The Handmade Marketplace Book Giveaway!

When I first opened my shop on Etsy in 2006, a kind person name Kari Chapin contacted me. She was a crafter living in Massachusetts and was eager to meet other like-minded folk. It's hard to believe now with Twitter and Flickr and Facebook connecting us all, but at the beginning we were all isolated crafters hungry for interaction with others like us. Little did I know that connection with Kari would have such an impact on my creative life and business!

This year she published a fantastic book! It's called The Handmade Marketplace. It's an inclusive guide to selling your crafts locally, globally and online. While she was writing it, Kari contacted a diverse group of crafters, bloggers, podcasters, etc. and dubbed them her Creative Collective. I am very honored to be included in this group! The advice from the Collective is sprinkled throughout the book in friendly conversation blocks. This style makes the information accessible and not daunting as the whole subject can sometimes feel.

Dell took me to Barnes & Noble to see it when the book got published:

It was incredibly exciting to see a book with my friend's name on the jacket!

The whole book stands out to me for its attractive layout and friendly tone. Taking the step to sell what you love making can be very intimidating! It feels like there's so much to learn and so many people who are already ahead of you in the game. I think if you read this book you will discover that it is all within your reach. This book is like a friendly mentor taking your hand, giving you important information about running a business while encouraging you to follow your dreams. This makes sense because that mentor is exactly who Kari Chapin is!

Kari selected four members of her Collective to participate in a panel discussion that Etsy hosted at its Brooklyn headquarters on April 1st, 2010. I got to spend a day with Kari and meet other creatives with whom I instantly bonded.

From left to right: Jennifer Judd-McGee, Betsy Cross, Kari, me, and Kim Werker.

We had a good crowd in-house and the discussion was beamed out onto the internets where my husband was able to watch from home and snap this screen shot:


I didn't notice until just now that because it was April Fool's Day, Etsy changed their name to "Esty" (a common mispronunciation) in their banner as a joke, ha! I'm still laughing at the waffles April Fool's gag they did years ago.

Anyway, being in this book has singled me out as a resource, which I love. I'm so grateful I am able to help newbie crafter/sellers get their footing and figure out what's essential to getting their business going. I loved participating in the panel and hearing what people are trying to learn about running a craft business. I am still learning too! The most important thing, in my opinion, is gathering around you a community of like-minded crafters. Just like Kari did 3 1/2 years ago. Thanks Kari ♥

NOW, the Giveaway! Leave a comment on this blog, whatever moves you; advice, questions, your favorite color cupcake pincushion, anything. Just be sure the comment either links back to you or includes contact info so I can let you know if you are the winner.

I will close commenting on April 30th at noon and use a random number generator to pick one lucky person who will receive a free copy of The Handmade Marketplace! Good luck :)