Your Crafts Business: A Legal Guide [Paperback]

Richard Stim (Author)

Book Description

Series: Your Crafts Business | Publication Date: January 2003

U.S. craftwork is $13 billion industry and crafts artisans now average $76,000 in annual sales. As the crafts business has increased, so have the legal and business problems. Fortunately, you now have a guide to help wind your way through the maze of legal and business rules.

Your Crafts Business covers everything from intellectual-property rights to dealing with business taxes. Learn all about:

*contracts, consignments, sales, shows and collections
*business basics
*copyrights, design patents and trademarks
*preventing infringement and tracking down infringers
*licensing principles and agreements
*hiring and firing employees, contractors and sales reps
*lawyers, lawsuits and liability
*getting your crafts business on the Web
*and more

Your Crafts Business clearly explains legal principles that protect a crafts business and help it grow. It also provides practical advice on how to deal with day-to-day problems -- such as dealing with delinquent payments. The book provides over a dozen tear-out contracts and other legal forms, plus step-by-step instructions to fill them out.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

If you're a crafts artists concerned about issues such as sales disputes, consignment, design thievery, tax disputes, studio leases, workspace safety and employer liability, then this is the book for you. It's my attempt to provide a real-world view of running a small crafts business and to offer tips for steering your business on a "no problems" course. I've tried to incorporate the experiences of various crafts artists as well as my own experience working with crafts clients.

This book will help you:
· Determine the form of your crafts business.
· Secure your workspace and negotiating your studio lease.
· Sell your work, whether consignment, retail, wholesale or commissioned sales.
· Go online including choosing a domain name, setting up a shopping cart and choosing a web host.
· Work with employees and contractors.
· Register and protect trademarks and business names.
· Register and protect your work with design patents .
· Register your copyright and avoid copyright problems.
· License your crafts (including a sample agreement and analysis).
· Deal with sales reps (and a model sales rep agreement).
· Avoid liability and legal problems including finding a lawyer, examining your insurance options and resolving contract disputes and rip-offs.
· Calculate and pay income taxes.

In addition to this information, you'll find a dozen agreements and sample letters that you can modify on the CD-Rom attached at the back of this book.

About the Author

Rich Stim is a graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law where he studied intellectual property law. He practices law in San Francisco, specializing in intellectual property and licensing and is an adjunct professor at San Francisco State University. He is the author of Music Law: How to Run Your Band's Business, License Your Invention and Getting Permission: How to License and Clear Copyrighted Materials Online & Off (all published by Nolo); as well as Intellectual Property: Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights (West).

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: NOLO (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873378385
• ISBN-13: 978-0873378383
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,535,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Legal Guides

More About the Author

I can't believe I wrote all those books.
If you've got questions regarding book content, check out my blog http://www.dearrichblog.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is gold!, February 23, 2006

By 

E. Mattingly "Indi40" (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Your Crafts Business: A Legal Guide (Paperback)

This book is gold. I have bought several books trying to get a clear and concise handle on what is involved in making my business legal. They all bogged me down with things I didn't understand or was left with more questions. Until this book. Richard Stim starts right off with no bull. He states in layman terms what decisions need to made first and moves right on down the line. He gives clear examples of do's and don'ts and always gives references online for further exploration. He also suggests, when necessary, to check with an attorney and what legal forms you can do yourself and what forms can be adjusted. This book comes with a CD of legal forms, so there is no hunting them or tracking down the right offices at the court house. Richard Stim takes a lot of the mystery away and makes you feel confident. I highly recommend this book for anyone!

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i'm not good at titles but........, January 15, 2004

By 

cynthia lloyd (oakland ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your Crafts Business: A Legal Guide (Paperback)

it's so cool i'll try anyway.
it's obvious richard stim cares about crafting!his wife crafts and his sister too.a lot of business self help books can really bug me if they're trying too hard to be cute or funny.
stim's voice is clear and sympathic,patient and thoughtful.
full of useful information,other refences,specific websites.
all kinds of info to get you on your way.very well organized!

3.0 out of 5 stars More than I knew before, June 18, 2011

By 

Beth Hafling "Funky Lady" (Buechel, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Your Crafts Business: A Legal Guide (Paperback)

Well having zero knowledge to start with I guess this book enlightened me. I'm more of the creative type but still was able to learn from this book.