, greeting cards and more. I am the creator and illustrator of the 17 Coloring Café coloring books, and have self- published and traditionally published a number of both fiction and non-fiction books including License to Draw. I tend to keep busy!

I like to think that my art led to writing, my writing led to coaching, and my coaching has now led me to teaching! It goes to show you that if you keep moving forward, our creative careers are ever-evolving and endlessly interesting! But as much as I love all of it, my first love has always been drawing, and coming up with interesting concepts to help people say the things they might not be able to say on their own—and that will never change!

I hear that you have a new service you are offering? Tell us a bit about it.
A few things are happening simultaneously around here!

I launched the first in my series of classes on Skillshare.com. How to Make Money with Art Licensing  is live now and is designed for artists to understand the basic details of the business—everything you need to find out if this is the best way to monetize your art, and how to get started doing it. It's an easy format, and it will only take you a little over an hour to go through the videos. An hour chock full of information!

I am also launching a live, multi-week class called The Licensing Ladder. It’s a more intensive class, positioned for artists that feel confidence in their art and portfolios (for the most part; I totally understand how a portfolio moves and changes as we do), but who are hesitating—or are flat out chickening out—and not getting their art in front of the clients who can license it. It's also for artists who may have had some traction, but feel like they are not hitting the right product categories or right potential clients.

I was not a natural salesperson, but once I decided that licensing was the right method to make money freelancing with my art I had to devise systems that got me in front of decision makers. I also needed a system to keep me confident so I wouldn’t panic each time I was ready to contact a new client. Participants in The Licensing Ladder will learn these systems—ways to identify your right clients, and then communicate with them in a manner that feels comfortable and not all “salesy”. (NOTE: Check with Ronnie on dates for The Licensing Ladder - Hurricane Irma has postponed it)

And there one more project I'm excited about. Over the past year or so I have been working on a planner specifically designed with people like us in mind. It’s called the Next! Planner for the Creative and Active Mind. I’ve gone through a beta testing period with a group of artists and creatives, and right now I’m putting the finishing touches on the publication copy. I also use it personally and love it - it works! It will be officially published in the next few weeks—don’t worry, I’ll let everyone know when it's out!

What types of things do you cover in the Licensing Ladder?
In The Licensing Ladder, I first help the participants identify key components of their work. Once we have that, we discover the product categories most likely to bring success, and then go through the steps to determine what manufacturers might best suit them. It’s a standardized, step by step repeatable process, and it works whether the artist is looking for clients or an agent. It’s worked for me, and it’s also working for the artists who tested the class with the me this summer.

One of the important features of this class is that it’s a live on-line class—so there’s lots of opportunity for interaction between me and the group as well as time for questions and answers. We DO actually talk about it! Because of that, I’m limiting it to 12 students so I can give maximum attention to everyone. All the details are on my website.

How do I (and our readers) know if this is a fit for me and what is the cost?
I wrote a blog post to help people decide which of the classes are right for them. (Read it here.)  Even if you have been around the licensing world for a while the Skillshare class (How to Make Money with Art Licensing) is a great refresher.

If you think you're ready to launch in licensing (or have already) and really want to see results for the hard work you’ve done on that portfolio, then The Licensing Ladder is for you!

Do you offer any follow up or support after I finish the class?
Why, funny you should ask because yes, I do! Each Licensing Ladder class will have their own private Facebook group, plus, after the 5 week class is over we will get together again in online live sessions at 30, 60, and 90 days so you don’t lose momentum once the lessons are over. They actually turn into reunion type of events because the class participants have become friends and are very supportive of each other.

Do you want to talk about Jim’s expertise/skills at all?
Jim? Jim who? Actually, I do! After our years working together as Two Town Studios we have developed a shorthand type of communication and collaboration. He weighs in on our overall strategy and helps behind the scenes on much of what we do, thank goodness! Not only does he know this business, he is an accomplished copywriter and editor, and is very good at polishing all of our marketing, communication and production copy. He also does that for some other established artists in the business - but he hasn't marketed that much, nor does he kiss and tell. If you need a sticky client or contract question answered, or a letter, sales or web copy written, he's your guy. I'm so lucky to have him. And Larry (the greatest rescue dog ever) too.

