Book Review: 20 Steps To Art Licensing

Art licensing is the business of lending your art to manufacturers, and they use your design to make gift items. The manufacturer makes, sells, and ships the product to retail shops and the artist is usually paid in royalties based on sales. 20 Steps To Art Licensing: How to Sell Your Designs To Card and Gift Companies, by Kate Harper, is a very informative booklet that provides many resources for artists who are interested in growing their businesses.

About Kate Harper

Kate Harper has worked in the gift and greeting card industry for twenty years and has designed over 700 cards and gifts. She started her own handmade card business and has serviced over 2,000 accounts including Barnes and Noble, Whole Foods Markets and Papyrus. Ms. Harper provides artists with current information on her blog ~ Greeting Card Design.

The Business Side Of Art

Kate Harper has found a way to make a living by doing what she loves. She proves that you don't have to be a "starving artist", but the business of art requires a huge amount of preparation, persistence and support. This booklet provides 20 steps to art licensing and offers many links to Internet sites that have more information for art professionals.

This is a quick read but there is a wealth of information in this booklet. The steps begin with acquiring basic information about the art business;

• Take an art licensing class.
• Read books ~ The author recommends three "Must Read" books that will give artists much-needed foundation information.
• Read trade magazines and blogs ~ The author lists dozens of publications that provide valuable information.

Ms. Harper also gives these steps for artists who are well on their way to art licensing success:

• Get an attorney and learn about copyrights. You need someone who does artists contracts.
• Look into agents. The author provides several links that help you decide if you need an agent and how to choose the right person.
• Finding companies to work with. Ms. Harper provides the names and contact information for dozens of companies that make greeting cards and gift items.

The Price Is Right

20 Steps to Art Licensing is available in digital format (Kindle) for $2.99 at Amazon.com. I believe this product is well worth the price. I found the whole concept that a freelance artist can sell her designs to big companies very interesting. I have been making handmade greeting cards for my friends and family for several years but I never thought about creating original designs and selling them. This booklet is informative and inspiring.

Other Booklets By Kate Harper

I have read and reviewed the following booklets by Kate Harper;

How To Publish and Sell Your Article On The Kindle

Unusual Ways To Market Your Greeting Cards and 22 Places To Get Your Designs Featured

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Unusual Ways To Market Your Greeting Cards

I like to make greeting cards so I purchased Unusual Ways to Market Your Greeting Cards and 22 Places to Get Your Designs Featured by Kate Harper. I found many unique ideas in this 20-page booklet. This article is a compilation of unusual ways the author has used to market and promote her own cards.

Ms.Harper believes your best advertising is your cards. She started out sending cards out with her bills. She sent the dentist a card with her payment for his services. She sent the bank a card with her deposits. She took advantage of every opportunity to get her cards into the hands of potential customers.

Ms. Harper suggests that card designers hand out greeting cards instead of business cards. A postcard could be designed with a sample of your artwork or a special verse. If the cards are attractive or have a witty quotation on them, people tend to keep them around longer and share them with others. The author emphasizes that you should always include your logo and contact information on the back of the card.

The second half of this booklet is a list of 22 trade publications and design blogs related to the gift and greeting card industry. This list includes specific submission guidelines and contact information for each publication. This is a real gold mine of useful resources.

It's amazing what greeting cards bring out in people. They touch people's hearts in a special way. I think it would be a good strategy for small businesses to invest in unique, handmade cards to send to customers and clients. A greeting card from the heart might be the one thing that sets you apart from your competition.

***The picture above features a handmade card that I made with a Kate Harper Designs rubber stamp. This touching quotation was licensed and distributed by Inkadinkado.

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