“Condé Nast Publications is closing Gourmet and four of its other speciality magazines in an attempt to weather the economic downturn.
Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and Cookie, a parenting magazine established in 2005, are also to close.”

I know I am not the only one sad to see these magazines close. There are many loyal readers who look forward to receiving their issues in the mail or picking them up at their local magazine stands. My reasons are personal and professional. Yes, I used to read the magazines but also many of AGM’s illustrators use to illustrate for them. They were good clients who we enjoyed working with over the years.

I think that before we collectively freak out over yet another magazine closing, we need to look at the big picture. First, there are thousands of magazines out there and it is only normal that in these tough economic times some will have close. Magazines close all the time, its just that we get more edgy when its such a high profile magazine like Gourmet.

The restaurant industry for one has been very badly hit since the beginning of this recession. I have heard that some of the top restaurants across the country were having troubling filling their seats. These are restaurants that in the past you could not get in had you not reserved months in advance. The food industry as well has had some big set backs and luxury produces have taken a great decline. I heard that last year for the 4th of July, the usual Steak feasts were replace by hot dogs and hamburgers. Therefore it is not all that surprising that Gourmet which is such a “high brow” cooking magazine has gone under.

That said, I do expect other magazines to follow in the ways of Gourmet but I also expect new magazines to pop up as well. The magazine industry is not dead, far from it.
I also don’t plan to bring my laptop any time soon into the bath with me.
That time is special and reserved for me to read all of my favorite magazines and there are way too many to name for me to name.

The AGM Pumpkin Competition is now officially on!
All of the pumpkins carved and showcased in the 2008 archives were created by the members of and illustrators represented by AGM.

This year just for fun, we’re opening it up to the general public!

Halloween is a great time of year to have fun and get creative! So get busy and create your pumpkin and upload it to the Flickr or Facebook Group! Please come back often to cast your votes on the pumpkin site, new pumpkins will be added daily and don’t forget to tell all your fiends!

Get your vote on! – agoodson.com/pumpkin
Facebook Group – facebook.com/group.php?gid=137395738070
Flickr Group – flickr.com/groups/agm-pumpkin-2009/

I know I am not the first to preach this but if we are to keep the dream of commissioned illustrations alive we need to keep the faith.
The more we talk about it, the better.
Illustrators have to refused to sell their work to large stock and royalty free companies.
Under no condition should you sell your work to these companies.
Yes, you might make a few bucks but you will in the end, kill the industry.
I strongly believe that commissioned work will come back if we all stick together and support the cause.
Please join me in the fight against stock and royalty free images!
Thanks
Anna Goodson
Become a fan on Facebook and show your support!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Goodson-Management/92299040955?ref=nf

I don’t know about you but I have been feeling pretty lonely lately.
I guess is just lack of human contact that’s making me feel this way.

Over the past several months, ok maybe more like the past few years my most intimate relationship has been with… .well my laptop, my Mac.

She and I have lately developed a bit of an obsessive relationship, almost co dependent if you really want to know.

Mac and I are practically inseparable. Our relationship has been going on now for over 14 years but it has never been quite as strong as it’s been lately.

We have so much in common, Facebook, Twitter, Entourage, Firefox, Safari, Gmail, Skype, my blog and so on.

It’s becoming a little too intense and I am beginning to feel like I cant live without her. She is one of the last things I turn to before I go to sleep at night and the first one I gravitate to when I wake up in the morning. I don’t have a dog but I have Mac.

I don’t know about the rest of you but working night and day and day and night in front of a computer has its down sides and can really get quite lonely.

I know I am not alone to have this kind of “lifestyle.” I am sure many of you do as well, whether you admit to it or not. Some of you may just say that its not your choice that things just worked out that way. Some of you can even claim you were born that way or it was society or your environment that made you this way.

So many of us today spend hours at a time in front of our computers that our lives almost become a virtual existence.

In my field, representing international illustrators my work revolves around my Mac. I meet clients on line and discuss with them via email, Skype or Facebook.
I can’t remember the last time I shook a clients hand. Even if I wanted to go and meet people face to face they would question it or wonder why I don’t just send an email or a link to our website.

On the personal note, I barely use the phone anymore either. I mean my own mother who is, lets just say in her 70’s for argument sake, knows exactly what I am up to because she follows me on Twitter or sees my posts on Facebook.

My other friends just send a quick email or a poke to say hello.

I never imagined in a million years that my relationship with Mac would turn out this way. When we first met 14 years ago, she was but a 150 meg black and white little laptop that would help me out now and again with various chores. And before her my only computer knowledge was how to use my bankcard.

Boy, have things changed!

I have recently realized that if I wanted to, I could sit with Mac all day or until I went to bed. But no, I refuse to have her run my life as close as we have become, there is more to life than our symbiotic relationship.

We all need to just get out of our houses, offices and studios a little more and see what’s out there. We need to have more human contact or we are going to go nuts. We also need to build meaningful relationships and friendships and not just the ones on FB.

Like elephants, we need to be around other members of our species and not just virtually.

Now that I have my BlackBerry Bold, there are no more excuses!

See you Mac, I am out of here!

What an honor! Michel Rabagliati, who’s is now a very established cartoonist has recently launched his 6th book called Paul A Quebec. In this book Michel decided to immortalized “me” as one of his characters, Brenda Steinberg.

Brenda, a fun out going, quick talking agent with her hair blowing in the wind as she talks on her cell phone in the car, securing contracts for “Paul Baby” on the way.

This series of comic books have been documenting the life of Paul (actually Michel from his early and humble beginnings growing up in Montreal). Each book deals with a different aspects of Paul’s life and experiences and I was lucky enough to have worked with him when he was at his peak of his illustration career.

Michel is a Canadian cartoonist born and based in Montreal. He is published by Drawn and Quarterly in English, and La Pastèque in French. Michel has written and illustrated several semi-autobiographical comic books each furthering the life story of his protagonist Paul. The series includes Paul in the Country, Paul Has a Summer Job, Paul Moves Out, and Paul Goes Fishing. In addition; Rabagliati has published shorter stories featuring Paul including “Paul in the Metro.” Michel started drawing comics in his 40’s, after working as a graphic designer and illustrator for many years. It was then that we met or should I say when I went after him.

I had the pleasure of representing Michel Rabagliati as he was slowing moving up the comic ladder. He eventually decided to stop illustrating all together and concentrate on his comic books. As sad as I was to see him go, I knew that he made the right decision. There is nothing more important in life than to follow your dreams and that is exactly what I told him. At the same time, Michel was doing really well with his illustration career and we were keeping him busier then I think he expected or wanted to be for that matter. All I can say is, that I was really thrilled to see that Michel thought highly enough of me and our relationship to portray me in his book.

Although I was really sad to see Michel leave Anna Goodson Management several years ago I never doubted for a minute that he would not succeed. I guess I always knew that he would triumph because drawing his comics is what made him happy. And when you are happy at what you do, you always come out on top.

To learn more about Michel Rabagliati and his comic books about Paul, Go to drawnandquarterly.com

Yes, times are tough and the business of illustration is no exception. Rather than crawl under a rock and give up, I have decided to work that much harder and stay that much more positive. As an agent, its kind of my responsibility or at least it is my philosophy.

So here at AGM, we have rolled up our sleeves and are treating this “Recession” as just another big challenge and god knows, I love challenges. I know that so many people are affected out there and often illustrators are at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to work. Rather than complain about no jobs coming in or worrying about it, why not take control over the things you can take control of.

Obama, has promised to do something about the recession so all we need to do is take care of what we have control over.

