2015 Crafter's Market - How to Sell Your Crafts and Make a Living
edited by Kelly M. Biscopink
I wish this book had been available years ago, when I was
first starting out as a crochet designer. I had a young son, and I started
designing and crocheting puppets for him and his friends. The kids all liked
them, so a friend of mine and I started making the puppets in huge quantities,
and selling them at local craft fairs. (We found time to crochet when our kids
took naps, and when they finally went to sleep at night!) There were one or two
craft fairs we knew about – one that was in our town and one in the larger town
I moved to – all in the same state. And we sold some puppets at one or two
craft consignment shops. We also knew enough to copyright the designs. But that
was that. This was before computers and the Internet, so we couldn't sell
on-line. And I wasn't versed in writing good patterns. After I designed a
puppet, I gave the "pattern" to my friend so she could make the
puppet, too. Many years later, I found a copy of some of my
"patterns" – they were just numbers. Like one may have read:
SC,
1. 6
2. 8
3. 10
etc.
Like I said, just numbers. No info on turning chains, where
to work the increases, how to put the puppets together. Nothing. It was a
miracle that we could make them from my "patterns". I can just imagine
what would have happened if I tried to self-publish them, or submit them to a
crochet magazine. If I even knew of any crochet magazines.
Well – that's why I wish there had been a book like this
available years ago. It would have told me everything I needed to know about
making money from my puppets. It has a section on Business Basics – including
how to get paid, and all you need to know about copyrights. Then it tells you
how to find your niche and how to make it as a crafts person – it also includes
lots of tips to be successful and "turn your passion into a
business".
It lists many craft shows by state, explains what to do if
you have to apply to get accepted, and talks about how to plan for the show,
including how to figure out how much to charge for your craft goods. It also
explains how to organize your own show, which I have tried, too, and let me
tell you it isn't easy!
Then, if you're more interested in selling your
patterns/directions rather than the finished goods, it also lists various
book/magazine publishers that are in your field. And this is another reason why
I wish this book were available about 15 years ago, when I started designing
for publications and yarn companies. It goes over how to write a book proposal, how to present a
proposal to a magazine, and it explains what could be in the contract you sign
(like publication rights), and what various terms in the contract mean. When I
first started designing for publications, I didn't know any of this!
Just looking through this book at first, I could tell that
it was a "must have", not only for new crafters, but for experienced
ones. And every time I opened it to read a section, I found another section
that was just as interesting and just as important.
That's why I highly recommend this book – for all you crafters
who want to sell your crafts or your designs. You won't be sorry!
This book is published by F+W, and is available here:
By Kelly Biscopink
Fons & Porter / F+W
