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Greeting Card Versifier
AS A spare time writer of greeting card verse I am convinced that hobbies serve two ends. They amuse, entertain, or give us pleasure. They provide us with fun. There may be considerable work connected with our hobby, but the work is not an unpleasant, boring task; rather it is a diversion which takes us out of ourselves, and serves to turn our minds from our monotonous or perhaps worrisome daily grind. That is perhaps the first purpose of a hobby. The second may not always be present; if it is, so much the better, for it certainly can increase the value of the first. The second is this: a hobby may bring in a little, or more than a little, cold, hard cash, and who says that is undesirable? These two motives for hobby riding—pleasure and profit—are often unconsciously blended; one often rides on the heels of the other. Did you ever stop to ask, when you had finished reading the sentimental or guaranteed-to-cheer-up message on a Christmas, birthday or get-well card, "Whoever writes that stuff?" Well, my friends, the sentiments on greeting cards are often written by professionals, true enough, but sometimes they are written by ordinary folk, such as you and me. I know. I write them. You can, too, and for every one accepted you will be paid a little check, not large, certainly, but that little slip of paper is big enough to give a lift to an otherwise drab day. MY HOBBY of writing greeting card verse started when I was in a hospital. One day, when I was idly looking over the cards sent by friends, the thought struck me, who writes this stuff anyway? Whoever does, my mind went on, probably gets paid for it, and I'll bet I could write it just as well myself. Not long afterward, I noticed an advertisement calling for greeting card verse writers. Just for fun, and to lighten the long days of convalescence, yet with all the confidence born of inexperience and a total ignorance of what was involved, I blithely tossed off a few rhymes, typed them (I did have that much sense), and sent them off to the address given. I knew it would take a few days for the verses to reach their destination and the check in payment to reach me; there was no doubt at all in my mind about the verses being accepted. I spent my waiting time cheerfully planning what I would buy with the money. The wait was not a long one. A bulky envelope, addressed "Writer of Sentiments" arrived at my home in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. I had neither sent my name or any return postage! Those editors (I wish I could now remember their names) were certainly noble; not all are so thoughtful. Alas, the envelope contained no check—merely my spurned sentiments! I have learned a little since that bubble burst. I have learned that writing greeting card verse can be fun, and add to one's income, but it is not as simple as I first thought. One cannot just casually toss off some overworked rhymes, with no regard for grammar or the technique of metrical composition, and expect them to be acceptable to a critical editor, although I hasten to add I have found most editors very kind and helpful. Considerable thought and planning must be expended on verse construction. It is necessary, too, to remember what greeting cards are—not literary sonnets, but greetings or wishes for special occasions, simply and clearly expressed in verse form, to take the place, generally, of longer letters which would probably never be written. THE FOLLOWING may be helpful suggestions: Be sure the meter and rhyme are exact. Watch every word carefully, making sure each is the right one. Extra long or hard to understand words don't go well with the editors. Aim for simplicity. Be sincere, natural. Originality is at a premium, but don't be fantastic, and don't exaggerate. Short, snappy sentiments sell more readily than long, involved ones. Four lines is the most popular length, though I have sold many longer ones. Sentiments should be typed on slips of paper about four by five inches, just big enough to fit into an ordinary envelope. Ten or twelve sentiments, with a stamped, addressed, return envelope, may be sent at a time. I put my name and address in the upper left hand corner and number each verse in the upper right hand corner. Use any numbering system that appeals to you and keep copies of all sentiments. Find out when various markets use seasonal verse. It is useless to try to sell Christmas verses in December if the card company buys them in June. And this brings us to markets. Although anyone who reads the advertisements in magazines, or takes a look at the greeting card counters in stores, will be impressed with the fact that there is an increasing demand for greeting cards, yet successfully to sell the verse it is necessary to know the markets which buy it. Some which I have found friendly and to which I have sold verse are the following: Hall Bros., Inc., Grand Avenue and McGee at 25th, Kansas City, Mo. (Currently buying very little free lance verse). Gartner and Bender, Inc., 1104 South Wabash Ave., Chicago 5, Ill. The Keating Co., N. E. Corner 22nd and Market Sts., Philadelphia, Pa. Artistic Card Co., 129 Way Street, Elmira, N. Y. Metropolitan Lithograph and Publishing Co., 167 Bow St., Everett, Mass. J. M. Deutsch, Inc., 257-265 Fourth Ave., New York 10, N. Y. Buzza-Cardozo, 127 N. San Vincente Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. Greetings, Inc., 8 Richards St., Joliet, Ill. The Paramount Line, 109 Summer St., Providence 1, R. I. White's Quaint Shop, Westfield, Mass. A more complete list of markets may be obtained from The Writer, 8 Arlington St., Boston 16, Massachusetts. Just ask for their Greeting Card Verse Market List and enclose twenty-five cents. From the same address, incidentally, a helpful book on the technique of greeting card verse writing may be obtained: "Writing and Selling Greeting Card Verse," by June Barr. The price is $1. Most companies pay 50 cents a line for verse, occasionally more. Card Mart, Inc., P. O. Box 790, Holyoke, Massachusetts, advertises it will pay 75 cents per line. Card Masters, Inc., 239 West 66th St., New York 23, New York, is interested in humorous greeting card verse for birthday, and everyday. For acceptable short verses with a punch they will pay $10. I have not sold these markets. It is not easy to write humor. Obviously, the more verse you sell, the more money you will make. If, as with me, greeting card verse writing is a hobby to be followed if and when you have time to indulge in it, you cannot expect to make a fortune by it. Often, in the group of perhaps ten verses I have submitted, just one is accepted, and the accompanying check is for only $2. Again, two, three, or four may be accepted out of the ten. The largest check I have received was for $16. However, the rejected verses may be sent out again and again, to different markets, of course. What one editor does not like may please another. An additional profit that has come to me from greeting card verse writing is that it has encouraged me to try other writing—articles, fiction. But that is another story. HOW DO I write the sentiments? That is hard to answer. I assure you the finished verse does not drop, like a ripe plum, into my waiting lap. Any project, even a hobby, that is worth anything, requires some effort. To be sure, pushing a pencil across the paper requires little physical work, but considerable mental effort must be expended to make the pencil obey the mind, as it dictates an idea expressed in a simple, clear, and attractive manner. Capturing the idea is the first step, perhaps the hardest. One method I have found helpful is to study the sentiments found on greeting card counters. I'm sure clerks often wonder why I look so long, and buy nothing! Fashions in greeting cards change, and one must keep up with the changes. Although to copy another verse is quite taboo, an idea will often strike you which perhaps you can express differently and effectively. Store it in your mind, mull over it as you ride a bus to work, or wash the dishes; at your leisure write it down, then painstakingly go over every word, eliminating any which detracts from the single idea, counting the "feet" to be sure the verse does not limp painfully nor drag an extra foot, checking to see that the rhythm is exact. I often do my thinking when I can't sleep at night. It's better than worrying over not sleeping! For some verses it is difficult to find anything fresh or new. What is original about the greeting "Merry Christmas!" Yet, trading on the very fact of the greeting's triteness, I sold these:
Just to prove that greeting card verse need not be elaborate, nor too hard for ordinary folk like you and me to write, here are a few more verses I have sold:
Would you like to try it, this hobby of greeting card verse writing? Of course it's some work, but it's also grand diversion for housewives who, while shelling peas, or ironing shirts, or weeding a garden row, can let their minds in lilting rhyme travel over roads of sentimental cheer or nonsense. |
Note: To account for inflation, multiply prices by 8 to 10. |
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