What to do to sell my own designs of greeting cards to Hallmark, American Greetings, etc.?
I design my own cards and everyone likes them so much. I’ve been advised to get affiliated with a company like Hallmark or American Greetings to sell my designs to and, automatically, start making money on my designs. But where do I start? Should I reserve my rights/copyrights? I will be grateful for any advice how to get my business started. Thank you so much!
Tags: Designs, american, Hallmark, greetings, cards, etc.Related posts:
From what I’ve heard, the big greeting card companies have their own writers and artists. That is, they don’t solicit or buy from independent writers and artists. Write to the companies and ask them if they ever use independent contractors, and also ask if they have any positions open.
Usually, if you are a creative person who is hired by a big company, that company makes you sign over the rights to whatever you design in that field, whether you design it on your time or theirs. This means if you have a great idea for a card and design it while you work for the company, the company you work for owns the rights to that card, and you won’t get any more money for it. This works for things like patents and machinery designs and toy ideas, too. It’s just standard for that sort of business. The idea is that you get a steady paycheck, while the company will take the risks of marketing your idea.
You should start by putting together a portfolio of your work and contacting the companies you want to sell to. Phone calls to the corporate headquarters should give you an idea of how receptive they are such presentations and how each company handles the selection process.
But, beware, unless you are already a wellknown artist, the prices they are willing to pay may not be what you are looking for.
Also, be prepared to give up your copyright to the work, you are selling them the artwork and it’s exclusive use. It doesn’t make finanical sense for them to purchase images from you which will then be sold or displayed elsewhare. Each company wants unique and exclusive artwork. So, if you do sell images to one of these companies be prepared to pull the image from any current use (you may be limited on how you use similar images/designs as well), - (the exception for this would be very famous images i.e. disney characters, peanuts characters, etc. In this instance the card company is going after the images, not the other way around)
I don’t want to discourage you, It never hurts to try. Go for it, but just beware it may not be the cushy deal you imagine.