..... Be aware that they are getting first crack at all you do as long as you are under contract with them. I also work with other reps, but I have to put all offers in fromt of Art Group to see if they want to counter. If they don't, you have so sign an addendum to your contact for that particular image. It is not a terribly binding contract, but one that allows them a right of first refusal for lack of a better term.
Good Luck.
Bill
SLewis, my contract with Art Group is only for the exclusivity of particular images they are buying, and only for the specific usage i.e. poster but not calendar, and for a limited time. They do not have a right of first refusal with me.
Make certain that your contract does not make the rest of your work exclusive to them even if they choose not to publish it. Do not agree to first refusal. Having to submit your work for their first approval before you sell it to some other publisher puts you in a very tight spot. You could have another buyer eager to close the deal by a certain date, but the publisher that has a first refusal contract with you could sit on their approval, sending it up the chain of command, and that could take quite some time, you could lose out on the other deal. They may not intentionally cost you the other deal, but never the less it can happen. In the least this creates a time consuming, paper shuffling, 3 way phone tag that may not be worth the effort.
I have all my contracts worded to clearly state that only the specific image is exclusively licensed to them, for a specific usage and specified period, and that I am free to sell the same image for other usages and that all of my other work is available for sale to others. I even clarify the terms "print" and "poster" as many poster publishers refer to their product as "prints" or "art prints" and that may create legal confusion when you are selling silver gelatin prints, or even digital prints, of the same size and dimensions as their posters.
Do not be afraid to ask for terms that are fair and reasonable. I think many artists are just so thrilled to have their work published that they sign away too many rights. If they want your work bad enough, they'll be accommodating and give you terms that work for both of you.
