How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself without Selling Your Soul (Seventh Edition)

Name: How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself without Selling Your Soul (Seventh Edition)
Rating: 4.5 (42 reviews)

by: Caroll Michels (0)

“Michels explodes the romantic notion of the starving artist.” —The New York Times

Written for fine artists ready to launch their careers as well as experienced artists who wish to relaunch their careers, How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist, Seventh Edition, an acclaimed guide, empowers artists to take control of their careers to create a fulfilling life and earn a decent income. In this newly revised edition, Caroll Michels continues to demystify the inner workings of the art world and challenge the status quo. New chapters discuss such topics as:

New business models for artists: Going to the extreme
The use of social media and website development as marketing and publicity tools and what does and doesn’t work
The confusion between the “art-buying public” and the “general public” and their differences
New suggestions for establishing and calculating prices for artwork
Neighborhood gentrification and the growing challenges of securing a reasonably priced live/work space
How dealers find artists, how to negotiate with dealers, and how to understand a dealer’s agenda

Using her own experiences as an artist as well as the experiences of her clients, Michels crafts a must-read guidebook for anyone interested in embarking upon a successful career as an artist.

The Reviews

I am a a professional artist whose works are in museum, corporate and private collections internationally. Throughout my career which began in 1998, I have always relied upon Caroll Michels as my "go to" source for navigating this challenging world. I purchase each update of "How to Survive...."as it comes out in order to keep up-to-date on all the changes that new events and technologies bring to the business of art. Her knowledge and wise counsel have been indispensable to my success in this though business...I highly recommend this book to all artists, be they new to the profession, mid-career or established artists.

I bought this book for the first time in 2003, after having a telephone interview with Caroll. She recommended it to me and helped me to relaunch my international career.Recently in 2017 I acquired the 7th edition, which I have read twice and I recommend it to all my colleagues.I think it is the best motivational book for professional artists ever written. Teach, advise, warn and motivate. Caroll is a consecrated artist who decided to help other artists obtain economic success without sacrificing the essence, being creative and original at the same time.I would love to have it translated into Spanish, because not all my colleagues are fluent in English.

This book covers a lot of info but with no concrete answers. I have never liked books that bring up topics and do not really tell you how to do something. Well, that is this book.A chapter on how to price your art. Perfect! What I need to read. Well, the author skirts this issue the whole chapter.I really wanted to enjoy the book and learn from it, but for me, it did not happen.

Good information on the business of art. Being creative is one thing making a living at it is another. For such a small book it has a great deal of information. Good advice on dealing with galleries.

As expected each update to this classic book gets better and better. The Internet sources are worth the cost alone.

There is some good information but mostly for artists living in Usa.The book "Starting your career as an artist" is a better option in my opinion.