Writing for greeting cards

Walk into a supermarket or convenience store and you will see an aisle full of greeting cards.  Birthday cards, anniversary cards, sympathy cards, retirement cards... the list goes on and on.  Think about all the different greeting cards you've ever seen.  Now think about the fact that a lot of people have made money thinking up all those different card ideas.  With a little effort, you could be one of those people.

Writing for greeting cards is a small niche market that often goes unnoticed by creative people who could make a lot of money if they only knew how to break in.  In theory, writing for greeting cards is not difficult: simply think up an idea for a card, find a company to send the idea to, follow their guidelines and either mail or email them your idea.

But that first step is the hardest -- thinking up the idea.  Before you start brainstorming, you need to decide what type of card you are shooting for.  There are all sorts of occasion cards: from birthday cards to thank you cards to sympathy cards, and everything in between.  You also need to consider if you're going to focus on humorous cards (which can be anything from cheesy to racy), sentimental cards, or verse cards (usually rhyming poetry or lyrical verse).  Just narrowing down your scope can take some time.

Once you have a general idea of what kind of card you want to write and the tone you want to use, visit a card store or other retailer and check out similar cards.  Think about what makes the funny ones funny (or how they could be funnier), what makes them appeal to a broad audience, and what makes people pick them up rather than the card next to them.

Now it's time to write.  Think up as many ideas as you can for a greeting card, then go back and revise the ideas until you think you have some good ones.  (Most card companies would rather you submit in batches than just single ideas.)  A common way to write down a card idea is to start with what the outside of the card will say (denoted by "O:") and then further down the page, the inside of the card ("I:").  For example:

O:  It's your birthday!

I:  ... Ha ha, you're old!

Obviously this idea isn't a particularly good one, but it illustrates the format that many card companies use as a standard.

Once you have some card ideas down on paper, start researching the market.  Search for "greeting card companies" on the Internet, and find their guidelines page.  Go back to the card store and write down the names of companies (usually on the back of the card) that produce cards similar to the ones you thought of, and look them up, too.

Greeting card companies typically pay between $50 and $150 per card idea.  This generally gives them all rights to the card, so you won't be making any royalties.  Most of the time, however, they'll print your name (or pen name) on the back of the card as a credit.

Most companies accept submissions year-round.  Some will respond to you whether they like your ideas or not; others will only contact you if they want to buy an idea.  Either way, it can be a long process, so while you're waiting, think up some more ideas and send them to other companies.

(Originally published on Helium.com, March 2009)

Greeting card market: GrammaBurp

UPDATE: GrammaBurp is not accepting freelance submissions at this time. Check the FAQ for updates.

Grammaburp sells "warped humor greeting cards."  You can browse their list of cards to see what type of humor they like, but generally they are looking for laugh-out-loud humor with an unexpected twist.  They pay $50 for all rights if they want to use your idea.  Email them at GrammaBurpWriter@aol.com to get placed onto their writers' mailing list.

How to write for greeting card companies as a freelance writer

Freelance writers often struggle to pay the bills.  Sometimes you never know when that next check is going to come in, so it helps to have your hand in as many pots as possible.

There are many ways freelance writers can earn additional income.  If you're a magazine feature writer, you could try your hand at fiction writing.  If you are a novelist, you might write the occasional column or poem to sell.  But even outside the wide world of magazines, journals, newspapers, and book publishers, there is a whole universe eager for your words... and willing to pay you for them.

This article focuses on writing for greeting cards as extra income, but there are a host of other opportunities too -- writing slogans, writing online book reviews, writing for websites such as Helium or Epinions, even writing newsletters or pamphlets.

For the struggling writer, greeting cards can be a nice source of supplemental income.  Cards are needed year-round, and the only limit to how many you can write is your imagination.  Most companies accept submissions by email or through a web-based program, so you might not even need to spring for stamps.

Greeting card companies usually pay a flat fee for all relevant rights to your idea, somewhere in the range of $50 to $150.  They pay separately for copy and art, so don't feel like you have to provide an illustration for your submission.  (Though if you have an idea for the art, a description or sketch is usually appreciated.)

The main thing to remember when writing greeting cards is to write for a broad audience.  A birthday card that might be funny to give to your wife may not appeal to a lot of other people.  When greeting card companies buy submissions, they look for ideas that aren't too narrow in scope (like a "Happy 30th Birthday to My Brother-in-Law" card).  Sometimes companies will put out a call for submissions for a specific occasion or a specific audience, but unless you are submitting in response to one of these requested themes, keep your ideas as general as possible.  The wider the range of recipients your card could be given to, the better chance you have of selling it.

Most greeting card companies want submissions in basically the same format: "O:" followed by the text on the outside of the card, and "I:" followed by the text to appear on the inside.  If a company wants you to submit by mail, find out first if they want submissions on index cards or typed on letter-sized paper.  (Always include an SASE.)  Unless the guidelines state otherwise, send submissions in large batches, 10 to 20 card ideas at a time.

Response times vary greatly in the greeting card industry, and many companies won't even respond unless they plan on using your submission.  If you're a freelance writer, you're already used to long waits, but don't be surprised if you never receive a reply.

(Originally published on Helium.com, March 2009)