How to Find Greeting Card Companies that Want to Buy Freelance Humor Writing

So you've decided to try becoming a freelance greeting card humor writer! Perhaps you read my introductory article on the subject (click my name, above, for an article list), or perhaps you heard about this unusual, but rewarding market niche elsewhere. Whatever it was that piqued your interest, if you are ready to get started, the first thing you have to do is locate companies that want to buy freelance humor.

There are three basic ways to do that:

1. Search for guidelines on the internet. Many greeting card companies put their guidelines, which are information sheets for prospective freelancers, on their websites. You could do a general search on phrases such as "greeting card guidelines" or "greeting card freelance."

Or you could go browse cards in brick-and-mortar stores (something you should be doing anyway, as an aspiring card writer!), and when you see a card that you like, look on the back for the company name. Then, when you are at your computer, you can search for the company directly and see if they have any info for freelancers.

Doing an internet search as a way to find companies that accept freelance work has the advantages of being quick and free. However, the process is random and you may miss a lot of the possibilities.

2. Use Writer's Market. "Writer's Market" is a huge book of market information for all types of writers that is published annually by Writer's Digest Books. They used to have a chapter devoted to greeting card companies, and traditionally, this was the way that most freelance card writers got their information. Unfortunately, several years ago, for unknown reasons, they stopped publishing the greeting card chapter, at least in the print version of the book. They still have that information online, though.

So you have two choices. You can go to the library and see if they have an old copy of "Writer's Market." (I'm not sure exactly which edition was the last one to publish the greeting card info, but I think it was around 2002.) You'll have to double-check the information you find there against the internet, to make sure the companies you are interested in are still in business, and to get their current contact information. But this could be a good start. It will give you a quick overview of a lot of companies. Also, in addition to the market listings, the "Writer's Market" greeting card chapter will have some general information and advice about what you need to do to succeed as a greeting card freelancer, which you might find very helpful. So it's worth looking at, if your library still has copies of some of the older editions.

Or else you could subscribe to the online version of Writer's Market, which does still carry current greeting card market info. A subscription costs $29.99 per year, or $3.99 per month. Unless you plan to use the listings for other types of freelance work besides greeting cards, a month's subscription is probably all you will need. The monthly subscription renews automatically, so be sure to remember to cancel it in time if you just want the one month.

3. Get the e-book "Sell the Fun Stuff" by Jenna Glatzer. Glatzer, who used to be the owner of the popular writing site absolutewriting.com, has put together an excellent book for both writers and artists. It focuses mostly on greeting cards, but also lists markets for slogan-writers for novelty items such as t-shirts and doormats. The market information is excellent, and the book also includes interviews with writers, artists, and editors in the field. Last, but not least, if you buy the book, you will get the password to a very active private forum for greeting card writers, where people share tips, market information, and support. The book, which was last updated in 2005, costs $9.95 and is only available in e-book form.

That should be more than enough to get you started. It's not hard to break into the freelance greeting-card writing field. Many companies need freelancers. And humor writers are often in great demand, because not everyone can write humor. Be persistent, send out a lot of ideas, and keep them circulating. It's not uncommon for a card to be rejected several times before someone buys it. So keep on sending those ideas out. Have fun and good luck!