Successful Art Rep Relationships – Case Study 2

In response to requests from the EFII Community, I’ve been discussing the topic of artist representatives all week.  So far I’ve talked about things to consider when thinking about working with an art rep, how to find one, and how to be attractive to him or her.

To follow up on yesterday’s case study of Penny Dullaghan’s relationship with her art rep, I want to share another story submitted by Illustrator Holli Conger, who previously appeared on EFII Podcast Episode 14:

Here’s Holli’s story:

I signed up with my art rep in April of 2005. I do have to say that it was the best decision for my business. I was not established, did not have a lot of clients and wasn’t 100% confident in my style, but she saw potential in me and gave me tips and pointer on how I could develop my style to better fit the children’s market. I contribute the success with my rep over the last five years by both of us having a “permission to speak freely” attitude with each other, love for illustrtion and most importantly trust. I trust her to find me work (obviously), negotiate for the best prices, stick up for realistic project timeframes, make sure the client pays on time and to keep me aware of all possible projects and negotiations. In turn I do a lot of heavy promotion on my end to keep us both busy, let clients know I appreciate them and keep them happy (if I didn’t how would that reflect on her?) and funnel jobs through her when a client emails me directly for a job.