Card By Amber Lotus

On Fridays, I sometimes like to display samples of products I've designed.
Here is a sample from a new card line just released from Amber Lotus Publishing called "Bright Spots."

Books on the Greeting Card Business

Greeting Card Designer Booklets on Amazon

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).

GETTING INTO STORES

Get Your Greeting Cards into Stores: How to find and work with Greeting Card Sales Reps
If you already make your own greeting cards, this book 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.








~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.

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)

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These are books 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

The Future of Children's Book Publishing

A must read article/video for Children's book artists by Scott McLeod at "Big Think" blog.

He has samples of 21 books that glimpse the future of what children's interactive book publishing will be. Here are few examples:

Are You Ready for the Paperless Revolution?

With ereaders, tablets and smart phones, we are now in the middle of a major technological transition from paper to digital, and as greeting card designers, we need to look at what's happening. Rather than limiting your definition of what a greeting card is, which is paper and art, think about what it does: It communicates a message between 2 people.

Let's be aware of video #1 and avoid being like video #2 (promised to make you laugh). On the other end of the spectrum, one sales rep told me that while the traditional greeting card publishers are losing marketshare to e-devices, the indie handmade card artist business is increasing. What is your experience? (leave comments)


1. Social Media Revolution (a must-see)

Did You Know:
-95% of companies who use social media use LinkedIn to find employees?
-1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media?
-If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 3rd largest?
-Kindle books outsold paperbacks on Christmas?




2. Someone trying to help a paper scroll reader convert to reading a paper book. For a laugh : )

I need your photos, videos and interviews from the stationery show!

This greeting card blog gets about 1,000 visitors/subscribers a day, along with an additional 800 twitter followers, so if you would like to share your experience of the Stationery and Surtex show, email me at gcdBlog@gmail.com I will post it. (easy way to remember: GCD stands for Greeting Card Designer + "Blog")

Here are some examples from last year:

Kathy Krassner on New Trends: http://kateharperblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/stationery-trends-at-new-york-gift-fair.html

Jeannene Langford on new products: http://kateharperblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/featured-products-at-stationery-show.html

Jeannene Langford on a session she attended http://kateharperblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/trend-report-on-future-of-papercrafting.html

Jeannene Langford on Young Designers: http://kateharperblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/stationery-show-report-young-designers.html

Cindy Ann Ganaden has friends helping her set up her booth at Surtex!