Art licensing opportunities for children's book illustrators - by Debbie
Monday, May 9, 2011 at 11:48AM 
One of the many useful talks I attended at the SCBWI New York conference was on art licensing.
While I would love to make a full-time living at illustrating and writing children's books, the economic reality is that this may not happen for a while. To help pay the bills, I've been looking for other ways to supplement my income, so I was intrigued by what I learned at the workshop.
Penny Sikalis (from Surtex) and Suzanne Cruise were speakers, with Priscilla Burris moderating. Suzanne is an art licensing agent, and she recommended that anyone interested in finding out more about art licensing should check out Surtex, an art licensing convention at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC from May 15-17th. I've registered and am looking forward to checking out the event!
I'm not going to be pitching or selling -- this is purely a fact-finding trip for me, looking at everything, meeting people (being careful to follow show etiquette, of course), learning as much as I can. If it seems like the right fit for me, I may exhibit at Surtex someday.
For other illustrators interested in art licensing, here are some resources I've found especially useful:
Art Licensing Blog - founded by Tara Reed
Joan Beiriger's Blog On Art Licensing - by Joan Beiriger
Art Licensing 101 - by Mary Engelbreit
Some related posts:
A refresher for artists walking an art licensing trade show to decide if it is for them - by Tara Reed
SCBWI Conference Blog report on the talk
Detailed post about the art licensing panel, on Leezaworks
If you're planning on attending Surtex, please let me know!
-- Debbie
