Agency's

Agency's relationship with me:
- Promote and try to find you suited work as well as negotiate on your behalf on the price and then they will draw up the contract and once the job is complete collect the fees.
-They will sort out your taxes
- They will keep communication with the client
-Collect the money from the client from witch they take there fee (25% upwards)
-They also charge an annual fee for them finding you work
-They will want your best work to advertise and will only want children's book work through them they may be okay with you not putting other work through them like greetings cards ect.

Copyright:
-Copyright remains with the artist
-Unless otherwise stated the artist have write to grant the rights to third parties.
-Client has the right to make objections to the artist using the artwork in ways that are detrimental to there company within reason.
-Client can reproduce artwork as long as its within the original contract. Further fees with be charged for more licenses.
-License not granted if the full fee is not paid.
-Licenses can not be assigned without the artist and agency's consent in writing.

After looking through agency's I decided I only would consider one for my children's book work as some publishing companies wont touch you without an agent. But I need to be careful as I attend conventions to sell my own work in comic form and some publishers may not like this and could be put off. One company I may approach is Plum Pudding as they are always after new artists and are solely work within the children's book industry. Another agency I may consider is Advocate Art as they will let you choose what work you will find through them so enquiring if I could still do conventions they may be more lenient.
http://image.advocate-art.com/artistfolio/
http://www.plumpuddingillustration.com/

When considering what to do about agency or not I found this advice section from an established illustrator and found it quite helpful to read. http://www.claremackie.co.uk/biography/advice/