Greeting Card Business

Even with the growing threat of e-cards, the greeting card industry remains very strong. Industry estimates show that over 7.4 billion cards were sold to Americans last year; that breaks down to approximately 235 cards sold per second! 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, this may be the business for you.

There are two ways to get into the greeting card design business: to freelance to the greeting card industry, or to create your own line of greeting cards.

Freelancing to the greeting card companies is the easiest (and cheapest way to go). As a freelance artist, you will submit your works to a greeting card design company. The advantage of being a freelance artist 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.

As 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 or serious - somewhere out there is a company producing cards, calendars or wrapping papers in need of new designs. you don't need to be a writer or even have a writing partner to submit material - if the company likes your work they'll buy it outright, or possibly assign you a writer.

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's Guild Handbook. Both books are available in most public libraries.

You can choose to submit your works to the "big 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 companies, allowing you to learn the ropes in terms of working with editors, tackling assignments, and meeting deadlines. Even a mid-size greeting card company can receive as many as 250 envelopes per week, containing an average of 10-15 ideas in each envelope.

Write the companies (or email if available) that interest you to request for guidelines. Always inquire first before sending samples of your work. 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.

Send only what the company asks for. Don't waste your time and energy selling humorous pieces to religious publishers, or photographic work to fine art reproduction houses. Follow the guidelines carefully, and finetune your submissions based on what the company wants.

The payments and contracts depend on individual companies and their policies. For example, Argus Communications of Allen, TX publishes humorous cards, postcards, calendars and even posters. They usually pay from $50 to $125 per assignment. Abbey Press of Meinrad, IN, which is operated by the Benedictine monks and specializes in cards and gift-wrap with a religious theme, pays in the $200 to $400 range and assigns several hundred designs each year.

There are two keys to success as a freelance greeting card designer: being prolific and ability to take rejection. As soon as a rejection comes back from one company, write a new cover letter and send your samples out to the next one.

The second alternative is to design and produce your original cards. 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. 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.

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, humorous. You can begin by creating the type of card that you like to read and receive.

You can increase your chances of success by doing the right research. Study the various cards on the market. Visit local card shops to find the names of companies whose product line is compatible with the kind of work you do. Then take your list to the library and look up in the current issue of Artist's Market to find out their submission procedures. You can get ideas from their submission guidelines. Learn what they're looking for, study the cards they have on the market, and check out how they want you to submit your graphics or verses. Find out what's working for them, then integrate these lessons in your own operation. This will give you a firm idea of the designs that would be sellable to other people.

You also need to know about the "technical aspects" of this business -- where to sell your cards; printing and color; buying the right paper and envelopes; renting spaces and finding a sales rep or distributor. You have to experiment on various materials to come up with original designs. The more original your designs, the better alternative you are offering to the market, the greater your chances for success. You also need to have a good writer as your partner or as a business associate to assist you in producing the verses for the card.

One advantage that could form an important part in your marketing plan is your ability to customize the cards according to what the customer wants. No matter how diverse the offerings of Hallmark or American Greetings, there are people looking to send special greeting cards not ordinarily found in the stores. They want highly creative and personalized cards - not the run-of-the-mill kind. This segment of the population could be your most important market.

You can offer two products: standard set of pre-designed cards and custom-made cards. Your clients choose from the various designs that you've 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.

For the more upscale market, you can create one-of-a-kind cards sold at a premium price. Your clients can request you to create special works of art made from quality materials.

To market your business, begin by showing your products to your friends and family. Show them to as many people as you can and invite their comments. Ask them probing questions whether it can generate interest and would sell. Perhaps you can work and promote your idea through "word of mouth" advertising and with help from your friends in your vicinity.

You may also try to market your business over the web and create a specialized card service. You can show samples of handmade designs that people may select or customized. You can give the customers the option to select from a set of verses you already have or to write the verses themselves. This will entail the creation of an e-commerce store, which will need shopping cart, secure server for ordering, merchant account for credit card payments, and payment gateway. Some web hosting services, such as Cedant offers these services to their clients.

Good Luck !

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Nach Maravilla is the Publisher of Power Homebiz Guides. He has over thirty years experience in sales and marketing of various products, which covered as he jokingly describes, "from toothpicks to airplanes" He also had extensive experience in International trading and he always excelled in special promotional ideas for retail outlets.

The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, not of PowerHomeBiz.com. Users should not treat the Guide's response as legal, accounting, or professional advice as all answers are intended to be general in nature. Such advice can only be properly given by qualified professionals who are fully aware of a user's specific geographical areas or circumstances, such as an attorney or accountant.

Starting a Greeting Card Business