Starting a Greeting Card Business
Even with the growing threat of e cards, the greeting card
cheap replica oakleys industry remains very strong. consumers mailed more than 2 billion holiday greeting cards and more than 1.2 billion non holiday greeting cards.
The good news is about 1/3 of these cards are created by freelancers. If you have the talent for photography, painting, calligraphy, and writing, the greeting card business may be the business for you.
There are two ways to get into the greeting card design business: to freelance to a greeting card business, or to create and manufacture your own line of greeting cards.
Freelancing to the greeting card companies is the easiest (and cheapest way to go). The advantage of being a freelancer is that you focus on the creation and design of the cards. The disadvantage is that you have to sell your services to a company who may accept or reject you.
There are options to selling your card: you can be a for hire or be a greeting card freelancer (whether you sell the writing, art work or both). You can choose to submit your works to the guys where demand is bigger and more diverse, but where competition is fiercest. Or you can begin slowly by submitting your designs to mid size and smaller
fake oakleys cheap companies, allowing you to learn the ropes in terms of working with editors, tackling assignments, and meeting deadlines.
Work for hire means that your sell your creation for a flat onetime fee with no royalties.
If you are a greeting card artist, you can work in any medium or style that you prefer pastel or oil, abstract or impressionist, illustrator or photographer, sentimental
fake oakley wholesale or serious somewhere out there is a company producing cards, calendars or wrapping papers in need of new designs.
The Greeting Card Associationoffers the following tips for greeting card artists:
Most designers license their work either on a flat fee basis, or for an advance against royalties. Licensing gives a company the right to reproduce your design for a certain use for a specific amount of time in a particular market, such as North America or worldwide. The artist retains ownership of the image and can continue to license it for other uses that don’t conflict. Under a flat fee basis, ownership rights are typically turned over to the publisher. For greeting cards, a flat fee generally ranges between $275 and $500. An advance against a typical 4% 6% royalty may run from $150 to $300. Payments vary from publisher to publisher, as well as by type and complexity of the artwork.
You can also choose to do the entire card concept both the art and writing. If you are doing the entire concept, you may be able to negotiate for a royalty arrangement of about 2 5 percent of gross sales.
If you do well and the greeting card company likes your work as a freelancer, the greeting card company may offer you a retainer contract. This will allow you to receive a monthly advance or higher purchase fees in exchange for an exclusive working relationship. The disadvantage of course is that this limits your opportunity to find other markets and greeting card companies to work with.
The payments and contracts depend on individual companies and their policies.
It is important to remember that greeting card industry is a highly competitive business. Rejection rate is high, often at 80 90 percent. Even a mid size greeting card company can receive as many as 250 submissions per week from
oakley sunglasses discount freelancers, containing an average of 10 15 ideas in each envelope. As soon as a rejection comes back from one company, write a new cover letter and send your samples out to the next one. Don’t take it personally!
How to Find a Greeting Card Publisher
There are a number of resources that you can check to find possible places where you can sell your greeting card products or earn money writing for greeting card companies. Start with the following:
Greeting Card Representatives Directory the Greeting Card Association sells a detailed listing of approximately 100 companies, individual sales reps and distributors, who represent greeting card and stationery publishers and distribute products at the wholesale level to retailers. One trick is to go visit your favorite store such as Target or Wal mart and head to their greeting cards section. Make a note of the publishers of the various cards they carry, then search their websites in your favorite search engine.
You can find the companies that look for greeting card artists in the annual publication Artists Market. It contains listings of companies along with a brief description of their requirements and submission procedures. For rates and other pertinent information, you can also check out The Graphic Artist Guild Handbook. Both books are available in most public libraries.
Start by sending your potential contacts with a letter of introduction. Write the companies (or email if available) that interest you to request for guidelines. Always inquire first before sending samples of your work some companies have their guidelines on their websites. Send only what the company asks for. Don waste your time and energy selling humorous pieces to religious publishers, or photographic work to fine art reproduction houses. Follow the guidelines carefully, and fine tune your submissions based on what the company wants.
Let them know that you wish to develop a freelance writing or graphic creation relationship with them. Send them your resume detailing your background and skills. Enclose
cheap oakley sunglasses a self addressed stamped envelope and request them to send you with their latest needs and guidelines.
Be sure to enclose a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) with your request. Once the guidelines are received, follow what the company wants. Most companies require samples, and you can send a portfolio of four to six pieces. One important reminder: never send originals; instead simply send prints or high quality Xerox copies.
Starting Your Own Greeting Card Manufacturing Business
If you are able to create the total card artwork and copy you may want to manufacture and sell your cards yourself. You will have total control of
oakley sunglasses discount the product, and you will be receiving the entire profits.
As your own boss, you have total control over what you want to create. No guidelines to adhere to, no editor to follow, and no bureaucracy to go along with.
cheap replica oakleys There is one important drawback, though you are not focused solely on the creation aspect, but you need to take care of the supply chain, production, financing, marketing, selling, bookkeeping and administrative tasks. In addition to being the creator, you will be an entrepreneur who has to wear many hats. Manufacturing your own greetings
replica oakleys card line is not easy, and you need to prepare for the challenges ahead.
You can start by putting together some samples or prototypes of the cards that you intend to make. Determine what type of greeting card you like to create inspirational, sentimental, and humorous. You can begin by creating the type of card that you like to read and receive.
You can offer two products: standard set of pre designed cards and custom made cards. Your clients choose from the various designs that you already created. You simply have to think of efficient ways of mass producing these set of cards. It may look easy and fast when you only have a few to make but if a hundred people orders a hundred different designs you might have problems making them one by one.Articles Connexes：
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