Excerpt From
"Bizy's Guide To Operating A Greeting Card Writing Business" By Sandra Louden
When I started my freelance writing career in 1986, I knew no one in the business. I wasn't a former editor of any greeting card company. The only things I had going for me were a flair for words and the absolute conviction I would succeed. I was a stay-at-home Mom who desperately wanted to write and get paid for that writing while staying home with two small children. I had no-let me repeat that-NO insider contacts at any company. I wasn't even on a first- name basis with the clerk at the local card shop.
But my lack of connections didn't-wouldn't-stop me. In my first year of caption writing, I sold only three verses, but it was enough. Enough to tell me, this is where I stand. This is where I dig my heels in. This is where I write. I never looked back.
By 1991, I'd won the coveted Louie Award-our industry's equivalent of the Oscar and would be nominated again the following year. My greeting card work was shown on Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee. I wrote verses for people such as wildlife advocate and actress Stefanie Powers and quarterback Bernie Kosar. I had my own column in our industry's official magazine. I spoke at writer's conferences, conducted workshops, visited high schools and colleges on career day.
And yes, my book on the subject was sold to a New York publisher in 1992. It made it as far as the final galley stage and was about to be published when it was canceled due to a "shift in priorities."
Was I initially discouraged? You bet. Did I stop writing and sending in my work? No way. In fact, I became more determined to "conquer" the writing world. I expanded my skills and tried fiction, non-fiction, book reviews, quizzes, profiles. I was published in all of them.
Still, I always seemed to go back to greeting cards. Soon, I was introduced to the world of Cyberspace and instead of simply having students in the Western PA area; the entire country and yes, the world, became my classroom. I now teach on the Internet and have students from as far away as New Zealand, Spain and The Netherlands. They're all interested in greeting card writing and they all ask the same question.
Why don't you write a book?
In 1998, I did indeed write a book. Now, with Bizy Mom's help, I'm bringing this book to a new height by presenting it in e-form.
I have the utmost confidence you'll find this book packed with information. There is practical, "nuts & bolts" advice as well as writing theory. There are numerous exercises-designed to give you a portfolio of work, so when those first assignments come your way, you have a cushion upon which to fall. I've even debunked a few "sacred cow" theories-such as why "sending your very best" isn't always true and how the biggest scam-writer's block-is foisted only upon people who don't write.
And if all that weren't enough to convince you, perhaps this will.
You have me.
Yes, not only in the chats I mentioned above, but anytime. If you don't understand something you read here, write me. Or e-mail. (You'll find my address throughout the book.) I'll answer your questions, your concerns. I'll guide you over any rough spots, giving you the benefit of my experience.
Students often marvel at the fact that I take time with them, answering their questions, giving them a pep talk when they're discouraged. Why do you go that extra mile?, I'm often asked. I give a little more than other authors because I've never forgotten what it's like to begin. It's exciting, yes; but also a little frightening. No one you know writes greeting cards. You want to talk about your dreams, your goals, but no one seems interested, or worse, they're skeptical, ready to push stumbling blocks in your way.
I'm here to move those stumbling blocks from your path, guiding you to write-and sell-your greeting card captions.
Together, we simply won't fail!
Bizy’s Guide To Operating A Greeting Card Writing Business
This e-Book includes:
Operating A Greeting Card Writing Business
Instructor: Sandra Miller-Louden
One of the many purposes of my greeting card class here at BizyMoms.com is to dispel myths. So, while I have your attention, let's dispel the ones I've just laid before you-all those reasons I hear from potential students as to why they can't write greeting cards, even though they want to.
"I want to write greeting cards, but I don't write poetry."
Well, guess what? For years, neither did I and that didn't slow me down one iota. Why not? Because contrary to the stubborn myth out there that automatically equates greeting card writing with rhymed, metered, traditional verse, that is NOT the type of writing most companies want from their freelance writers. Today's emphasis is on conversation; today's cards sound as if one person is talking to another. Yes, you still see rhymed, metered, traditional verse on the racks, but it is either written in-house (meaning by the company's regular editorial staff) or it is part of a huge database that periodically gets "recycled" with new artwork.
"I want to write greeting cards, but I can't draw."
You want to know the truth? The best thing I draw is a blank---especially when it comes to sketching and trying to make a picture. And once again, it hasn't stopped me at all. Why not? Because companies prefer to keep the people who do their art and their verse separate. In most cases, they don't even want the entire card package from a single person. So if you don't draw, well, join the crowd. Or if it isn't a crowd, at least join me. As I tell my students--and I am deadly serious in this--anything you draw has to be better than my pictures.
"I want to write greeting cards, but I don't know where to send my ideas, other than Hallmark or American Greetings.
Well, this is my absolutely favorite myth-busting statement. Bet you didn't know that estimates say there are between 900-1,200 card companies in the United States and Canada. They range from the Big 2--Hallmark and American Greetings--to the one-person, handcrafted cards done on the dining room table. In between those two extremes, however, are all those wonderful mid-size companies that want and need freelance work. Where are they and how does one go about finding them?
Ah, you'll just have to take that next logical step and sign up for my greeting card writing course through BizyMoms.com to find out.