| A little over seven years ago I approached a | | | | have come in at well over $5,000.00. |
| greeting card company about starting a line of | | | | Research Your Publisher |
| greeting cards. The planets must have been | | | | Some card companies have good over seas |
| aligned right because the company agreed to give | | | | distribution, others have none. Some have their |
| it a try…and it worked! We sell hundreds of | | | | cards in mass-market retailers (Target, Walmart), |
| thousands of cards a year through out the | | | | others primarily distribute through small card |
| world. The images have also been used in gift | | | | shops. Some have their own sales force while |
| books, printed on checks, used on calendars, | | | | others rely on agents that represent a number of |
| posters, journals and even coffee mugs. | | | | card companies. Take the time to research the |
| Through this experience I have learned a few | | | | card company and make sure they are someone |
| things, which I now hope to pass on to you. | | | | you want representing your work and you. This |
| To Self-Publish or Not? | | | | will be a partnership with more give and take than |
| If you want to make any appreciable money I | | | | you might expect. It is a good idea to know |
| would rule out self-publishing. Sure, you get to | | | | your partner. |
| keep a much larger percentage of the money, | | | | While you are researching, check how the |
| but you have to ask yourself if want to sell | | | | publisher likes work to be submitted. It is a good |
| photos or run a publishing company. Without | | | | bet that if you don’t take the time to pay |
| going into a lot of detail, just think of the logistics | | | | attention to what they want, they might not take |
| of printing, selling, delivering, invoicing, collecting, | | | | the time to pay attention to your work. |
| dealing with returns…hopefully you get the idea. | | | | Negotiate Wisely |
| Just for a quick example, I was once on the | | | | Before signing a contract make sure you under |
| phone with a photographer who was starting his | | | | stand the terms. They may want to have the |
| own greeting card company. He said he had to | | | | right to negotiate any further licensing of your |
| end the call because the printer had just delivered | | | | images. Not a good idea. Do they want |
| 250,000 greeting cards, and they were folded | | | | worldwide rights? If so, do they have worldwide |
| wrong! Can you imagine? No thanks! His | | | | distribution? How quickly and how often do they |
| greeting card company is no longer around. | | | | pay? Do they offer an advance, and how |
| Finding a Publisher | | | | much? Try contacting one of their artists and see |
| To find a publisher just go to where greeting | | | | what they think of the publisher. Take the time to |
| cards are sold and see who is publishing what. | | | | understand every aspect of the contract, and |
| Your best chance to interest a publisher is to find | | | | don’t make the mistake of thinking that they |
| one who carries the kind of work that you do. | | | | will be looking out for you. They may like you, but |
| A publisher who distributes vintage Black and | | | | they won’t be looking out for you. |
| White humor cards is not likely to be interested in | | | | By the way, most royalties start at 5%. I |
| your close up flower shots. | | | | started at 5%, but as my work sold well and I |
| Too, you have a much better chance of catching | | | | became more valuable I was able to increase the |
| a publishers interest if you present a series rather | | | | percentage of my royalty. When you negotiate |
| than just one or two images. If I were looking | | | | you can try to trade off a higher advance against |
| for a publisher at this point I would mock-up a | | | | a lower royalty or visa versa. Everything is on |
| dozen cards, complete with inside text. The | | | | the table. In my case I eventually granted |
| cards would work together. Some would be | | | | exclusivity for a higher royalty and managed to |
| birthday cards and some would be for other | | | | get my logo on the back of the cards too. |
| holidays. Make it easy for a potential publisher to | | | | Creativity and perseverance |
| visualize what they would be selling. | | | | Getty your own line of greeting cards is a long |
| Fee or Royalty? | | | | shot. But it is possible. Do your research and |
| If you believe in your images, take the royalty. | | | | find the right publisher. Prepare your submission |
| The first greeting card that I licensed to my | | | | meticulously and to their specifications. |
| publisher, a smiling cat with a canary feather in its | | | | Submissions to multiple companies at once are |
| mouth, had I accepted a flat fee, would have | | | | fine. Use creativity, common sense and exercise |
| brought me around $800.00. So far the royalties | | | | perseverance. Oh yeah, and take the royalty. |