Tips for printing and selling calendars?
March 25, 2012 4:56 PM Subscribe
How can I help my friend print and market a wall calendar of her art?
I've recently become friends with the mother of one of my son's classmates who is a talented children's illustrator. She has several published books to her credit and is always doodling and drawing. She posts a new drawing to Facebook just about every week. They are delightful pictures of multicultural children - whimsical and fun with terrific hand-drawn typography - with affirmations that are positive but not sicky-sweet.
I saw her the other day at school and kind of blurted out, "I love your art! You should make a calendar!" and she said, "You should help me!" And I would love to help but have no idea how this works, so I turn to the hive.
Are calendar publishers like book publishers - do they take unsolicited submissions? I assume she has a literary agent; should she just pitch the idea to him/her? Is it more realistic to focus locally - with a small print run and targeted pitches to gift shops and small retailers - or is that cost- and effort-prohibitive? Any other cautionary tales or lessons learned you can share?
Thanks, all!
I've recently become friends with the mother of one of my son's classmates who is a talented children's illustrator. She has several published books to her credit and is always doodling and drawing. She posts a new drawing to Facebook just about every week. They are delightful pictures of multicultural children - whimsical and fun with terrific hand-drawn typography - with affirmations that are positive but not sicky-sweet.
I saw her the other day at school and kind of blurted out, "I love your art! You should make a calendar!" and she said, "You should help me!" And I would love to help but have no idea how this works, so I turn to the hive.
Are calendar publishers like book publishers - do they take unsolicited submissions? I assume she has a literary agent; should she just pitch the idea to him/her? Is it more realistic to focus locally - with a small print run and targeted pitches to gift shops and small retailers - or is that cost- and effort-prohibitive? Any other cautionary tales or lessons learned you can share?
Thanks, all!
Yeah, to me, the problem with calendars is that they use 12 of your images in one go, and they're only sell-able for a month or two. Once January comes you're stuck with a bunch of overstock. What about packs of nice blank-inside greeting cards?
posted by blueberry at 12:40 AM on March 26, 2012
posted by blueberry at 12:40 AM on March 26, 2012
There are companies that work as agents for artists, getting their work on mugs, calendars, etc. The only one I know of by name is Courtney Davis - I can't vouch for the company in particular but it might give you an idea of what to look for.
posted by radioamy at 8:34 AM on March 26, 2012
posted by radioamy at 8:34 AM on March 26, 2012
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posted by parrot_person at 6:39 PM on March 25, 2012 [1 favorite]