How to protect your assets in a licensing agreement

Found this article on Licensing Contracts on the Daily News Blog

Excerpt:
As fun and exciting as Art Licensing is, there are some things you should know before entering into any contractual agreement. First of all, there is a lot that you won’t know in the beginning of your licensing career and a ton that you will learn along the way, but you should have a good understanding of what the terms of your agreement will be before signing anything. If you are presented with a licensing contract - review it and understand that you are the one licensing the art and you have the power to negotiate your terms. Also, it’s always a good idea to have your own copyright attorney review the contract.
Before we discuss this topic further let's get familiar with a few terms, that is if you are not already familiar with them.

1. Licensor - You! 2. Licensee - the company you are licensing artwork to. 3. Royalty - The percentage you will be payed on the sales of your art. 4. Net Sales Price - the price for which the Licensee sells the Licensed Products 5. Licensed Design - shall mean those designs owned by Licensor and incorporated into one or more Licensed Products 6. Sell-off-period - A period of time used by the Licensee to clear out licensed product. This usually takes place at the end of a contract when the licensee needs to dispose of all of its existing inventory of Licensed Products on hand. During the Sell-off Period, no royalties shall be payable to Licensor for the sale of Licensed Products that must be liquidated (sold at or below cost).

....read more on the website

Art Submission 2010 Deadlines for Card Company Gina B

From Gina B website:
We are currently working on our 2010 Everyday Release. If you would like a copy of our "Call for art" for this or any other release, please contact our creative department: eries@ginabdesigns.com .

Here is a general outline of our art submission deadlines for 2010. Dates are subject to change. Please check out our catalogs for product types and to flip through our catalogs to see our current lines! Click here: /Catalogs

Art deadlines:
October 1st, 2009 2010 Holiday Release (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Hanukah)

March 1st, 2010 2009 May Everyday Release (summer supplement)

May 1st, 2010 2009 Aug Everyday Release (fall supplement)

May 1st, 2010 2010 Valentine’s Day Release

August 1st, 2010 2010 Everyday Release (main catalog) (includes , Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduation)

Even though we have provided these deadlines don’t hesitate to send art anytime throughout the year. If it doesn’t fill a current need we will save it for a later release.

*See Website for Submission Guidelines*

How to get paid writing greeting cards

I ran across this extensive article about Writing Cards...Here's an excerpt:

WHAT GREETING CARD COMPANIES ARE LOOKING FOR While the greeting card industry is not stagnant, and new ideas and trends are frequently being developed, the three basic card categories remain the same -- traditional, studio (or contemporary) and alternative.

When publishing a line of greeting cards, in any category, a company must cater to the people who are most likely to buy and send cards. In most cases, that means women between the ages of 18 and 50.
So the majority of companies are looking for cards that target issues these women care about; relationships, success, religion, money, health, and so on.

Some of today's best selling cards are non-traditional cards commemorating new jobs, promotions, and salary raises. Other top selling alternative cards deal with relationships, even the break-up of marriages. Still another significant line of alternative cards is aimed at people who have experienced, or are experiencing, drug and alcohol addictions ...Article continued on their website.

Blue Mountain Arts Looking for Writer Submissions

Alert: Just saw that Blue Mountian Arts is looking for submissions. See Article and Writer's Guidelines.

How to use paper images on web designs

SPRYRESTUDIOS has a great article on 35 paper images used on web designs. Article starts:

Creativity comes in many shapes, sizes and colors – and it just so happens that today we’re looking at some of the amazing work people do with paper textures in web design. From their portfolio websites, to blogs and resource websites, this post is going to showcase 35 of the best paper made website designs.

Some might even go so far as to say that designing with paper is environmentally friendly since they’re recycling the paper (hey, it’s a far fetched dream – but we can dream right?) I have always found that paper textures really add something special to a website design – especially if it is done right. And damnit, these websites are definitely done completely right. So sit back, relax and get ready to check out some amazing paper made website designs...SEE IMAGES

My Coasters and Wall Art Just Released

Just found out my coasters were released by Thirstystone manufacturer. One site selling them is Boscov.

My wall art calligraphy was just released this month also featured in Gifts and Decorative Accessories Magazine Section "New to the Market." They are manufactured by Lazart.