Review by Tom LeBlanc, CTC
I was once advised that the difference between a
decent reader and a successful reader was his or her
business savvy. While I’m quite sure that the definition
of 'successful' is subject to individual
interpretation, many of us are at least curious about reading
professionally. While there is certainly no lack of resources
open to those who wish to learn how to read the cards,
there is precious little information available to the
reader who wishes use their skills professionally. Too
often, the highly skilled reader sallies forth into the
world of professional reading and either develops his or
her business skills the hard way, or flounders and
retreats—often vowing never to return.
Thankfully, this lacuna
has been recently filled by Christine Jette in her
recent book, 'Professional Tarot: The Business of
Reading, Consulting and Teaching'. In just 6 chapters, an epilogue and
three well-conceived appendices (215 pages altogether),
Jette provides a concise (though admittedly not
exhaustive) overview that will certainly enable the reader to
take his or her skills to market with confidence.
Jette is by no means a newcomer to this area. An
experienced professional reader and Nurse, her counseling
approach to Tarot shines through not only in this book, but
also in her previous works 'Tarot for the Healing
Heart', 'Tarot for all Seasons', and 'Tarot Shadow Work'.
As an experienced teacher and writer, her instructive
writing style is concise, well structured, and laced with
an infectious sense of humor.
In the introduction,
Jette promises that "…each chapter stands alone…",
permitting the reader to utilize this book not simply as a
textbook or fireside reading, but as a valuable reference
manual to utilize when coming upon those difficult
moments while starting a business.
Jette begins by
helping the reader explore the trepidation common to those
considering professional Tarot. After all, many of us admit
to a bit of ambivalence regarding charging for our
readings or feel inadequate to do so professionally. In
her book, Jette provides practical advice regarding
how one may refine and enhance their reading style and
boost confidence before 'going professional' (e.g.,
listening to taped readings for later review). She
reinforces this advice with Tarot-based exercises by which
the potential professional reader may explore the
personality traits of those who wish to own their own
business, determine the type of reader the reader may be,
and focus on problems the reader may have with
charging. She also debunks many of the most popular myths
associated with owning your own business (e.g., 'you'll make
lots of money fast', 'you’re the boss', and 'you’ll be
in tough competition with other readers') and
provides practical advice regarding combating them (such as
finding a niche market).
In this book, Jette helps the
reader consider overhead charges, their own combined
skills (will you be using Tarot alone, or will you
combine it with another skill you may have, such as
Astrology, I-Ching, or Reiki?), and professional credibility
in addition to supply and demand to determine the
would-be reader's fees. Once your fees are established,
however, you are going to need to decide uopn your accepted
payment methods and refund policies. Not only does Jette
cover these topics, but also guides the reader through
the tricky process of communicating policies to
clients and answering the tough business questions clients
often ask (e.g., 'Why do you charge so much?' and
'What's included in your fee?'). Of course, the issue of
advertising, test marketing, and finding the most appropriate
work space for your practice are covered in
considerable detail in this book.
Since you're reading this
review online, it’s a fair bet that you may be
considering running your new Tarot business on the Internet.
While Jette does not provide the reader with
programming, software, or computer tips per se, she provides a
remarkable and very broad overview of the benefits and
pitfalls of online and telephone Tarot businesses. She
also provides practical advice and tips to help the
reader advertise on the internet without resorting to
spam as well as to deal with issues of payment (and
nonpayment!).
Of course, those who wish to read by phone are
not excluded. In addition to tips regarding
appointment-making, she offers very practical (and headache-saving)
advice regarding how to deal with the rare but undeniable
hazards of telephone work (e.g., obscene callers, verbal
abuse, and angry clients).
In the spirit of her quote,
'After the weather and computer technology, nothing
changes faster than tax law' (pg 82), Jette guides the
reader through such business issues as zoning,
bookkeeping, barter, and legal structure. She offers a
realistic approach to tax deductions (no, you can’t take
your friend out to dinner, discuss the Two of Cups, and
call it a 'business expense!') and includes a basic
checklist of office supplies and business policies. Of
course, there may come a time in which you feel it best to
close your business, and Jette’s practical, empathic
advice will help you do so with dignity.
I greatly
appreciated Jette’s approach to establishing and nurturing an
effective reading relationship and found that the
conceptualization she offers is based on rather well-established
counseling framework. In this manner, she helps the
professional reader effectively communicate and carefully
handle the clients in an empowering manner. Especially
problematic areas that Jette covers particularly well include
reading for teenagers (e.g., check out their parents and
don't tell the future!) and dealing with clients in
crisis.
Her advice regarding the recognizing, evaluating and
calming clients in a crisis was a greatly need component
of her text which, I fear, is generally underserved
in many books on Tarot. Naturally, when one is faced
with a client in crisis, it is often important to refer
him or her to a professional qualified to provide the
best care possible. Jette’s book assists the reader in
determining when is the best time to do so, building a network
of referral resources, and motivating the usually
unwilling client to follow through with the referral.
In a
rather small, but intensely helpful subsection entitled
'The Ten-Minute Reader', Jette offers valuable advice
for those who are in situations in which many readings
in rapid succession are the order of the day. This
may be of particular use for those interested in
reading Tarot at a psychic fair or Renaissance
Festival.
Those simply interested in teaching Tarot may wish to
skip straight to chapter six. Therein, Jette provides
suggestions for planning lessons and designing workshops. As
an educator, I greatly appreciated her discussion of
the facets of teaching that are rarely discussed in
text or classes. These include how to overcome stage
fright, handle problem students, and avoid becoming the
type of teacher that everyone seems to despise. For
those lifelong students, Jette’s advice is also geared
at helping the reader also become an effective
student, recognize and overcome the learning plateau, and
utilize theses experiences to enhance his or her own
teaching style.
Of course, self-care is a major
consideration for Jette, and it reflects very well in her book.
It appears that she simply couldn’t resist adding an
epilogue aimed at helping the professional reader maintain
their motivation in their new profession and recognize,
prevent, and overcome burnout. In addition, Jette’s
appendices were of intense value. In there, the reader will
find a readers’ code of ethics, some very nicely
designed workshop outlines for those who wish to teach, and
an annotated bibliography of business and counseling
books as well as online resources for Tarot and
business.
For all of its helpful and practical advice carried by
Jette’s clear and concise writing style, this text may
occasionally be seen as somewhat vague in certain arenas (e.g.,
some aspects of online tarot, tax, and legal
considerations). Jette makes no apologies for this, however. In
an effort to ensure that this book will remain
timely, she explains very clearly that, due to the
fast-changing nature of some aspects of business, some
information is omitted intentionally. Instead, Jette points
the reader in the general direction from which he or
she may obtain the most up-to-date information.
In
sum, this book fills a long-standing gap in the world
of professional Tarot. It does not require that the
reader be a well-versed Tarot reader or possess any
business acumen to make use of its much-needed direction
and guidance. As such, this engaging, easy-to-read
book will be well suited to the experienced or novice
Tarot reader who has even a passing curiosity regarding
Tarot as a profession.
While learning to read Tarot as a young child, Tom LeBlanc had no idea what role Tarot would one day play in his life. Having grown up providing readings to family and friends, he took his trusty deck to college and discovered that he could partially support himself by reading for others. Now a Certified Tarot Consultant with over 25 years experience, a Ph.D. in Psychology, Tom enjoys providing occasional readings in addition to writing. Tom is currently involved in designing a Tarot Certification course for the College of the Sacred Mists.
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