Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is the price of this book?

2) Will my credit card #, and related information, be secure?

3) Is this a quality publication?

4) For whom is this book written?

5) If I'm a professor, how will this book benefit my students?

6) Do I have to order the book from you?

7) What is the length of the book?

8) If I'm an emerging artist, how will this book assist me?

9) What if I'm not yet confident in my work, or feel it hasn't matured?

10) In what practical ways does the book provide guidance?

11) In what philosophic ways will the book assist me?

12) Is the book about becoming wealthy as an artist?

13) Will the book honestly help me make a living as an artist?

14) Does it matter whether my work is contemporary, or traditional?

1) What is the price of this book? $16.95 for the paperback; $23.95 for the hardback. Shipping on single orders and up to five books is FREE. Orders of from 6-20 books are shipped for a total of $12, and for orders of over 20 books we charge a shipping and handling rate of $22 in total. Please allow ten business days for delivery, although less time is usually needed.

2) Will my credit card #, and related information, be secure? When you provide us with any personal information — your name, address, e-mail and credit card number — it's done on a secure server. One of today's most advanced security systems — Secure Socket Layers (SSL) — encrypts all information you provide before sending it to our own server. Only when it reaches our servers is your information decrypted.

3) Is this a quality publication? It is indeed. Both the hardback and paperback are printed on non-acidic, 60# paper, recycled. The paper thickness was chosen for durability, as were the book covers.

4) For whom is this book written? For anyone who is interested in the growth of their art, and in their own growth. You don't have to be a studio artist to benefit from it; writers have benefited, designers, and so forth. But it does help if you have a desire to break out, and a passion to learn.

5) If I'm a professor, how will this book benefit my students? By complementing your knowledge with a wealth of experience that professors usually aren't privy to, and that one learns only from running a gallery. Like most profs, Paul Dorrell has true compassion for artists, with an interest in both the caliber of their work and the quality of their lives. He also has an uncanny knack for reassuring them, even in their times of deepest despair. Why? Because he has suffered the same —repeatedly.

6) Do I have to order the book from you? No. It can also be ordered through Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and virtually any bookstore. But we like it when you order from us.

7) What is the length of the book? 175 pages.

8) If I'm an emerging artist, how will this book assist me? By explaining to you, in a simple but profound manner, the many ways in which you can take control of your work, and life, as the two merge. Practical issues are covered as well, such as how to go about achieving your first public exhibitions.

9) What if I'm not yet confident in my work, or feel it hasn't matured? Then let Paul Dorrell explain how you can go about bringing it to maturity. He does this with his own artists every day. In this book he simply applies the same approach to you.

10) In what practical ways does the book provide guidance? Several. For example, it explains the steps you must take to get into a gallery, and how to tell an honest gallery from a corrupt one. Then there are gallery agreements, commissioned works, contracts, gaining acceptance by galleries in other cities, gaining press, and dozens of other issues. For more information, refer to the Table of Contents.

11) In what philosophic ways will the book assist me? Dorrell is a vastly experienced, well-traveled man who has taken many risks as a writer and art dealer. He is humble about his successes and candid about his failures. At 47, he has had time to reflect on everything he has achieved, and everything he has watched others achieve —or fail to. For more information, refer to the Table of Contents.

12) Is the book about becoming wealthy as an artist? No, it is about succeeding as an individual, however the individual may define that. In truth, the book is as much about growth and artistic mastery as it is about making a living from your work. Dorrell places far greater emphasis on the former, since to him the latter is meaningless without it. He also loves debunking myths about the art world, and unmasking the absurd snobbery that cloaks much of it.

13) Will the book honestly help me make a living as an artist? No one can guarantee this, since so many variables depend upon the individual. But this book will certainly give you the tools, and information, to begin putting together a viable career. It will also make you feel that you actually have a guide along the way —someone who has already made much of the journey, and who wants to assist you with yours. But in the end of course, each of our journeys are our own.

14) Does it matter whether my work is contemporary, or traditional? No. Dorrell believes that all types of art are legitimate. He has a firm grasp of most disciplines, and especially of what it takes to make an artist's work stand apart. In fact he wrote this book so that it would apply to virtually all artists, regardless of medium.

A Guide to Growing, Persevering, and Succeeding in the Art World