Do you know you’ll be able to earn cash by discovering greeting card writing jobs? Listed below are 7 corporations that pay freelancers.
Greeting playing cards, by their nature, are supposed to be displayed. A few of them characteristic artwork so attractive, you can put them in a body and dangle them in your wall.
So in case your visible arts talents are much less “Thomas Kinkade” and extra “juice-box-addled toddler who’s solely half being attentive to what he’s doing,” then it could not even have occurred to you that there’s a spot in your abilities within the greeting card trade.
That’s the place you’d be flawed.
Even in the event you suppose Adobe is a spice you purchase at Entire Meals, there are a number of greeting card corporations that settle for work from freelance writers—no creative abilities wanted.
Our information under covers the whole lot you might want to learn about freelance greeting card writing jobs, together with how a lot you can also make, which corporations are in search of writers, easy methods to land the gigs, and extra.
How a lot do greeting card writing jobs pay?
Whereas the checklist of corporations actively soliciting copy-only submissions is brief, the stack of greenback payments you might have the potential to earn with these corporations is pretty tall.
Among the many corporations listed right here, pay may be $100 or extra for every accepted verse. So overlook concerning the cents per phrase you would possibly earn from an article—how about $5 to 10 USD per phrase?
On the excessive finish of the spectrum, Blue Mountain Arts pays $300 for the primary accepted verse (and much more for subsequent verses), however their playing cards characteristic multi-line poems versus one-liners.
This pay is even higher when you think about there’s little to not one of the analysis, interviews, outlines, and all the opposite behind-the-scenes work that another types of writing contain. You simply want to talk out of your coronary heart, or, in some instances, your snark organ.
Will you make an enormous earnings writing greeting playing cards? Most likely not, however it may be a enjoyable supplemental technique to make cash writing.
How do you turn out to be a greeting card author?
Probably the greatest issues about greeting card writing jobs is that the majority corporations don’t care whether or not you’ve simply been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize or your mother’s fridge is the one place your writing has ever been printed.
Simply present them your phrases. In the event that they like your verses, they’ll both put a number of of these precise verses of their playing cards or they’ll use your poetry as the premise to begin a working relationship, relying on the corporate.
If you wish to write greeting card verses, a very powerful factor to do is familiarize your self with the corporate’s work earlier than submitting.
You don’t need to ship jokes so filthy they might make your grandma faint to an organization that publishes inspirational poems concerning the nature of friendship. (Possibly that earlier line ought to learn: “…jokes so filthy your grandma needs she’d considered them herself…” We don’t know your grandmother.)
Fortunately, getting a really feel for a corporation’s type couldn’t be simpler, as just about each vendor has their full catalog proper on their web site.
One other tip, from Amy Smyth, co-owner of A Smyth Co.: “Be keen to edit, change and write a variety of traces to get to some good traces.”
Remember to fastidiously observe the submission tips, which differ wildly from one firm to a different. Some corporations need you to allow them to know the way you think about the cardboard wanting, whereas others simply need the phrases, thanks, and so they’ll deal with the remaining in-house. A Smyth Co., for instance, needs submission concepts utilizing a Google Sheet.
As all the time, we additionally extremely advocate visiting the Freelance Writers Den, a wonderful useful resource for freelance writers who’re looking for methods to earn more money. The Den has over 300 hours of beneficial programs and coaching supplies that present you easy methods to run a hit writing enterprise.
Greeting card writing jobs you’ll be able to pitch proper now
1. Blue Mountain Arts
Based by Susan Polis Schutz and Stephen Schutz, this firm publishes not solely greeting playing cards however poetry anthologies, calendars, framed wall prints, inspirational books and extra.
What they’re in search of: In keeping with their submission tips, the corporate is in search of 50-300-word works of “up to date prose or poetry…that displays the ideas and emotions folks right this moment need to talk to at least one one other, however don’t all the time know easy methods to put into phrases.”
Even on the subject of oft-used themes resembling parent-child relationships, verses must be “refreshing and distinctive or…categorical age-old sentiments in new and alternative ways.” The corporate’s don’ts embody rhymed poetry, spiritual verse and one-liners.
In case your work is chosen for additional evaluation, you’ll hear from them inside eight weeks. As soon as a bit is chosen, it could possibly be as much as two years earlier than you get closing phrase in your submission. In different phrases, don’t depend in your earnings from this firm to pay subsequent month’s lease.
In keeping with Ingrid Heffner from Blue Mountain Arts’ editorial division, they sometimes look by way of writings below market evaluation for his or her greeting playing cards to search out materials that might work for an anthology venture resembling a calendar or ebook. In that case, they might purchase one-time rights for the piece.
Full submission tips may be discovered right here.
Charges: In case your work is accepted for his or her greeting playing cards, you get $300 in your first accepted submission and much more for subsequent accepted work, as much as a most of $700; pay is $50 if accepted for an anthology venture.
2. Oatmeal Studios
Should you lean extra towards the sarcastic than the sentimental, this firm is likely to be extra your velocity.
What they’re in search of: Oatmeal Studios is in search of “humorous greeting card concepts that attraction to a spread of ages and pursuits.” Whilst you don’t must be an artist to undergo this firm, their tips ask that you simply describe the paintings you envision going along with your verse.
