Am I Ready For Premium? Share Your Experience

The only issue I see are the white borders around your prints and on a few of them, there appears to be either scanning issues or photography issues around the edges. The paintings are really, really good.

No reason not to go premium for $30 a year if you have any more images to post.

Premium allows you to offer more work. You still have to do your own promotion.

I'm just on a cel phone so can't take a close look at anything.

Assuming it will print (is a sharp photo or scan, isn't too grainy, and is in focus) there's no reason they can't sell. Upgrading to premium doesn't make anything easier to find on the site or result in any extra exposure.

You could sell something in the next 5 minutes or it could take a year. You'll be able to fish with more than 25 lines with a premium membership which should increase your chances of selling. Make sure there are plenty of relevant keywords associated with each image.

It was somewhere between 500 and 1,000 images and 6-8 months before I sold anything.

if your only selling originals and your not selling prints - open more free accounts. i don't much like the white borders either. it all depends if its worth it to you. i had 1200 images when i joined, i didn't have much choice. $30 is a small price to pay to start a business. just be sure to advertise yourself.

---Mike Savad

two things are certain - add a bio, and get a better picture of yourself. cluttered with bikes, standing next to a shark, isn't really the best way to introduce yourself to your buyers.


---Mike Savad

Love the work but get rid of those white edges. Look awful on canvas prints.
Agree about the avatar too I'm afraid. Good image but not as a thumb. If it matters to you, you will lose some customers showing a killing of a creature. It's put me off. If it doesn't matter, ignore the last part of my statement lol

Changing your avatar is a must.It has put me off and I wont bother looking at any of your images and I'm sure it will be the same for many potential buyers as well

Only $30 and you can be in business? Sounds like a good deal to me. You'll make that money right back with 2 sales.


--Roz Barron Abellera

It takes a lot more than $30.00 to be in business. The $30 lets you go from free to premium, doesn't have anything to do with selling or marketing on here. The marketing and learning how to be found in search are the important things.

"It takes a lot more than $30.00 to be in business."

If you're talking strictly about money, I haven't had to spend more than $30 on here to sell except for a few art supplies. If you're talking about something other than money, than yeah, you'll have to invest time into marketing. But even with marketing I haven't paid one dime to sell on here. There's tons of ways to market for free.


--Roz Barron Abellera

If you don't consider your time and hours worth anything, than yes $30.00 is cheap

It's well worth the yearly cost. The extra tools and options are very helpful for promoting and marketing your work. Being able to offer more than 25 prints for sale increase your chances of making more sales. Everything on the internet is a numbers game. Why not make the most of your efforts?

Is FAA worth the $30.00 annual fee. It is for me but not for the reason you may think.
Let me explain. When I joined I was under the assumption that FAA would promote my work since they take most of the profit from any sale. Since then I have learned that FAA does NOT promote the majority of artists here. We have to promote ourselves and bring in our buyers.

I find that a bit funny ($30.00 means zero to me)...Funny because if I had the buyers I would not be on FAA, and I would be earning a bigger profit on my own.

So why do I stay on FAA? I like the discussions which can be quite informative and/or amusing. I like the way Sean has set up FAA in terms of graphics. I really like seeing what other really really good artists are doing (and I've met quite a few excellent artists whose work has really inspired me).

Would I recommend FAA to others? Yes, 100 percent for sure, but as you can see not for the idea of making money (don't quit your day job).

FAA is a fantastic site and well worth $30.00 per year. I personally have sold many more original paintings than I normally do from clients seeing my work through this site, that does not include the print sales. The other perks are the valuable info. that you have access to from the experiences and wisdom of others. I would definitely tell you yes, it is well worth the thirty dollars!

Thank you all for the great advice, I have taken to it! I plan on buying premium as soon as I figure out what I want my prices to be! Thanks to all who replied. Also, if my avatar put you off maybe this one is better?

it's better than the last one, still looks like you shot it with a phone, maybe get one with you looking up? and i'd clone that frame out on the right. though better than a bathroom mirror selfie.


