Here are a list of articles on all these topics. Pick the one that best represents where you are right now.
Card Design Tips
Learn about the fundamentals of card design.
Greeting Card Sales StatsGreeting Card Design Tips
Things to avoid in Card Design
Greeting Card Association Artist Guidelines
Other Great Card & Illustration Tips
You know you are a greeting card designer when…
Start a Card Business
Learn how to manufacture and sell your cards to retail stores.
Starting a Card Line on Your OwnBackcopy:What to print on the back of your cards
List of Books on the Greeting Card Business
Book Review: How to Run a Greeting Card Business
Book Review: Pushing the Envelope
Setting up Card Ordering Codes
All About Envelopes
Greeting Card Quiz: How much do you know about the industry?
Greeting Card Rep Talks about Trends
Marketing Cards
Learn how to market cards
12 Unusual Ways To Market Your Greeting Cards
List of Trade Shows for Greeting Card & Gift Designers
How to Sell Art Through Social Media
List of Trade Magazines for Card and Gift Industry
How to Use Email to Sell Art & Get Leads
How to Sell Designs Online: Jude Maceren
Handmade Card Business
Learn how to run a thriving handmade card business.
How to make a living in the Handmade Card Business
How to Set Up a Handmade Card Factory
Manufacturing Cards
Making Cards: Questions to Ask
Simplify Card Making for a Profit
Paying People to Make Your Cards
3 Parts of a Greeting Card
8 Advantages of the Handmade Card Business
Interview with Former Greetings etc. Editor, Kathy Krassner
Card Writing
How to Write Greeting Card Sentiments
Meet the Master of Greeting Card WritingAudio Interview: Getting into the Greeting Card Writing Market
How Poets Can Write Greeting Card Verse
Interview with Hallmark Card Writer
Artist & Writer Submission Guidelines for Card Companies
Breaking into the Greeting Card Writing Market
How to Write Greeting Card Verse (VIDEO)
7 Mistakes Card Writers Make
Licensing Your Designs to Companies
Learn how to license your designs to publishers
Submission Guidelines for Card CompaniesHow to Mail Promos of Your Designs to Card Companies
How to Organize Greeting Card Submissions
How to get Started in Art Licensing
How to Make a Good "Art Licensing Website."
How to Deal With Rejection: Tips for Card Designers
Resources on Greeting Cards and Licensing
Greeting Card Licensing Information from the UK
List of Licensing Agents in the US
Support
Learn how artists manage their time and set goals.
How to Make Time for Art
How to Start a Buddy Meeting System
How to Start an Art Licensing Support Group
Kate's Greeting Card Designer Booklets on Amazon
You can support this blog by ordering e-Booklets that are a compilation of different articles on this blog starting at only .99 cents! They can be read on your kindle, ipad, ipod, cellphone, or your computer. Free samples and lending options available.
GET YOUR CARDS INTO STORES
Get Your Greeting Cards Into Stores is a book for people who already make their own greeting cards. It explains how to get your cards into stores and sell them sell nationwide. Included are guidelines on: how to price your cards for a profit, how to get professional feedback, where to find a sales representative and and what industry standards you should follow. All the information is also applicable to gift items, such as magnets, journals, calendars, collectibles, etc.
MARKETING CARDS
Booklet on Unusual Ways To Market Greeting Cards, and 22 places to get your designs featured. A 20 page booklet on how to get your cards noticed in non-traditional ways. Everything from why you should send cards to your dentist, to how to get special features in national publications. Great tips for designers who are starting out and want to get their cards into the hands of people beyond friends and family. Special Section: Submissions guidelines and contacts for 22 Gift Industry publications and professional gift industry blogs that seek out new greeting card designs to feature for free. (5,000 Words and 17 greeting card images included)CARD WRITING
Booklet on 7 Mistakes Greeting Card Writers Make A list of 7 things to avoid when submitting greeting card verse to publishers.
Includes a list of card publishers and their guidelines, links to writer interviews, articles, card samples and other current resources. 20-page booklet and 2,300 words and 8 Pages of Card Samples.
ART LICENSING
Booklet on 20 Steps to Art Licensing that is a list of suggested steps to to take for getting into art licensing. How to license your art to companies that publish greeting cards, and manufacture coffee mugs, magnets, wall hangings, kitchen items, and dozens of other gift items. This booklet covers 20 basic steps from how to prepare your art, to what companies to contact. It includes topics on: How to find agents, classes and what trade shows to attend. There are extensive resources on social media, licensing community groups, and lists of interviews with professional designers (5,200 words).
