The Idea:
Make money creating greeting cards for others or on your own.
How it Works:
You can freelance- selling your creative ideas for artwork or the words inside the card to established greeting card companies- or you can start your own company producing a line of creative cards.
Established companies buy art and writing separately, so decide what you want to sell them. Look at their established lines to determine the tone of the cards and send in materials that are appropriate. Some only use pastel artwork, while others feature lifelike portraits of animals. Card writing can be humorous, heartfelt or sappy. Don’t make the mistake of sending inappropriate submissions or you're just wasting everyone's time.
Starting your own greeting card company requires a bit more investment of time and money, but if you really enjoy creating cards, this can be a potential career-gig for you. Generally, cards with unique characteristics sell better and for more money than generic cards that have to compete with the big card producers. Try printing your cards on specialty papers or including 3-D, musical or other components..
How Much Can You Make:
You can make anywhere between $0.10-$50 a word for greeting card writing and $10-500 per photo or piece of art. If you design your own line, the profits are only dependent on how many cards you can sell.
More Information:
Here are a few greeting card companies that hire freelancers to get you started: