How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself Without Selling Your Soul

Book Description:

The classic handbook for launching and sustaining a career that "explodes the romantic notion of the starving artist," (The New York Times) with a brand-new chapter on Internet art marketing

Now in its sixth edition, How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist is the definitive guide to taking control of your career and making a good living in the art world. Drawing on nearly three decades of experience, Caroll Michels offers a wealth of insider’s information on getting into a gallery, being your own PR agent, and negotiating prices, as well as innovative marketing, exhibition, and sales opportunities for various artistic disciplines. She has also added a new section on digital printmaking and marketing in this emerging field.

Most notably, this sixth edition contains an entirely new chapter: "Art Marketing on the Internet." Michels offers criteria for selecting an ideal Web designer for your online portfolio and for organizing your Web presence, and shares proven methods for attracting curators, dealers, and private clients to your site. She also addresses vital legal concerns in the age of e-commerce, including copyrighting and registering your art, and finally, the appendix of resources, consistently updated online at Michels’s site the Artist Help Network (www.artisthelpnetwork.com), is fully revised.

Caroll Michels is a successful sculptor whose artwork has been exhibited in museums worldwide, and she has worked as a career coach on behalf of thousands of artists since 1978. She lives in Sarasota, Florida.

Now in its sixth edition, How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist is the definitive guide to taking control of your career and making a good living in the art world. Drawing on nearly three decades of experience, Caroll Michels offers a wealth of insider’s information on getting into a gallery, being your own PR agent, and negotiating prices, as well as innovative marketing, exhibition, and sales opportunities for various artistic disciplines. She has also added a new section on digital printmaking and marketing in this emerging field.
Most notably, this sixth edition contains a new chapter: "Art Marketing on the Internet." Michels offers criteria for selecting an ideal web designer for your online portfolio and for organizing your web presence, and shares proven methods for attracting curators, dealers, and private clients to your site. This classic handbook also addresses vital legal concerns in the age of e-commerce, including copyrighting and registering your art. Finally, the appendix of resources, consistently updated online at Michels’s site the Artist Help Network, is fully revised.

"Provides the best overview of political and other aspects of the art world that I have ever come across . . . It is a bible that every artist should have."—Shannon Wilkinson, president, Cultural Communications, New York "Provides the best overview of political and other aspects of the art world that I have ever come across . . . It is a bible that every artist should have."—Shannon Wilkinson, president, Cultural Communications, New York
"This book should be required reading for every exhibiting artist."—Ellen Rixford, Graphic News
"This self-help career book is the pick of the litter."—Donna Marxer, Artists’ News
"Michels is filled with energy and ideas . . . Her experience is the reader’s bonus."—American Artist
"The very best book I’ve found to demystify the artist’s process of dealing with the fine art/gallery world . . . This brilliantly organized book covers every aspect of what an artist must do to find markets for his or her personal expression."—Diana Bryan, Graphic News, Graphic Artists Guild