So, you enjoy sewing/knitting/making jewelry, and your friends are happy to wear your work. What do you do next? Start selling to strangers, of course! Small businesses are the norm in America and Europe, but who do you turn to when you have questions? Author Meg Mateo Ilasco has solved that problem for you with her new book, Craft Inc., from San Francisco’s Chronicle Books.

With a back cover like this, it’s clear this new book is for everyone from those contemplating their own crafty endeavors to others that have been shamelessly promoting their work for years: The hipster business primer for entrepreneurial crafters to turn what they do for fun into what they do for money, Craft Inc. offers a step-by-step guide to everything from developing products and naming the company to writing a business plan, applying for licenses, and paying taxes. Chapters on sales, marketing, trade shows, and publicity round out the mix. Plus, in-depth interviews with such craft luminaries as Jonathan Adler, Lotta Jansdotter, Denyse Schmidt, and Jill Bliss provide inspiration and practical advice. Accessible, informative, and more than a little spunky, Craft, Inc. paves the way for today’s creative minds to become tomorrow’s trend setters.

A little internet searching, and I found that the book’s author, Meg, has two other fantastic tomes from Chronicle Books, as well as a successful design and illustration business. Catching up with her recently, Meg told me about mixing her numerous endeavors; the Modern Economy sample sales that she puts together in SF and LA; and the concept for her fourth book. Read on for a great interview and a few beautiful images of Ilasco’s limited edition stationary items.

Your career reminds me a lot of my own – oodles of past jobs and currently pursuing more than one creative endeavor. What methods have you found to be most effective in managing your various careers?

Meg Mateo Ilasco: I don’t know [how] to properly manage undiagnosed ADD, but I get by somehow with self-medication and a little sleep. In all seriousness, I work best under a good amount of stress. So I like to have a couple projects going on at the same time. It’s really nice to bounce back and forth between design and writing projects. If I get tired of designing something, then I just work on a writing project. It’s cool because I go into each project with a fresh eye and a lot of motivation. But doesn’t it seem like everyone is a multi-hyphenate these days (e.g., singer/actor/designer)? It’s the new norm.

Graphic design has been a successful outlet for your ideas, including winning two awards and selling your own creations on your website. Is nature a key inspiration for you?

Meg: I’m one of those annoying designers where everything and anything can be inspirational. I’m totally like Ahhn-dray of Project Runway (season 2)–you know, with his dress inspired by the dirty gutter. I can probably find inspiration in a grain of sand if I search deep enough. Of course, I love nature!

Another one of your endeavors is the Modern Economy sample sales that you arrange in San Francisco and Los Angeles. How did this idea take shape? Did your connections with the graphic design and craft communities help to make these events a success?

Meg: I love bargains. I love DWR sample sales. That, coupled with my own experience of not knowing what to do with my samples or overstock helped form the Modern Economy idea. I certainly think it heightened the confidence of the participating designers knowing that I’m not some random person out of nowhere who wanted to start these events. People are pretty cautious about who they do business with.

Book number three of yours was recently released – how exciting! Though covering three very different topics, all of your books are tied closely together with the concepts of craft and design. Is Craft Inc. a recently formulated idea or have you had this book in the works for awhile now?

Meg: I know the titles seem a little random and whenever I tell people the books I’ve written, they have that “wow-that’s-quite-range-of-topics” look on their face. My dad is still hoping I write a world history textbook one day because as he says, “Now that’s interesting!” He’s a big time supporter of what I do. I wrote the bridesmaid book because, at the time, I owned a wedding invitation company. Craft Inc. was one of those ideas that had been sitting right under my nose for years and it just took time to realize it. The idea finally came to me in late 2006 and I began writing the book in 2007. By the way, my next book will be about Tacos.

With the crafty, DIY movement growing exponentially in its own right, it’s the perfect time for Craft Inc. Do you see this creative societal transformation as a lasting change or only temporary? Why?

Meg: I think with any sort of societal change or trend, it reaches its peak and after that it plateaus or declines. But it’s cyclical and will come back again eventually. Ultimately, what should matter to you depends on how you view craft: are you in it to ride the trend and make a quick buck or are you in it because you really love it?

Are you going to be doing a book tour or any media appearances for Craft Inc., giving readers a chance to meet and chat with you?

Meg: Yes, I’ll be doing two events this year! One in San Francisco with Rare Device on October 4, 2007 (time TBA) and another in Los Angeles with Reform School in either October or November. I’ll see you in SF, Victoria!

As a three-time published author, what advice can you give to those who are looking to enter the publishing world as an author (including myself)?

Meg: Just start writing. If you’ve been sitting on idea–start putting words on paper, make outlines, and make sample chapters. Don’t keep your ideas to yourself–ask people for feedback to make it stronger! If you’re worried that you’re not a professional or an experienced writer, just look at me. Prior to writing my first book, my only writing experience was one lame newspaper article I did in college. Oh god, and a poetry reading, too.

Do you have any other nifty, secret projects in the works that you could hint at?

Meg: Well, I’m trying to get book #4, an interiors book off the ground (sorry, I was kidding about the tacos earlier). Honestly, I’ve got so many ideas swimming around in my head–like making some reclaimed wood nun chucks. Oh, I should mention that only 5% of my ideas are any good.

[All images courtesy of Meg Mateo Ilasco]

Ready for some inspiration!? Check out the great collection of books Meg has written so far: