The 2nd Edition of The Crafts Business Answer Book by Barbara Brabec

"As good as an Agatha Christie novel," says one reader.

I get a lot of thank-you messages from readers who have found my books helpful, but every once in a while I get a message that really makes my day. Like the one sent by Robin-Yvette Hayward, who wrote: “I must say that The Crafts Business Answer Book is one of the best books I've read since Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. I can't put it down. Thank you so very much for writing this book. It has helped me with getting my business off the ground. You have answered questions I didn't know I had.”

It’s true that my books do take the mystery out of how to succeed in a business at home, but the reason I loved Robin’s message was because it brought back a fond “Harry memory” of the day I overheard him talking about me to a friend on the phone. “I call her Agatha,” he joked, “because what she’s writing about is a mystery to me.”

The first edition was a Selection of
Book-of-the-Month's
Crafter's Choice Book Club and Eagle Books

Book Reviews

"It's in there! Home business expert Barbara Brabec seems to have encapsulated everything she has learned in more than 20 years of operating and writing about home-based businesses into this user-friendly volume. This book will remain on my desk to be used as a reference, along with my AP Stylebook and dictionary. I recommend you keep the book handy as well."
- Bernadette Finnerty, former editor, The Crafts Report

"Brabec does indeed understand the just plain puzzlements of everyday self-employed business life–whether related to crafts or not. The information is truly a boon to even the experienced. One hundred percent serious? Not quite. Brabec gleefully reports useful from-the-front stories, and she doesn't hesitate to express some rather strong opinions." - Barbara Jacobs, Booklist

" . . . A highly informative, practical and authoritative compendium of information . . . a sound information base that will enhance the reader's ability to operate at a profit and succeed in today's diverse and highly competitive marketplace." - Midwest Book Review

"This comprehensive reference book is both informative and encouraging, enlivened with human interest stories about problem solving and anecdotes of running businesses. Armed with this handy guide, even the most timid beginner will be able to successfully step into unknown territory: the home-business experience."
- Montclair Craft Guild

"Easy-to-read and interesting . . . a handy reference. - The Professional Quilter

A SMALL SAMPLING of some of the hundreds of questions this book answers:

What local, state and federal laws and regulations apply to craft sellers? (And what happens if I break them?)

Do I really need a separate checking account for a small homebased business?

What kind of books do I have to keep to meet IRS requirements?

What home-business expenses can I deduct on my Schedule C form? Should I hire my spouse or children?

What are my chances of getting a loan for my homebased business?

How can I collect on bad checks and unpaid invoices?

How much will my sales increase if I offer charge card services to my customers? Are the extra costs worth it?

How can I tell if my prices are right for the wholesale markets I want to reach?

Is the Internet an effective marketing outlet for artists and craft sellers? Should I set up a Web Site?

How do craft malls and rent-a-space shops operate and what costs are involved in this type of selling?

What's the difference between a copyright, patent and trademark, and what do I really need?

Is it okay to make items for sale from patterns found in magazines if I sell only a few things?

What's the profit potential of a crafts or home-business newsletter?

How can I get my craft or needlework designs and projects published in books or magazines?

GET THE ANSWERS YOU NEED! ORDER THIS BOOK TODAY FROM
Amazon.com

This classic encyclopedic reference especially
for artists and craftspeople has now been updated!

More than 60% of the original book's content has been changed, with more than 150 Websites referenced in the text.

SAVE 32%!
Order from Amazon

Author's special note: The publisher's poor choice of graphics for the cover of this edition is misleading. Unfortunately, I was not given the opportunity for input on the cover, and had no control over the final design. While those who sew will find this edition invaluable, this is NOT a "sewing book," nor a book directed to only women. It's all about BUSINESS and LEGAL/FINANCIAL ISSUES related to ALL types of creative homebased businesses.

THE CRAFTS BUSINESS
ANSWER BOOK:

Starting, Marketing, and Managing
a Homebased Art, Crafts, or
Design Business

by Barbara Brabec

6 x 9" paperback, 265 pages,
$16.95 (M. Evans).

The subtitle has changed, but the book still offers answers to hundreds of troublesome questions about starting, marketing & managing a homebased business efficiently, legally, & profitably.

Featured in this COMPLETELY REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION are:

	259 A-to-Z listings (all revised or new)
	Answers to 154 special questions (many new ones)
	79 special tips (several new ones)
	35 mini articles (updated or new)
	Handy RESOURCE section to supplement the text

A vital reference for both beginners and "seasoned pros," The Crafts Business Answer Book will give you quick and reliable information whenever you are:

	Starting a new business or exploring unknown territory
	Trying to be a better business manager
	Striving to improve marketing techniques
	Diversifying into new fields of endeavor
	Trying to solve a new problem
	Wondering what others are doing.

Although this book is specifically addressed to artists and craftspeople, its special information on taxes, laws and regulations, legal issues, financial topics and insurance will also be invaluable to designers, inventors, teachers, writers, desktop publishers, mail order businesses and others who work at home.

The financial and legal side of your homebased business is of paramount importance to everything you do. This comprehensive volume presents, in handy A-to-Z order, nearly 300 topics related to the startup, management and marketing of a homebased art- or craft-related business under the main headings of:

	Accounting
	Advertising and Marketing
	Banking
	Business Activities
	Business and Office Management
	Employees/Labor Issues
	Insurance
	Laws and Regulations
	Legal Issues
	Miscellaneous Topics
	Money Management
	Pricing and Selling
	Shipping and Mailing
	Taxes
	Other Resources

If you've read other books by Barbara, you know she has a knack for presenting complex subject matter in an easy-to-understand style while making her books fun to read as well. Although The Crafts Business Answer Book is definitely encyclopedic in scope, it's also the kind of book you can curl up with over a cup of coffee or tea. In addition to dozens of special TIPS scattered throughout the book, you'll find Barbara's personal answers to 154 specific questions crafters have often asked her (see left).

The Crafts Business Answer Book
also includes 35 short
"special interest" articles:

Balance Sheet Worksheet
Barbara's Proven System for Paying Bills
            and Keeping Tax Records
A Business-Planning/Goal-Setting Checklist
The Cabbage Patch Kids® Story
Commercial Use of Home Sewing Machines
Common Law Trademarks
Computer and Software Buying Tips
Coping With Copycats
Copyrights: Registering a Collection of Work
Deadlines Were Made to Be Broken
           Designer Paranoia
Do You Have an All-Risk Home Insurance Policy?
How One Manufacturer Solved Her Independent
           Contractor Problem
How SCORE Helped One Craft Business
How to Check Someone's Credit
How to Create a Cash Flow Statement
How to Cut Printing Costs
How to Keep Inventory Records
A Humorous Tax Audit
Important Sales Rep Contract Clauses
Licensing Tips for Small Manufacturers
A Lost Mail Horror Story
Money-Saving Postal Tips
Personal Credit Card Tips
Phishing Expeditions for Your Identity
Pricing Formulas for Handcraft Sellers
Products Made from How-to Projects in Magazines
Profit and Loss Worksheet
Sample Sales Rep Agreement
Scams on the Internet
Selling to Catalog Houses
A Solution to the Partnership Checkbook Problem
Solving Cash Flow Problems
State and City Abbreviations
Three Partnership Tips
Using Designer Fabrics-One Manufacturer's
               Experience
What to Say on a Hang Tag
When You Have Evidence of Fraud
Where to Find Copyright-Free Designs & Motifs
You Can Publish Your Own Book
Special indexes make it easy to find needed information in a hurry.

Read what satisfied individuals
have said about the first edition