New Question: Postcards? Who do you send them to?
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So now I totally know what goes on my postcard thanks to @smceccarelli 's help. But now..who do you send them to? Originally I thought "oh you send them directly to the publishing company's address. Then the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if that.. made sense. Is it okay to send them directly to the publishing company?
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I have done postcards following exactly the tutorial by James Yang here on SVS. Basically I have stopped the video when he shows all the postcards and copied exactly the same layout.
If it helps, there was a seminar at the NY conference where they talked about postcards, and here are the notes I took:- Front: only one "striking lead image" that has one or more of the following characteristics: adorable character, distinctive technique, a whole story in a single image, a seasonal treat, inspired hand lettering, the awww factor, a full scene, great kids, great diverse kids, black and white (for age 9-12);
- Do not put text or other stuff on the front unless you are a stellar graphic designer;
- Do not junk the back of the postcards with text: the AD is not interested in your biography;
- On the back: only your name and website/contact info. If you want, put a relevant, brief hand-written note (like "I liked the last book "x" that you art directed").
- Do not send unsolicited dummies.
It turns out, that is exactly how James Yang did them, so I hope mine are ok.
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@smceccarelli Aha! awesome, thank you so much!
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And now to watch the video that @smceccarelli suggested...
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@andyjewett Lol I did the same thing
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I am just completing my first set for sending out. I send them mainly to art directors - sometimes you can find more names per publishers, in which case I will send a different postcard to each. Sometimes the publisher just allows sending to a "art submissions" address.
Needless to say, it takes an enormous amount of time to collect names and addresses from various sources. And it takes a lot of money to print and send postcards. So I do hope it brings some work...
At the moment I am only sending to children magazines - I collected about 75 addresses all over the world. It is not a lot, as postcards go, but I had to start somewhere. My agent supposedly takes care of bringing my work in front of book publishers, so I chose to target magazines only. I will probably discuss with her about the option of a postcard round to book publishers too (their addresses are a little easier to find....) -
I have sent out post cards for many many years and have stopped doing so.
Between the postage costs, the printing costs, trying to assemble or purchase a mailing list and the lack of any meaningful response just became too much.
I'd be interested in hearing anyone elses thougts.
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oh that s where I am right now. Where is that video you mentioned @smceccarelli ? I dont think I watched it
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@audrey-dowling It's this one:
