About Greeting Card Verses
Pretty pictures do not a greeting card make. Despite the popularity of "blank cards," the vast majority of greeting cards purchased in the United States still contain a verse or a sentiment of some sort. That's no surprise to the millions of people who have spent hours poring over the greeting cards on the rack to find one that delivers just the right message.
Writing greeting card verse can be a lucrative freelance sideline for a writer, but it isn't as easy as it seems. Greeting card verse has changed considerably over the years, opening up new markets for writers while keeping traditional avenues alive. Here's what you should know about greeting card verse if you are considering a career in writing the words that make the world go, "awwww..."
History
While most people consider the greeting card a relatively modern invention, the history of greeting cards can be traced back to the ancient Chinese and Egyptians, who exchanged messages of luck and congratulations on scrolls. By the mid-1400s, the wealthy and the upper classes were exchanging handmade paper greeting cards, but it wasn't until the introduction of the postage stamp that greeting cards became affordable for the average person. Advances in printing and in manufacturing reduced the price of paper greeting cards still further, and by the mid-1800s, color printing had made greeting cards popular in Europe.
The American greeting card industry owes its beginnings to a German immigrant, Louis Prang. Prang started a color printing press in 1856. His company made refinements to the color lithography process, and in 1875, Prang's company introduced a full line of Christmas greeting cards to the American public.
Prang's greeting cards featured elaborate artwork and little in the way of written verse. Around the turn of the century, a number of new greeting card publishers, including American Greetings and Hallmark Cards, entered the market. Their cards took the exact opposite turn. They featured simple illustrations and heartfelt verses that popularized the greeting card as a messenger of the heart. The greeting card industry got a boost from World War II, when it turned its printing presses to printing war bonds and cards for the soldiers overseas.
Still, the greeting card industry was focused on special occasions, such as Christmas, Valentines Day and birthdays, until the 1980s. During the 1980s, a number of major manufacturers and many smaller greeting card publishers turned their attention to capturing the "anytime" greeting card market. Blue Mountain Arts, founded during this decade, heralded an era of greeting cards that focused heavily on the written verse, with the artwork complementing the message or merely forming a backdrop for it.
The latest developments in the greeting card industry include e-cards and e-greetings as well as offerings from small publishing houses that work in desktop publishing to design. The history of greeting cards and greeting card verses continues to develop and change to meet the needs of its audience.
Types
Greeting card verse ranges from traditional rhymed verse that is often sentimental to pithy one-liners that are designed to leave the recipient laughing. Some smaller greeting card companies focus on one type of greeting card verse and one style of card. Most of the larger greeting card publishers create and market many greeting card lines, each of them with a distinctive style that is expressed in the design, artwork, typeface and verse. There are four easily recognized types of greeting card verse.
Traditional greeting card verse is usually rhymed and metered, and most often has a number of lines divisible by four. Most traditional greeting card verse expresses a sentimental message.
Conversational prose is typically not rhymed, and may range from a single line to 32 lines. The voice is generally intimate and heartfelt.
Studio cards feature humorous, sometimes offbeat prose sentiments. They focus on foibles and everyday sensibilities, often use puns and are written in a snappy style.
Alternative cards focus on contemporary themes, including divorce, losing weight, going through chemotherapy and surviving a job loss. They often make their point with humor and sympathy, and most often use conversational prose.
Size
The market for greeting card verses is one of the largest in the writing world. Major greeting card publishers such as Hallmark Cards and American Greetings each employ a large staff of professional writers who work with creative directors to write verse for the various lines of greeting cards that the company produces. Many smaller greeting card publishers accept freelance submissions, and most actively solicit submissions from untested writers.
The greeting card industry sells more than 7 billion cards each year, and represents more than 2,000 individual greeting card publishers.
Benefits
One of the biggest benefits of writing for greeting cards is the ability to write on a flexible schedule. Pay for greeting card verse is among the highest of any freelance writing genre, with prices reaching as much as $50 a word for a short verse or sentiment. Writers who establish a good relationship with one or more greeting card publishers can expect a steady stream of work for ongoing income.
Considerations
While a small percentage of writers is lucky enough to land a job on the creative in-house staff of a greeting card publisher, most writers of greeting card verse are freelancers. Freelance writers of all kinds are subject to the ebb and flow of the market, and may have to deal with uneven income. In addition, freelance greeting card writers must keep careful records for tax purposes and for their own follow-up on submissions.
Misconceptions
One of the biggest misconceptions about greeting card verses is that they are easy to write. In fact, say many writers who make their living writing verse for greeting cards, it can be the most difficult type of writing to do. Greeting card writers must learn to adopt a very particular voice in their writing, and to make every word count. Those who work in contemporary and alternative lines also must keep a close eye on trends and public events to keep their work relevant to the market.
Expert Insight
The best way to become familiar with greeting card verse and the requirements of various companies is to read as many greeting cards as possible. In addition to reading cards on the rack at the local supermarket and variety stores, a writer can find examples of contemporary and current cards online or write for a sample pack and writers guidelines from companies that interest him.
Many of the largest greeting card companies do not accept unsolicited freelance submissions. Instead, focus on finding greeting card publishers who actively solicit freelance greeting card verse submissions. Check the writers guidelines for each company and submit your work in the format requested by each company.