I thank my lucky stars every day to be living this life and doing the kind of work I love.

Find Ronniehttp://ronniewalter.com

Coming up! Ronnie will be joining my 2nd Thursday chat group, October 12th, 6:30 pm CST, on ArtLicensingShow.com . Answering questions around time management and more! Please join us, it is always a fun and interesting time :-D

 

Agent Spotlight - Julie Ager with Artistic Designs Group (ADG)

 

 (click images to view larger)

How long have you been in business and how did you come to be an agent?
I have been in the consumer products goods industry for over 30 years, and the licensing business for just about eight years now.  If you are counting, that obviously means we started this business at the heart of the recession (the WE refers to my partner who is also my mom, Mary Ann Fields).  We have heard repeatedly about the glory days, but we were just a little bit late to the party.  This actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  Although I had been in the consumer products industry, this was a new angle for both us, and all of the artists we represented at the time.  So we set out to learn the ropes, make our beginner’s mistakes, understand the process and most importantly build relationships.  We were very thankful for a few wonderful manufacturers that took a chance on our artists right out to the gate. We found a small group of these wonderful folks that stepped up to mentor us and have now grown from that start to hundreds of licenses for our artists and a business that managed to survive the recession.  When you start there, the only way is up and - up is fun!  The art licensing community is a generous group of professionals – the agency reps, the artists and the manufacturers. 

Do you have help/employees?
We have recently grown to five full and part-time employees.  Missy, Jenni, and Kristi are new and work with me on graphic design - preparing files for both presentations and production; account management with our existing partners, and social media supporting our website and reaching out in other areas of social media that will help support our artists visibility and provide information helpful to the art directors that we work with.

How do you establish working relations with the manufacturers and retailers that you work with?
We have a few dozen manufacturers that we work with at any given time and our desire is to meet their needs and continue to build on those efforts.  The key thing we look for in a new project is a product development cycle that will sell significant volume for both the producer and the artist with a reasonable amount of pre-work on everyone’s side.  Most of the manufacturers are respectful of the value of the artist’s time, but we have in the past participated in development cycles that took so much prep time on the artists part that it made it very difficult to make a return on that time.

Do you prefer royalty deals? Flat fee?
Perfect follow-up question.  Overall we prefer royalty deals, however, there is a time and place for flat fee licenses.  Especially if we are dealing with a product line that we know will only be on the shelves for one season.  Either way, it’s critical that the artist maintain the copyrights! 
We are also finding that guaranteed minimums and advances have not met their demise as many had prophesied.  More and more these days this is a way to make sure that the artist is guaranteed a reasonable pay day from a given contract.

A few years ago I was waiting at the elevators unpacking at Surtex and got into a conversation with a couple of artists that sell their artwork.  It was interesting to hear their perspective, they really could not understand why we would license when the end payout was so far in the future and really an unknown to some extent.  I explained that we had a hard time understanding why they would sell their rights outright for what we would see as a very small ROI.  The reason I share this story is that I have found that there are even times when the sale of the design is the right decision, it’s just not our normal way of doing business, however, we have explored it for industries such as fashion apparel where the licensing model isn’t the accepted norm.

How do you market artists? Who pays for this? Anything different for new artists?
We have a variety of marketing strategies from trade show booths at shows such as Surtex and the Licensing Show; walking certain product trades shows such as Americasmart and the other regional gift markets,  or specialty shows such as home and housewares, quilt market, ABC Kids or Toy Expo.  We also meet one on one with both new and existing partners, we advertise in licensing trade magazines such as Total Art Licensing and send out email blasts on a regular basis.
 
In addition, we submit scheduled submissions based on our manufacturers product life cycle calendars and respond to their all calls with appropriate work.  The entire cost for all of our marketing is born by the agency.  The royalty from product sales is then split 50/50 with the artists.

