4 Ways to Publish Your Own Oracle Card Deck
Are you an intuitive reader, healer, coach, author, or artist who looooves working with oracle card decks? You’ve been dreaming of making your own card deck, and you’re wondering how to get it published and out into the world once it’s ready?
I remember when I started creating my first oracle card deck back in 2012, I spent a LOT of time researching all my options before finding the perfect solution for myself at the time. While it’s relatively easy to self-publish books these days (thanks to companies like Amazon KDP or IngramSpark), publishing an oracle deck is more complex.
Depending on the specific requirements of your project, your goals, budget, and so on, there can be many things to consider. And having to put all the pieces together on your own can feel overwhelming.
However, with the right tools, resources, and strategy, publishing your own oracle card deck is absolutely doable—and it doesn’t have to be tremendously complicated.
In this article, you’ll learn about four ways you can publish your oracle card deck—from beginner-friendly self-publishing options to working with a traditional publishing house to getting creative with your own unique publishing approach!
The Oracle of the Magical Fairy Forest by Anna Frolik, illustrated by Anna Babich. (Card #24, the Earth Fairy.) An example of an oracle card deck self-published through the author’s own publishing house.
Publishing Your Own Oracle Card Deck: 4 Best Approaches
1. Self-Publishing Your Oracle Deck Without an ISBN Number
Let’s start with the most simple option: publishing your card deck yourself without any unnecessary bells and whistles.
If you desire to start small and get your oracle deck out into the world quickly, the easiest solution is to get it printed in small batches (even starting at one copy) by a print-on-demand company like MPC or The Game Crafter.
(To learn more about various printing options for your card deck, check out our recent article, 3 Ways to Print Your Own Oracle Card Deck.)
You can sell your oracle deck in a marketplace for handmade products like Etsy, on your own website (e.g. using Shopify), or even locally at markets and fairs in your niche.
This approach requires little preparation besides creating your deck and finding the right solution for producing it.
The Oracle of Grace by Anna Frolik, a small production printed on demand and self-published in 2014.
2. Starting Your Own Self-(Publishing) Business
If you want to self-publish your oracle deck and are ready to expand your reach more quickly, you can start your own publishing house and publish your card deck(s), books, and similar products under your own label.
This is the best option if you desire the flexibility to distribute your card deck to a large network of retail stores or sell it in marketplaces like Amazon.
As a registered publisher, you can even publish other authors’ work, so if this is part of your vision, starting your own publishing venture is definitely the way to go.
The first step is to register your business formally if you haven’t already. Then, you can sign up for an account with your national ISBN agency. (You must register in your country of residence—not in any other country.)
Once you’ve completed your sign-up process, you can go ahead and purchase as many ISBN numbers as you need for your projects—or in some cases, you can request them for free. Please note that in order to self-publish a card deck with an ISBN, you’ll have to include a guidebook with it in most countries.
(The only exception that I know of at this time is the United States. Read our recent article 3 Steps to Self-Publish Your Oracle Card Deck for more information about how to self-publish your deck with an ISBN.)
If you’re ready to go all in on your own publishing business, you’ll most likely want to print your card decks in larger quantities using a large-scale manufacturer specializing in high-quality, highly customized productions.
This way, you’ll be able to produce the number of decks you need to distribute them to a wider audience more quickly, and your profit margin will be high enough to be sustainable for you as well as your wholesale partners and retailers.
The Magical Heart Healing Cards by Anna Frolik, first self-published in 2014 and reprinted and published in 2021 through Wonderland Publishing.
3. Getting Your Oracle Deck Published by a Traditional Publisher
If you like the idea of reaching large audiences all across the world with your work but have no interest in dealing with the logistics of printing, distributing, and shipping your oracle decks yourself, submitting your deck to a traditional publishing house may be a better option for you.
Working with an established publisher like Hay House, Blue Angel, or Llewellyn can be an amazing way get your deck into the hands of more people without having to manage the entire process yourself.
However, the road to finding a suitable publisher for your oracle deck can be long. You may have to submit a high number of proposals while receiving many rejections along the way.
Also, you won’t have as much control over your creative process once your project is in the hands of a publisher. This can be a benefit if it helps to turn your deck into a higher quality product that sells well, but if remaining in charge of every aspect of your artwork, design, and writing is important to you, partnering with a traditional publisher may not be for you.
You will still have to do most of the marketing yourself, too, so if not wanting to promote your deck yourself is your aim, getting published traditionally is not the solution. You won’t get around actively sharing your oracle deck with the world regardless of the publishing route you choose.
Finally, if you’re working with a traditional publisher, you will only receive a fraction of your deck’s sales (usually somewhere around 5–10% after wholesale discounts). If one of your goals is to make a significant income by selling your oracle decks, self-publishing may be a better fit.
Your traditionally published oracle deck can support your business indirectly by increasing your visibility and directing new clients your way. For example, if you have a coaching business, your card deck can be a low-cost offer for your ideal client to get to know you and your work.
The Post-Traumatic Growth Deck by Dr. Arielle Schwartz, self-published with hybrid publishing support from Wonderland Publishing.
4. Hybrid Publishing and Discovering Your Own Unique Publishing Path
Finally, if none of the above publishing methods feel like an ideal fit, you may want to consider a less conventional approach.
For example, a hybrid publisher may support you with some of the same things that a traditional publisher would manage for you while partnering with you to bring your unique vision to life.
There’s usually a fee for this as they’ll provide services such as project management, editing, graphic design, or helping you print and launch your deck. You’ll have the guidance you need to birth your idea into the world while remaining in control of your creative journey. And you’ll get to keep your rights and all (or most) of your sales profits.
The Eigengrau Oracle by Mike Sette (Somnambulant Visuals), designed by one of our community members in the Deck Creators’ Launchpad.
Another option is to get wildly creative and piece together your very own publishing system, tailored to your specific needs and fueled by your greatest strengths and passions.
If you’re excited to discover what this journey might look like for you, we’d love to support you inside the Deck Creators’ Launchpad, our mastermind and community for artists, authors + entrepreneurs ready to ignite their creative spark and bring their dream of their own card deck to life—guided by leading industry experts and surrounded by a fun and loving crowd of like-minded co-creators!
Want more support to make your dream of your own card deck happen?
Join us in the Deck Creators’ Launchpad & Community, and receive all the guidance, resources + support you need to create, launch and sell your own oracle, tarot, or affirmation card deck.
