Making a Living in Crafts: Everything You Need to Know to Build Your Business [Hardcover]

Donald Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 28, 2006

Artisans who want to turn their passion into profit need look no further: with a combination of inspiration and practical knowledge--plus hundreds of images--this comprehensive guide offers the most solid and current information on the crafting business. It goes way beyond just the crafts show: everything is covered, from developing a product to drafting a business plan, from marketing to exhibiting in galleries. There are numerous interviews with prominent people throughout the industry, along with a discussion of craft economy as a whole and the challenges you might face along the way. Learn how to efficiently design your product, set up a studio, hire employees, and set prices. Crafters will appreciate the encouraging message on keeping one's creative spirit alive.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (January 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579906508
• ISBN-13: 978-1579906504
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #788,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Donald Clark's Making a Living in Crafts is a book long over due., March 29, 2006

By 

Joan Takayama Ogawa - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making a Living in Crafts: Everything You Need to Know to Build Your Business (Hardcover)

Clark's stance is clear, "The sale of the work of art completes the creative process." He is reassuring; you will not be a "starving artist." He teaches you how to make your business legal, how to price your work, how to get your work in shops, galleries, and on the show circuit. He shares insight on how to participate in the online marketplace, how to write a business plan, how to develop positive relationships with customers and collectors, how to make a lasting impression with excellent photography, and how to write the dreaded artist statement. He provides you practical templates that help you pencil out your marketing costs inventory, overhead costs inventory, pricing sheet, and simple cost worksheet. He inserts essays and interviews with top gallery owners, shopkeepers, collectors, artists, and crafts persons, so you can gain valuable insights on where your work is suited. This book is a welcomed addition as a textbook in any college course where students want to eventually sell their crafts, arts, and designs. For those of you who are self-taught, working on weekends and vacations, making one-of-a-kind objects or production work, this book will guide you through a clear curriculum on how to complete the creative cycle by selling your work. For those of you who are "old hands" in the making of art and craft, this book will fill in gaps you were unaware existed in your knowledge. For those of you who doubt Donald Clark's stance, the final chapters on nurturing your creativity will provide practical ways to remain creative.

Joan Takayama-Ogawa
Associate Professor, Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST fine craft business bok out there, April 28, 2006

By 

I. McFly (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making a Living in Crafts: Everything You Need to Know to Build Your Business (Hardcover)

I've read a number of art/craft business books over the years and this is the book I've been missing. The most specifically helpful section is the chapter on pricing. This book provides a step by step formula for setting your prices based on your materials, labor, and overhead and marketing costs. I have not read another book that gave such information, and as a result, setting my prices has always been a bit of a guessing game. If you want to earn money from your fine crafts, read this book!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about time!, June 1, 2006

By 

MV North (Garrison, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making a Living in Crafts: Everything You Need to Know to Build Your Business (Hardcover)

It's about time this book was written. I found it insightful and thoughtfully written. Donald Clark has presented the world of marketing and selling your craft to the novice in a way that makes sense of it all. From the wonderfully asthetically pleasing layout to the expert perspectives this book was a joy to read. The advice given is advice that I will take to heart as I enter the business of making art. Hopefully, I will be as successful as the artists that are fortunate enough to be represented by Donald Clark. This book is a must for anyone who has thoughts of entering this world and looking for truth of how to make that happen.