Marketing For Professional Artists

A debut guide to promoting and selling artwork online and off. 


In this marketing handbook, Worsley guides his fellow artists through the fundamentals of a profitable art career. The book is short but comprehensive, covering “inbound” and “outbound” marketing methods and offering advice on working with physical and virtual galleries. He also shows readers the basics of email marketing, digitizing artwork and creating websites with e-commerce capabilities. 


The book’s detailed notes section makes it clear that Worsley is familiar with current marketing methods, but he doesn’t buy into the hype that often accompanies marketing fads. He’s also open about whether he finds methods of marketing useful or superfluous. Both beginners and experienced artists will find actionable information here, including how to maintain an offsite repository of digital images and how to refine their monthly newsletters. 


Worsley addresses business issues, including pricing (“Usually the main concern from the buyer’s viewpoint is affordability”) and branding one’s artistic identity (“Some brand phrases are too generic and too vague to set you apart. You might call yourself the ‘best western artist in America,’ but so what?”). 


Readers committed to finding (or creating) the right market for their art will find this book encouraging and motivating, as it provides dozens of ways to reach potential customers, including using an online presence to bring work to a wider audience. However, purists can rest assured that while Worsley takes a highly practical approach to his subject, he never suggests that market demands should outweigh the pursuit of art itself.


An artist’s handbook for marketing and salesmanship that can help turn a passion into a career. - Kirkus Indie