Handmade to Sell: Hello Craft's Guide to Owning, Running, and Growing Your Crafty Biz

by Kelly Rand, Christine Ernest, Sara Dick

Business advice for enterprising crafters, by crafters
No one knows more about helping handmade businesses than Hello Craft, the nonprofit trade association for crafty entrepreneurs. Written by the directors of Hello Craft, "Handmade to Sell" is the most complete, up-to-date, and authoritative guide for DIYers seeking to learn every aspect of selling, marketing, and branding. Based on the Summit of Awesome, Hello Craft's annual business conference, this book covers topics including:
- Developing successful product lines
- Copyrights and trademarks
- Taking perfect product shots
- Using analytics to boost your online sales
- Selling at fairs, shows, and other retail outlets
- Diversifying income through licensing and teaching
- Hiring and outsourcing
Throughout, you'll find expert tips and invaluable strategies and advice from some of the most successful indie crafters and artisans. Whether you've only contemplated selling your crafts or want to grow an existing handmade business, "Handmade to Sell" offers essential guidance for anyone who has ever dreamed of making a living from what they create.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Business, How To, Adult, Art, Money

ebook

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of information packed into a small book, but it was still a quick read nonetheless. as for right now, i'm just a hobbyist that sells some of my knit work. there are a number of challenges associated with creating a business solely on your crafting abilities, especially if you have a craft that takes a long time to create individual products. this book seems to be targeted towards crafters working in media that lend themselves to rapid production - small jewelry, machine sewn items and prints - items that can be produced many per day, not items that take many days to produce one.

a lot of information is irrelevant unless you're operating on a large scale including entire sections dedicated to wholesaling large orders for national chains, operating a brick & mortar store and hiring employees. however, the earlier portions of the book were quite interesting and provided a great deal of insight.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some decent tips in this book, but a lot of it seems pretty self explanatory. Online marketing has changed a considerable amount since this book was released. But, if you’ve never sold any kind of artwork or handmade items it would be a decent jumping off point.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of good info

A good read if you're considering selling your crafts as a business. Great tips and ideas as well as indispensable business advice.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a few books about starting a small business. This one was the best of them.

[Laura Liana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read for anyone thinking of starting a creative business.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found good tips in this book that I can use as I start selling items in my Etsy shop.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great perspectives on the industry and gave me some basics to work and research on my own!

[Carol Ellett Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference book

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice overview of how to start and grow a craft business. I already knew a good bit of the information from my creative freelancing, but it provides basics that a lot of artists may not think about before selling their work and creating a brand. The book covers basics on business formation, pricing, creating work that sells, tips for selling online, at craft fairs, or in shops, marketing, and more. It also details several challenges to consider before entering different spaces.

I especially like the whimsically illustrated format of the book. It is very fun to read and well-organized with clear-cut, easy-to-follow sections. I appreciate the real-world artist anecdotes, some of which are brutally honest. The back section of the book includes a collection of resources mentioned throughout the book, including a collection of the artists interviewed, as well as a list of online marketplaces, craft fairs, etc. This book is a great resource for crafters just starting out in this arena.

[Tyler Blomberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introductory read on everything you need to know about the craft business!

[Juliana Haught · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me a lot to think about and some new ideas about what I might want to do, though it's really just a place to begin. I'll probably read this book through several more times before I'm ready to do anything. Each section of the book is fairly concise but also informative. I would say this book is best for inspiring you to do a lot of thinking on your own about what you might want to do, and gives you pointers about options to consider. Some of the advice and tips are universally good, others are probably going to be dated in 5-10 years. Still, I enjoyed this book and feel like it opened some new doors in my mind.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Making for a living lets you pursue a life that's worth living."- Kelly Rand- This book was organized fantastically, had a lot of great insight, but was almost too much information. And of course some of the info I'm not ready to even consider yet. So this will be a book that I will periodically have to come back to as a refresher.

[Marcia Furman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read jam packed with information. I've been doing Indy craft shows for years now so most if the book was reinforcement of what I already knew. This book would of been fantastic when I was just starting out! Good stuff. Will definitely hold on to this book as a reference guide, and recommend to friends wanting to get into the business.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in conjunction with The Handmade Marketplace, and this was the better of the two. More substance, but certainly not a complete guide to owning a craft business.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, very cute design. Most of the stuff in here is common sense, for example, keeping and updating your inventory. I think the most valuable parts of this book are the lists. There are lists of good websites for selling your crafts and lists of where you can sell wholesale, list of what to bring to a craft show, etc. Good reference book.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of this book is common sense, but it offered several suggestions and practical advise that I found very helpful. This is a good overview of what it takes to manage a business selling handmade products.

[Michelle Hoogterp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ideas for beginning etsy sellers, but overall, more for people who want to get down to serious-serious business.

[Welcome Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy with a good it of knowledge it provided though I would've liked it to focus more on the depths of startup rather than doing so many sections with small bits of info

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved the practicality of this book. Great tips and examples. Lots to digest!

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

skimmed, but it seemed helpful with a couple nice photos

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some great information!

[Son · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good info. Will go back to for f/u advice.

[Larissa Distler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed full of lots of useful advice about running a craft business.