For me, I am sending out way more emails, updating my website regularly and surfing the net to find new ways to market my gang. I have recently produced a beautiful new promo that will be shipped out to clients this week. I am going after other markets and generating interested in the illustrators of AGM as never before. Basically I am doing all that I can and not worrying about what is out of my control. There is so much that I can do that I barely have time to write this blog. That said, maybe this is a great time for you to update your site, perfect your style, take a class or join Facebook. Its also probably a good time to realize that times are changing and that maybe you should have other backup plans for when times are slow. I know many illustrators that teach, work as designers, paint.

All this to say that now is probably a great time to get busy, that is if you have the time.

Forever keeping ahead of the current trend! We have launched a new website for 2009!

Click here to visit our new site.. Or click here to have our RSS feed emailed to your inbox! We also have a new look newsletter, which you can check out here or subscribe to it for free here.

Recent I was interviewed by ISH Magazine… ISH is one of Asia’s top Design magazines featuring the best in Architecture, Interiors, design & Life in the City. Click here to download or read the PDF of the interview.

ISH Front Cover

The informal or formal way you communicate with a client is just as important as the work you do for them. It has always been our business ethos at Anna Goodson Management to treat our clients with respect. In today’s very competitive market, just showing your appreciation to a client for choosing to work with you can make all the difference.

When a job comes in, we forward it to the illustrator to illustrate. Our business practice is that the illustrator immediately contacts the client thanking them for choosing to work with us. Following that the illustrator confirms in writing all the details such as delivery of the sketches and the delivery date of the finals. The illustrator also asks if there is anything else that they should know about the job. When the first sketch is sent to the client, the illustrator always follows up with an email or phone call to make sure that the client received the sketch and second to make sure all is fine. You would not believe how much work and communiqué get lost while traveling through the internet. Following up until you get a confirmation is part of a proven business model.

Professionalism to me is everything and strong lines of communication is essential to a professional practice. It is also very important to me that our clients know how much we care about what we do and that we appreciate their business. I often get thank you emails back from clients – when these arrive in my inbox… they make me feel proud of the service we offer and its reassures us of the fact that we are doing a decent job. The clients say things like, the work done was fantastic, but more importantly they often tell us how much they loved working with us and our illustrators. They point out the professionalism of the illustrators and the great service they have received. I would have to say that most of our clients give us repeat business because of the care we take when it comes to communication, and in this industry repeat business is very important.

It’s funny to think back to how we use to work or communicate before email. At the time being in sales and business development I use to spend quite a bit of time on the phone or on the road. I have always had a very personalize approach to business and my relationship with clients and potential clients. Back before email and before I started AGM, I used to make so many phone calls that I actually got pimples on the side of my chin from the phone resting on it.

When I did start AGM a few years later I continued to make a lot of calls but the receptionist was replace with voice mail. How I hated voice mail back then. You could never speak to anyone and the chances that people would actually call you back were quite slim. I would come up with a very creative sales pitch for the goods I was selling at the time. As I worked in advertising and made a lot of cold calls.

Then came along email. I had my first address back in 1996 even thought I didn’t have a clue how to use it, it was there. Today 14 years later, I can hardly imagine working or even surviving without email. It has become part of my daily routine as is brushing my teeth or washing my face. I check my emails before I got to bed and first thing when I wake up. To make things worse or better I should say, I have a BlackBerry Bold and can send and receive emails even when my laptop is closed. I mainly use my email for work but it has slowly crept into personal life as well. I tend to use it even more than the telephone. The down side of email is that I rarely get to meet my clients face to face or talk to them on the phone anymore. When I do call clients some times, they act kind of strange and are wondering why I didn’t just send an email. I tell them that I like to keep in touch and talking to them on the phone makes working with them a little bit more personal and professional.

So how did we survive without email, well in fact we did just fine. I shook a lot of hands, got to see some great creative offices and made all kinds of friends in the same industry. I traveled a lot more, ate in great restaurants and visited some very exciting cities. Too bad we don’t get to do too much of that anymore.