The Profitable Artist: A Handbook for All Artists in the Performing, Literary, and Visual Arts

The guts of this handbook I am sure will be helpful to some artists, but don’t you think they could have made this handbook a lot more enticing with some creative artwork on the cover?

By Artspire, Co-Published by the New York Foundation for the Arts

NEW YORK (October 28, 2011) – “How will I pay for my studio space?” “Where can I find money to produce my play?”  “How should I market my book?”  Every day, artists everywhere ask questions like these – and more.  Now, there is a place to find the answers.

Artspire.org, New York Foundation for the Arts’ (NYFA) online community for artists and arts organizations, presents The Profitable Artist; the first complete “how-to” guide to being a professional and profitable working artist. This handbook features techniques in the areas of strategic planning, financial management, marketing, fundraising, and legal rights and obligations, aimed to assist all artists, including those in performing, literary and visual arts.

Artists are critical thinkers and problem solvers.  They possess a strong work ethic and emotional fortitude.  They are fiercely independent.  In other words, they have all the skills necessary to become highly successful entrepreneurs.  What they often lack, however, is professional development training.  The Profitable Artist demystifies the business of being an artist and provides an easy-to-follow framework for making informed decisions and ensuring sound career management.

“The Profitable Artist is a best-practices, hands-on approach to the business side of a thriving career in the arts,” said Michael L. Royce, Executive Director of NYFA.   “This book provides clear, usable information that will put artists of all disciplines in a better position to achieve their professional goals.  It is one more step toward NYFA’s overall objective to train and develop business skills in artists.”

The Profitable Artist compiles a wealth of information gathered by arts professional and NYFA through more than thirty interviews and in-depth case studies. At the end of each section of the book is a list of online resources relevant to that section.

The Profitable artists is being published by Skyhorse Publishing/Allworth Press. It will be available in paperback for $24.95 but you can order it on Amazon for $16.30.)

About Artspire
Artspire is an online community that supports the needs of artists and arts enthusiasts across the country and around the world. It is a program of NYFA, which has been providing essential services  to artists in all disciplines since 1971.  With 40 years of institutional experience in arts education, the New York Foundation for the Arts as co-publisher brings and authority and legitimacy unmatched by any single author.