Make your books open post.
PNG at full Instagram size. Words stay clear of the story buttons and the grid crop.
Design
Clean and light, your art as the heroYour details
Your image
Optional. A flash sheet or a healed piece
Headline, deposit, handle
Books open
Caption
Ready to copy
Books are open for November and December. I'm booking at Studio Nine, Vancouver. I'd love to do more fine line florals, blackwork and flash. To apply: booking form, link in bio. Tell me your idea, placement, rough size and any references. Please apply this way rather than by DM, so nothing gets lost. Applications close on [date]. I reply to everyone within [number] days, even if it is a no.
Fill in the bits in brackets before you post.
Free. No sign-up. Your image never leaves your device.
Planning
How to open your books well
Opening your books is a short, loud moment. People who have waited months are ready to jump, and people who only half follow you need to see it more than once. A little planning makes the round calmer for you and fairer for them.
Decide the window before you post: the months you are booking into, and the day applications close. Post the story and the feed post on the same day, pin the post to the top of your profile, and share the story again halfway through and the day before you close. Then actually close. A round that drifts open forever teaches people they never need to hurry.
Pick one way to apply and say it everywhere. If some people DM, some email and some comment, you spend the round sorting messages instead of reading ideas.
The post
What to put in it
Someone should be able to decide whether to apply from the image alone. That comes down to five things.
When
The months you are booking into. If you have a cut-off for applications, put it in the caption too.
Where
Your city and studio. Doing a guest spot? Say so, with the dates.
What you want to tattoo
Name the work you are excited about. Being specific gets you more of it, and fewer requests you will only turn down.
How to apply
One link or one instruction. A booking form beats DMs because every request arrives with the same details: the idea, placement, size and references.
Deposit
If you take one, say so up front. It saves a round of messages with everyone who did not expect it.
Keep the longer details for the caption: your minimum, when applications close, and how soon you reply. The caption under the previews fills itself in from your details, ready to copy.
After you post
When the DMs come anyway
However clear your post is, some people will message you. Have one reply ready and send it every time. Thank them, point them to your booking link, and ask for the idea, placement, size and references there. Say plainly that applying does not book a date, so nobody thinks they are in just because they sent something.
Then work through applications in one place rather than in your inbox, where a good idea can sit under forty stickers and a "hey!". Our guide to moving enquiries out of DMs has a reply you can adapt, and covers what to do with someone you have already agreed the details with.
Answer everyone, including the noes. A short, kind decline keeps people following you for the next round.
Questions
Books open posts, answered.
Is the books open post maker free?
Yes. There is no account and no email to give. Make as many posts as you like. A small maelo.app mark is on by default, and one switch turns it off.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. The post is drawn in your browser, on your own device. Your image is never sent to Maelo or anyone else, and it is gone when you close the page.
What sizes does it make?
An Instagram story at 1080 by 1920 pixels and a feed post at 1080 by 1350, the 4:5 portrait size. Your words are kept clear of the buttons Instagram draws over a story and of the edges the profile grid crops off a post.
Can I use my own booking link?
Yes. Put whatever people should do in How to apply: your own form, your website, an email address, or a Maelo booking page. The tool does not check or change it.
How do I get it onto Instagram from my phone?
On a phone, tap Share under the post and pick Instagram, or save the image to your photos and post it from there. On a computer the button downloads a PNG you can send to your phone.