These are books below I own and recommend.
Some may be out of print, but used copies may be available.
Check link.
Start & Run a Greeting Cards Business
Book covers starting a card business in the UK.
Good basic info, but financial/measurement info is in different monetary units.
Greeting Card Design
Book that shows examples of professional card design.
Publishing Your Art as Cards
How to make and sell your own cards for an extra income.
Pushing the Envelope
How to work with greeting card sales reps.
Complete Guide to Greeting Card Design and Illustration
Great Book on understanding the greeting card profession and how to develop a style.
1000 Handmade Greetings: creative cards and clever correspondence
This is not a simple craft book for hobbyists,instead it is a picture book of professionally handmade cards by leading companies and designers.
By the Batch: Creative Cards, Postcards, Envelopes & More
Book that addresses how to "manufacture" handmade greeting cards.
How to Write and Sell Greeting Cards, Bumper Stickers, Tshirts and Other Fun Stuff
Sell the Fun Stuff:
Writers' and Artists' Market Guidelines for Greeting Cards,
Posters, Rubber Stamps, T-Shirts, Aprons, Bumper Stickers, and More!
Writing Card Sentiments
Freelance Writing for Greeting Cards
Another good book on how to write for cards professionally.
You Can Write Your Own Greeting Cards
Clear guidelines on how to write card sentiments professionally.
Finding the Right Words
One of many basic books of this series that tells you how to add words products, cards, etc.
Licensing Your Art to Companies
Licensing Art and Design
Licensing Art 101
Good beginners guide on the art licensing business.
2011 Artist's and Graphic Designer's Market
List of greeting card companies, art licensees and agents.Detailed information on submission guidelines.
Gift and Product Design
Start with a Scan
One of a kind book that tells you how to transform your art into a scan and what to do with it from there.
Design Your Own Repeat Patterns
Simple book on learning repeats.
Twentieth-Century Pattern Design
Great book for inspiration and creative approaches to designing patterns.
How to Break into Product Design
Overview of product design in all industries.
Designing a Digital Portfolio
Shows you how to put a digital portfolio together for the modern era.
Mary Engelbreit: The Art And The Artist
Amazing story of how Mary ended up doing licensing.
Principles of Pattern Design
Good info on pattern design
Imagery on Fabric
Basic info on putting images onto fabric.
Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing
Yearly updated guidelines for pricing for people in art careers.
5,000 Years of Textiles
Far East, Americas, Africa, Scandinavia, and Egyptian. Good for studying fabric design.
Abstract Design and How to Create It
Over 380 illustrations, diagrams, designs, border patterns and textile patterns.
Creative Illustration Workshop
Exercises for integrating illustration with other mixed-media techniques, and scan and layer your illustrations using a computer.
Print Workshop
Hand-Printing Techniques for low budgets. Interesting ways to put imagery on products. Perhaps a good technique for putting our designs on model items to show what they would look like on real products.
Digital Alchemy
Printmaking techniques for fine art and how to transfer images to a variety of surfaces. It includes decals and skins.
Critical Mass
Cutting-edge developments in international printmaking. Since printmaking is fundamental in most surface design concepts, this book's goal is a modern approach on a traditional printmaking.
Tradeshows and Booth Design
How to Design a "Wow!" Trade Show Booth Without Spending a Fortune
Simple tips for your first tradeshow booth.
Tips and Tales from the Booth
Avoiding Trade Show Mistakes
Build a Better Trade Show Image
Professional recommendations for doing a tradeshow. Advice to take before you attempt one.
~ Copyright Legal Books for Artists ~
Legal Guide for the Visual Artist, Fifth Edition
Copyright Law for Artists, Photographers and Designers (Essential Guides)
The Copyright Handbook: What Every Writer Needs to Know
4 comments:
Your information is Great Kate! Thanks so much for posting!
Great collection of articles, Kate. One of these days you should write your own book!
This is a great blog and SO well designed. You've gotten me entirely revved up! One thing - since I'm an editor, I have to mention that there's a typo on this page - "Licensing You Designs to Companies". Otherwise - perfection!
Anonymous-thanks for the typo tip!
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