Читать книгу Start & Run a Craft Business - William G. Hynes - Страница 3

Since its first appearance, Start & Run a Craft Business has gone through numerous editions and reprintings, and I have received much positive feedback from fellow craftspeople. I now feel justified in my initial assumption that the book’s generalist approach would be useful to the beginner as well as the more established craftsperson.When the book was first published, there were very few books available about the business side of craft making. Since then, numerous other books on crafts have appeared, some focusing on particular aspects of business as they relate to crafts, others concentrating on the techniques of the various individual crafts.

This book continues to be unique in that it provides a kind of overall blueprint for starting and running a craft business. No matter in what particular medium a craftsperson works, or on what scale he or she wishes to operate, this book provides detailed advice on how to proceed. It covers all the important areas of craft business for the part-time, single-person operation as well as the larger factory type or cottage industry craft business. It also looks in detail at the issues and problems involved in expanding a small craft business into a larger operation.

In the present edition, I have expanded the book to include a new chapter on selling crafts on the Internet. I have also added much new information throughout the book. There have been many changes in the North American economy in recent years, but one thing has not changed: the popularity of handcrafted products continues to grow. According to a recent survey by the Craft Organization Directors’ Association, the fine crafts market is worth approximately $14 billion dollars annually to the American economy.

The number of men and women starting up craft businesses has also grown greatly. While in some cases this has led to increased competition among craftspeople, craft businesses continue to flourish throughout North America. This is partly due to the growing appreciation of handcrafted products by a public that has become increasingly knowledgeable of and educated about crafts. Continued popularity of handcrafts has led to a general rise in craft standards. The quality of today’s Canadian and American handcrafts is higher than ever before.

In recent years, mass-market producers have tried to cash in on the growing popularity of handcrafts by copying craft designs and turning out vast quantities of cheap imitations. This is seen as a problem by some craftspeople, but others regard it as a challenge and an opportunity to widen the market for genuine handcrafted products.

What is certain is that these challenges and opportunities point toward an exciting future for craft businesses in the years ahead.