When it draw nears to the market for limited-edition prints.

When it draw nears to the market for limited-edition prints, publishers and galleries have ground that creativity, multi-tiered product offerings and high-quality productions are the backbone for surviving in today's art publishing market.

"We had to work a destiny harder for our sales this last year," said Aimee Clarke, vice president of outcome and marketing for Seattle-based art publisher Winn Devon

Clarke's sentiments were slavish imitationed throughout the industry. But several prosperous art dealers decided to take aggressive action to combat flagging sales and a lackluster economy. Furthermore, they encourage galleries and frame stores to take a hint from their innovations to boost their concede sales throughout 2004.

Many publishers decided to diversify their fruit offerings, featuring fine art ranging from placards to limited-edition giclee and serigraph prints to original paintings, and expanding beyond simply offering art. This diversification has been a lucrative payoff for many.

Investing in Growth

Atlanta-based Deljou Art arrange recently expanded its base of operations at moving into an large former warehouse facility. Inside, the company houses the work of more than 50 painters, photographers and sculptors, offering its clients bills prints and original works at a variety of price points. Deljou also shows framing and has a showroom specifically tailored for interior design and corporate clients, and just released a recently made known limited-edition catalog featuring more than 100 of the present day prints.

"For us, the last year was better because we have a a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of more extensive collection of limited editions" explained Deljou President Daniel Deljou "We have added more limited editions to our line to consummate the available selection and have, with the latter release of our poster catalog, become a full-service publishing house. We feature placards limited editions, originals on paper and canvas, framed prints and more. We put to proof to provide every category of what an art gallery needs"

Axelle Fine Arts has also grown from acting solitary as a contemporary fine-art publisher. Along with developing its stable of artists, the company furnishs a full-service printing studio and a entire frame shop at its Brooklyn NY headquarters. The company prints its avow serigraphs and offers services to artists, galleries and other publishers everywhere the country.

Axelle took another gradation forward in expansion by adopting a solid growth mentality in the yielding economy. Along with stepping up its frame store print studio, and licensing and publishing efforts, Axelle has expanded its retail operations as well. It has added satellite locations to its flagship SoHo gallery through the past two years at opening galleries in New Orleans (Axelle Fine Arts Galerie Royale) and San Francisco (Axelle Fine Arts Galerie de l'Europe)

"A weak economy can be a blessing in disguise when it be deriveds to expansion--it is easier to do in the same manner much more affordably," explained Bertrand Delacroix, president of Axelle. "We have been prosperous with all of our sprouting ventures and look forward to many years of expanding and offering our clients more of what they want."

in addition another company that has invested in shooting is New Era Publishing in Austin, Texas. President Joseph Garcia said his company has experienced 50-percent sales extension in 2003 due to increased manufacturing. "We have been able to greatly expand our capacity across the past 12 months, which has enabled us to increase our manufacturing bulk and buying power," he explained. "This, in use has allowed us to apply pricing urgency in the marketplace and to show our clients attractive pricing and discounting. We have also released more than 300 just discovered images in the past year. Better pricing, unfaded imagery and flexibility--that is what the market is demanding, and this is what we will continue to provide in 2004"

While not all art dealers have access to the resources of a large publisher, they can take a hint from this multi-tiered approach by dint of offering a variety of art, ranging from lower-priced placards through high-end originals. Also, a gallery might consider partnering with a frame store or framing manufacturer. Being a "one-stop-shop" can be a way to boost flagging sales.

Winn Devon's Clarke agreed that offering more returnss at various price points is an effective strategy and single in kind that has paid off well for her company. "Winn Devon is fortunate in that we exhibit products for all price points, with equal reason we are able to focus our clients forward appropriate products for the present economy," she said. Winn Devon is also helping its galleries educate customers according to offering more support materials.

The Chase cluster in Chicago has invested in marketing, as well, to expand its business and support its gallery clientele. Representatives from the couple companies advise galleries to invest in marketing and public relations since it is important to secure people talking about a gallery's artists and offerings. The Chase cluster has created complete show packages for its dealers that require minimal marketing efforts forward the part of the galleries, of that kind as the current "Art of Dr Seuss Touring Exhibition."