---Mike Savad

MUCH better :)

Maxwell the road is long.

The road is indeed long! As well as challenging, and fascinating, and mysterious! I'm honored to walk it with the rest of you.

Welcome to the "path", Maxwell - some really nice work you have created.

You can start setting rices now before you upgrade, correct?

Roy- Thank you, the same goes to you.

Joseph- Yes, I believe so anyways. There are a few things I really need to figure out before I sit down and make the purchase, but I will be soon (within 7 days probably) and am excited for it.

Your good young man. Just jump in !

Got to be cruel to be kind.It wasn't you in the avatar that was the problem but the dead Shark.Many art buyers could be animal lovers and if they see a dead animal in an avatar they will look elsewhere.It wont matter how great your images are if no one is looking.
Your avatar is much better now and your pictures are great.I'm sure you will do well but do be aware that it can take time to get your first sale so don't be put off. Spend the time you wait for your first sale creating and uploading more art.
Quality and quantity together will work

"If you don't consider your time and hours worth anything, than yes $30.00 is cheap."


I spend about 2 hours a day at the most doing marketing. This is 2 hours that I used to spend wasting time watching TV so it's no loss to me.

--Roz Barron Abellera

"When I joined I was under the assumption that FAA would promote my work since they take most of the profit from any sale."

This is simply untrue. FAA does NOT take most of the profit from any sale unless YOU the artist set your price so low that it happens that way. If I sell a large canvas or other wall ready art I have my prices set where I make more than FAA, the print vender and the shippers combined. If I sell a rolled print then I make MUCH more than those three. It all depends on how you set your prices and YOU are in control of that.

Shortly before I upgraded, I got a sale on this photo. It was a nice surprise! The money from it went toward my membership... this is only and idea :)

@ JC Findley You said it!!!

Maxell, I work full time so I really don't have time to promote my work. That said, I've managed to post over 2,400 works here in four years and I do occasionally make a sale I think simply because someone stumbles over me. If you have a lot more work you can upload, it's worth the 30 bucks to perhaps be more visible.

That, and the other reasons others have mentioned here. I already left a couple of comments on your work - very nice!

Welcome to FAA, Maxwell.

I'm happy to see you got rid of the white borders on most of your work and that you decided to jump into the fray with a premium account. I think you'll do well and please remember - generally speaking, success is not a sprint but a marathon ... you'll need patience, and a lot of it to be successful. :) Good luck and wishing you plenty of sales!


--Donna Proctor

From personal experience I would definitely recommend you doing just that.

I would love to learn more about marketing. I joined several groups, one that promotes by making comments, likes and favors. Yet, I dont seem to show up on any of the easy shop
fineart america. I checked into key words. Any ideas of where I can learn more about marketing.

Lin

getting comments and fav's won't help you sell. it at one point took you higher in the search, but it was abused by the groups that were made for that very purpose. there are lots of marketing threads, do a search for twitter, and you'll find all of them, since it's mentioned in all of them. you have to tell people on the outside that you exist here.


---Mike Savad

Love the new picture , MIke. Just took a look at your web site. Consistent tone to your pictures. I am not on twitter, I hope I dont have to be.
I still havent centered on one niche. I am a fan of yours.
Anyway, back to marketing, any more ideas. I will look it up on twitter just dont want to join.
Lin

you should be on twitter and facebook and any other social place you can be on. these are where the sellers are. pinterest, not wild about the place, but i'm there too. if you don't join twitter that's less chance at selling. that's the marketing number 1. its easy to find people, most follow you back, and its not as hard to maintain as facebook is. a niche will help, but mostly a consistent style helps. the avatar is a selling point, it attracts attention, so you might want to update it where only your face is showing.

---Mike Savad

Thanks Mike
I will consider twitter and an avatar.
Lin

Its cheaper than running your own website and the (mostly free) forum is great but would not recommend for anything else.