Looking back on a dozen years making living as a book artist, here are some observations:

LEARNING. It never stops. The best way to learn is by doing, and doing, and doing some more. I've found it helpful to subscribe to professional publications and I continue to take workshops. I try to spend one week out of the year either working with another artist or collaborating on an editioned book. I also teach, and there's nothing like teaching for learning.

PERSONALITY. When I started, I hoped that people would buy my books because they were great books. The fact is, that the more people know about you as a person, the more likely they are to buy your books. I suspect this is true of all artists. That's why we have openings and that's why we show up at them.

DEALERS. I do not sell my books through dealers though I'm honored to have several as friends. When I first started selling my books, most dealers would not give me the time of day (Ted Cronin and Joshua & Phyllis Heller were exceptions). It still takes a lot to get some dealer's to notice your work. After one of my books was included in a show at the Smithsonian I was attending an opening for another show. A very prominent dealer rushed up and said she liked my book and that she had been trying for weeks to meet me. Actually, I had been introduced to her at least six times previously. Because I had now success with dealers I started building up my own list of buyers and now I'm able to sell direct to the collectors interested in my work.

I think that a dealer who actively promotes your work and sends you regular checks from sales is worth every cent they collect. But, there are two reasons that I no longer sell my books through dealers. First, most dealers want to pick and choose which of your books they will sell. It's what I would do if I were a dealer. But, I figure that if I have to promote the hard-to-sell books myself, I might as well be selling the easy ones too. Second, some dealers think that if they sell one of your books a year, they are doing you a favor. Depending on the price, I have to sell 10-20 books A MONTH, I repeat: A MONTH, just to stay above the poverty line (I sell over 50 in a good month). By not selling through dealers, I can offer my collectors the lowest possible price. I also like to know where my books go and who is buying them. It's been a wonderful treat to get to know the people who buy my books. They are more friends than patrons. And, of course, I admire their taste in books.

SELLING BOOKS. Without dealers there is only one way to sell books. That is to get it physically in the hands of a collector. Books are designed to be seen in motion and nothing comes close to getting the collector's interest like their picking it up and enjoying it at their own pace. But this doesn't just happen. I'm on the road a lot, attending conferences, workshops, and openings. Most important, I follow up leads. If someone says I should show my books to so-&-so, I do it.

NEWSLETTERS. Once a collector learns about me and gets to know my work it's a little easier to sell my books without physically putting a new copy under their nose. I put out a newsletter every time I complete several books. If I were faster, the newsletter would come out more frequently. I put out the newsletter for two years before I made one sale from it. Now, most of my books are sold through it. I put a lot of energy and expense into it. It costs me $3-4/copy. It is my one opportunity to tell my collectors why they should buy my books. I often include catalogs, postcards, mini-books, balloons, lapel pins, patterns, reviews and anything else I can dream up to get their attention and hold their interest. The mailing list hovers at about 500 addresses, only 200 are active collectors and get the newsletter. After every issue I re-evaluate the list, cutting a few names. By the next issue I've added several more. Over time the quality has improved.

DISCOUNTS. I do not give discounts--not to anyone. Well, not really. Here's how I reward frequent collectors: When I bring out a new book I'm terrified that it won't sell. So I decide on a price and I deduct a certain amount, usually around 20%, and offer it to my collectors at this reduced price for a limited time. At the end of this time period everyone pays the regular price. As the book sells and I have fewer and fewer copies left, the price tends to rise even more. So, the way to get a discount is to buy early and the earlier you buy, the better the "discount". I think this is a fair system and it has worked out very well for me.

BOOK SHOWS. I'm a big fan of the Washington Book Arts Fair. Susan Goldman and Pyramid Atlantic have done a terrific job putting it together and Editions has sold lots of books there. We generally sell enough books under $50 to pay our expenses and enough books over that amount to make us glad that we participate. When we get similar book shows that attract similar dealers and clientele in New York City, Chicago, and several west coast cities, then more of us can start making a living as professional, full-time book artists.

MINIATURE BOOKS. I am frequently labeled a "miniature book artist". I make books in all sizes, but it is true, I make a lot of books under 3". I do this for three reasons. First, it allows me to work faster. I can try one idea or technique and then move on to another one. Second, I get more copies to sell out of limited resources. For the first four years of Editions, almost every book was made from scrap material given to me by other artists.

Now, I can afford to buy new materials, but I'm still pretty frugal. PARTING WISH is a carousel book and all of the parts fit on one 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper (with very little waste). Finally, there is the MINIATURE BOOK SOCIETY. They have about 450 members and they are enthusiastic collectors. They hold an annual conclave every year where book dealers can set up tables (at the last conclave I attended, the table cost $35. By comparison, my booth in Washington cost $575).

There are miniature book collectors who have told me to send them any book I do under 3" and they will pay for it. I won't do it. I don't think a ruler is a very good way to measure the value of a book. I still hold out hopes that people will buy my books because they love them and not just because they are small. Of course, people do buy my books because of their size and I gratefully deposit their checks. By contrast, one collector who buys my books does not like little books AT ALL. On occasion he has bought my smaller books, but only if I make a clamshell box the size of a larger book to hold it! I'm glad to do it because it shows that his affection for my book has transcended his distaste for small books in general.

What we need is a BIG BOOK SOCIETY with 500 members, each willing to pay $1,000 for a book. I'd want to get THAT mailing list!

LIBRARIES AND LIBRARIANS. Ha ha. You don't really think I'm going to make any comments here, do you? Corner me at a cocktail party sometime and I'll give you the good news--and the bad news.

ADVICE TO NEWCOMERS. Welcome to the book arts. Yes, you can make a living as a book artist. Given patience and a lot of hard work, I think it's even possible to make a good living. But don't commit to it unless you are willing to suffer through some difficult times. It's not as bad as it sounds. When you really love what you are doing, you can tolerate difficulties and it doesn't seem so bad.

Adapted from a posting by Edward H. Hutchins to the Book Arts List, 12/15/95.