What do you look for in an artist?
There are three things that we value most in an artist – 1) their foundation of talent, 2) their willingness to grow from where they start and always evolve, and 3) their willingness to be a participant in their success beyond just the creation of their art.  This last one might make an artist take a step back – what do you mean participate beyond my artwork, I thought that was your job?  What I mean here is that if I have two talented artists(1) and that are willing to grow (2), the one that is willing to go the extra step (3) is likely the one that will be the most successful.  For example, in their spare time they can shop and see what the trends are doing, they can pass along possible manufacturers that they see on these shopping trips, etc that would blend well with their style, and / or they could attend one or more trade shows each year (we are happy to get them in) just to absorb what they see on the floor and what the manufacturers who meet with us are saying, they could maintain their own website to multiply their visibility.  None of this is required, but it all helps!  P.S. Patience helps!  It normally takes a while to get started.

How much art do you expect an artist to create in a year?
There is no real magic number.  There are so many variables such as the style and detail of the artwork, the size of the collections the artist creates, and the other reality is sometimes life gets in the way.  When we begin, I like to encourage at least six new collections a year, but like I said that varies.  The key is that we need to keep our presentations new and fresh or the manufacturers and retailers will stop looking.  Why shouldn’t they if they are not seeing anything new?

How has the Art Licensing business changed over the years?
I believe the biggest challenge that we face these days is the commoditizing (yes, I looked it up, it’s a word☺) of many of the product lines that have traditionally been using licensed art.  I believe this comes from the increasing number of manufacturers sourcing their products out of Canton Fair or other similar shows in the international product source locations.  It is also affected by the increasing number of Print on Demand vendors popping up on the internet.  And, lastly by the decrease of time any given product line stays on the shelves.  All of these have affected the market by sending a more simplified, more cookie cutter product to the consumer.  I truly believe that this trend like many others like it in the past will ultimately swing back.   However, in the meantime I believe the artist that creates the most unique work, listens to the consumers and the manufacturers and makes it easy for the manufacturer to deliver a cost effective successful product line will be the most successful.

Any advice or other information you would like to share?
Be patient and persistent!  There is not an industry where the words “If you don’t succeed try, try again” are more true.  However, don’t keep trying the same thing over and over expecting different results.  Listen, Learn, Grow and Persevere and your chances are increased exponentially.

You can find Julie at:
Website: www.artsdg.com
Email:    Julie@Artsdg.com
Social Media: More coming soon!

Really looking forward to hearing what you have to say in the comments below!

Do you want to be spotlighted? Send me an email: info@AnnGraphics.com

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Marketing 101 for Artists - Starts TOMORROW!

Howdy Everyone!
Just wanted to pop in to let you know Marketing 101 for Artists starts tomorrow! These guys know their stuff!

Also for this class only they are including an Individualized Website and Social Media Critique.

This is an affiliate link below to sign up - I will make a few dollars if you sign up by clicking this link which I REALLY appreciate you supporting this blog and all the awesome experts that have taken the time to share what they know with us - thanks!

More info https://jb155.isrefer.com/go/Mrkt101-February2016/anntroe/

A bit about them from their website:

John Mavrakis

John draws on his deep executive expertise with brand titans Hallmark, American Greetings, Discovery Channel, The Body Shop, Intl., Kathy Davis Studios, Mary Engelbreit Studios, and The Gap/Banana Republic to strategize and execute the mission of ideaologie.

Melissa Schulz

Melissa’s vast experience as a Creative Leader, associated with leading brands such as Hallmark, Hard Rock, American Greetings, and Kathy Davis to name a few. With 20 years of experience in the art licensing and product development fields, Melissa has strategically led creative teams through transitional, successful and growth periods. Charged with entrepreneurial spirit, she has spent years helping artists and companies strategize their business growth path. Most recently, Melissa has devoted much time building the Kathy Davis brand online through social media marketing, as well as great success in traditional marketing channels.  Through the process of building her own jewelry line, she has proven her “hands on” capabilities in all aspects of the business. Finally, she is an optimist, a relationship builder and a brand ambassador – all things that have helped season her for her latest challenge to strategize and execute the mission of ideaologie.

let me know if you sign up and keep me posted on how the class goes for you.

Art Licensing Academy is Open - Register by 9/20/14 Get 3 FREE Books!