Their card classes are Birthday, Get Effectively, Retirement, Belated Birthday, Anniversary, Thanks, and Congratulations, however editor Daybreak Abraham says they use only a few from the final two classes.
“At prime political moments we contemplate political concepts that can be utilized for these events, particularly birthday,” she says, including, “we’re all the time wanting essentially the most for birthday concepts, particularly ones that poke enjoyable at getting older.”
Oatmeal Studios’ author’s tips may be discovered right here.
Charges: $100 per accepted verse.
3. Calypso Playing cards, Inc.
What they’re in search of: In keeping with their submission tips, Calypso’s greeting playing cards are “subtle, up to date and progressive.” They need, “contemporary, authentic paintings that approaches the greeting card from a special approach.”
Their submission tips may be discovered right here.
Charges: Calypso Playing cards, Inc.’s web site doesn’t point out how a lot they pay, and the corporate didn’t return emails in search of remark, however that is one other firm that in all probability received’t be providing you with subsequent week’s grocery cash. “We evaluation a number of instances a yr, however a number of months can go by between opinions,” their web site states.
4. NobleWorks Playing cards
Should you make “that’s what she stated jokes” so typically that the phrase is embroidered on a throw pillow in your sofa…really, you would possibly nonetheless be too tame for a few of this firm’s choices. “Though we inventory our share of conventional greeting playing cards appropriate for any event and even essentially the most puritanical folks in your checklist,” the corporate’s web site says, “NobleWorks actually stands out for humor playing cards that flaunt the bounds of fine style and civility.”
What they’re in search of: In keeping with their author’s tips, which you may get by filling out a kind on their web site (your title and e mail tackle are all that’s required), the corporate appears to be like for “contemporary textual content and humorous, intelligent writing. We favor textual content that’s versatile sufficient for use with quite a lot of photos.”
NobleWorks publishes playing cards for all kinds of events, together with Christmas, Hannukah, Mom’s/Father’s Day, Anniversary, St. Patrick’s Day and extra, all listed on an annual schedule included with the submissions tips. They ask for not more than 20 submissions per introduction.
Charges: In keeping with senior editor Kathy Krassner, “If we do choose and publish a card with a verse submitted from an outdoor author, we pay a flat payment of $150 for that verse/idea.” There’s additionally the potential for a longer-term working relationship: “In case your writing type suits with ours, we might select so as to add you to our writers’ e mail checklist,” their submission tips state. “We periodically e mail photos to writers and ask for copy to be written.”
5. Papyrus
What they’re in search of: With a slogan of “Specific Fantastically” and a web site that advertises that “you’ll all the time have subtle sentiments to share with those who deliver pleasure to your life,” you would possibly need to save that soiled one-liner in your partner’s boss. (Nope. Nope. Don’t do this, both.)
Data on the submissions course of may be discovered throughout the firm’s FAQ part. Papyrus accepts portfolios for evaluation through snail-mail. They ask for not more than 12 copy submissions at a time, together with a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you would like your work again. Ship them to:
Papyrus Portfolio Evaluate
240 Gateway Rd
West Napa, CA
94558
They ask that you simply enable a minimal of eight weeks for a response.
Charges: Their web site doesn’t checklist fee data, and so they didn’t reply to emails in search of remark, so in the event that they like what they see from you, be ready to barter a price.
6. Avanti
To be thought-about by Avanti, snail-mail samples of your writing to their editorial division.
7. Greeting Card Affiliation
If you’re up for some cold-contacting, the Greeting Card Affiliation is the place to be for card makers—company behemoths and impartial, one-man/girl operations alike. Their member listing lists dozens of corporations together with hyperlinks to their web sites, however most of them don’t actively search writers’ submissions through their web sites (therefore the cold-contacting).
Why write for greeting playing cards?
As a result of the market is so small, particularly amongst corporations that actively solicit copy submissions, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to feed your loved ones solely by writing greeting card verses. Simply as with poetry writing jobs, consider it as one technique to make cash as a author, however not your solely approach.
However we expect it’s nonetheless value it to offer it a shot.
Why?
For brand new freelancers, it’s an effective way to apply making contact with potential properties in your writing in an atmosphere that would show rather less nerve-wracking than the standard pitching course of (with a lot of the corporations listed above, you’ve already been invited to submit your closing product—no want to fret about whether or not your pitch will likely be accepted).
For established freelancers, greeting playing cards is usually a change of surroundings…a technique to apply tightening your writing (whenever you solely have a 5×7 area, each phrase has to depend)…and a potential dwelling for that joke that might have slayed at your good friend’s celebration final week—in the event you’d have considered it, you understand, throughout the social gathering as a substitute of on the way in which dwelling.
By the way in which, Should you’re a multi-talented artistic kind who’s assured in your visible paintings (think about Napoleon Dynamite’s voice saying, “Fortunate!”), a lot of the above-mentioned corporations work with visible artists independently of their writing arm. Additionally try Amber Lotus publishing, Leanin’ Tree, Nice Arrow Graphics, Greetings Card Firm, and Design Home Greetings, in addition to wanting by way of the Greeting Card Affiliation’s Member Listing.
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Andrea Davis has spent a lot of her employment within the newspaper trade but additionally works as a contract author. She lives in a small Ohio city alongside Lake Erie together with her husband and two youngsters.