 

Quick post to let you know

Hey Doodlebugerz,
For those of you who are interested in Art Licensing Academy there is a GREAT FREE bonus if you register by September 20, 2014. Yup, it is the 3 books in the photo above! I am reading The Big Leap right now and The War of Art is on my to do list. I think I better ad the 3rd book to my to do list too :-)

This link is an affiliate link - if you click on it and purchase, I get a small fee as an affiliate that helps support my blog. THANK YOU! Art Licensing Academy

If you don't want me to get the fee - here is a non-affiliate link. No worries. I would rather you get the info! Art Licensing Academy

Staycation Update:

On a whim I tossed out into the internet if anyone would be interested in a group text chat to talk about Tara's free Staycation Audios. 15 of you signed up and I am thrilled how well the first group chat went! My fingers were sore from trying to type fast ;-) I really enjoyed chatting with other creative souls.

Be sure to stay connected with me :-D

Social Media and Double, Tripple.... Posting?!

Here is what I do - Tell me your thoughts?

For the last year - Oh wait! Happy Blog Anniversary to Us! - I post on this blog once a week. THEN I post a link to this blog in a couple of Linkedin groups, Twitter, Facebook, a Facebook Group, Google+, AND Pinterest.

I didn't start out doing that cuz I know that I have a lot of the same followers on all those sites. I was/am worried about the 'annoyance factor' when one of my fabulous followers comes across a repeat post. BUT after mustering up some courage, I posted in all those previously mentioned places and my traffic went up. To me that says I am reaching more people who didn't happen to catch it in the other places I posted...

NOW I have even re-Tweeted, re-Facebooked (you get the idea) about mid week to all my social media sites. Traffic goes up again. Clearly I am reaching new people.

Are any of you annoyed with this? Numbers are NOT the only reason to blog - connecting with people IS a reason to blog. I must admit that when I check out a new follower on Twitter (or any social media site), if all I see is the same tweet over and over again, I don't follow them.

I do try to mix it all up for everyone's sake.

Seriously, let me know your experiences, thoughts - I can take it! :-) Thanks in advance.

Do You "Logo" Up?

Branding 101

Do you put your logo, (for many artist this may be their signature), on business cards, websites, flyers etc. I assume many of you do. BUT do you have your "logo" on shirts, notebook, cinch sack backpack and phone case? I do.

At Surtex, (art licesning show in NYC), I wore a logo shirt and logo cinch sack backpack. So I had a logo on me "coming and going". (You might also like to see my business card in this past post with a sicker of my agent's booth number on the back - click here.)

The notebook and the cell phone case probably won't deliver much for my branding bucks, BUT you never know! It IS just plain fun to have this stuff :-D

I am thinking of getting a magnet sign for the sides of my car - not sure I want a permanent decal. My windows are tinted - so I think a static cling is out.

The point of this post is to get you to think about how you might do just one thing to brand yourself more - Go Get 'Em!

5 Simple Newsletter Tips

Recently I sent out a marketing email to my graphic design clients. I thought all of you might be interested - we all do marketing as a part of doing business.

Write in the 3rd person. Take a look at newspapers and magazines for examples.

Little to no sales hype. Your consumers will see how great you are by the information you provide.

Keep it conversational. No need to wow them with your technical knowledge - you will seem less approachable.

Front page should pack a punch. Large photos are an easy way to grab attention.

No color - no problem. Black and white is less expensive to print and will work just as well.

Thanks for reading! ~Annie

Got QR Code(s)?

Love Them, Hate Them…

Just in case you are new to QR codes (Quick Response Code). They are a barcode that when scanned by your smart phone, iPad.... takes you to a web address, phone number, SMS, text...probably more things than I know :-) It is the funny square patterns that you can see on the right hand side of my jumping frog sign in the photo above. You can get static or dynamic QR codes (short video here explaining the difference).

I want to hear about your experience with QR codes. I have had some new home builder clients who use them and seem to like them.

Do you pay a small fee to track people using the code? Did you use one of the custom QR code services where you can ad an image to the QR code? Any QR Code service you like?

THANKS for your input ~Annie