SELF-PUBLISHING YOUR FIRST PHOTOGRAPHIC BOOK

Is it Really Vanity?

 by

 Dr. Carl Edwin Lindgren  

Many authors, scholars, and pseudo intellectuals look upon self-publishing as narcissistic, degrading the cornerstones of creative and academic writing. Many individuals who vocally debase subsidy or self-publishing are ones who published their first book by similar means. Today's self-publisher is heir to a  noble lineage including such literary greats as Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, George Bernard Shaw,  Stephen Crane, Lord Byron, Rudyard Kipling , James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, Carl Sandberg, Zane Grey, and Ezra Pound  -- all of whom paid to have their first works published.

Getting Started

A photographer/writer interested in self-publishing should begin research into finding potential publishers in a logical and thoughtful manner. Since such an undertaking may be time consuming and expensive, the potential author should spend time obtaining literature, pamphlets and advertisements from most of the known subsidy publishing houses. He/she should review literature carefully, call and talk with company representatives, asking any and all questions they feel necessary in producing a quality work. The photographer/writer should initially ask the following:

  1. Does the publisher provide a wide selection of book designs, covers, colors and papers?

  2. Is pricing comparable to other companies? What are the manuscript guidelines?

  3. Can the author have control of the product through all aspects of development?

  4. Can the customer receive full service and is there the option of doing some or much of  the work themselves (i.e., scan in text, typeset their own text, etc.)?  

  5. Is the finished review copy professional in appearance, are the margins even, is the  print clear and bold in appearance?
  6. Will the publisher provide a copy of another customer's  finished product? Authors should specifically  ask for examples of books containing both color and black & white  photographs.
  7. Are the photographs clear, well-defined and sharp?

  8. Do photographs appear grainy?

  9. How good is the color separation and tone quality?

 According to Morris Publishing, in submitting photographs, the photographer/author should remember,  

  1. A good photograph will make a good print. Potential book photographs should NOT include Polaroid prints or negatives.
  2. Photographs should be submitted flat and protected with heavy cardboard to prevent bending in the mail.

  3. The photographer should indicate crop marks for the photographs.  

Taking the Photographs

One important thing to consider when using prints in a photographic work are the legal issues. Do using the prints in anyway  constitute copyright infringement or plagiarism? Another important question is whether written permission was obtained when  photographing a specific scene or location. Although most items fall under public domain, certain logos, businesses and  private residents may require permission before you snap that picture. Also remember to obtain a model release. It is also  essential to receive written authorization before using any photographs of entertainers or celebrities. This also includes  photographs taken of entertainers during performances. If unable to receive permission directly from an individual, you should  make every effort to contact the celebrity's publicist or agent.

The Service

Most subsidy publishers promote and market books in several different ways. Two typical publishers, Aegina Press and University Editions of West Virginia, offers an array of services including: typesetting, printing, binding, submitting reviews to various periodicals; mailing advertising to libraries, bookstores, specialty shops, and universities; bookstore distribution; and finally mailing publication announcements and press releases. The company will also submit the book title to Books in Print and obtain ISBN and Library of Congress registration. Costs of such "total packaging" subsidy publishing range between $3,500-$4,000 for a 500 run manuscript of 50-100 pages. A 300 page paperback book can, however, cost over $5,000, while a photographic book with color and/or  black  and white prints could  cost between $7,000 and $10,000.

    For people with limited financial resources, preferring  to have their 70 page book scanned from typewritten pages to disk, allowing  the publishing company to design the cover and pages, typeset, and produce the final camera-ready copy on 5x7 60  lb acid free paper, the cost usually runs about $1,500. This includes delivery of about 100 hardcover books right to their front doors.  Photographic books with color prints, however, cost substantially more.

A would-be writer should also consider proof-reading costs. If not apt in spelling and grammar, costs to have the book professionally read may run as high as $22.00/hour. Otherwise, one may receive a fancy bound edition, beautifully designed with numerous spellings errors and  poor grammar.

Scanning and Typing

If a manuscript is neatly typed on white 8 1/2 by 11 paper, many printing companies will scan text onto a computer disk for about $1.25/page. Submitted text should be mistake free and re-read for errors and character mistranslations. The scanning of photographs vary but are usually $2.00 each. Scans are stored in ASCII RTF files and, according to the publisher's specifications, either in IBM or Mac compatible format. The files are then stored on 3 1/2" floppy disks. Most companies can have the manuscript scanned and returned with a hard copy within a week.  Once scanned, the author can submit the disk to another company or allow the printing house doing the scanning to proceed with the typesetting.

    Some writers do not have access to typewriters or word-processing and are forced to submit manuscripts in long hand. This type of submission, since it cannot be scanned,  incurs additional costs.  The publisher must have his staff proofread, spell check, and type the text to a disk and print a hard copy for proofing. This process usually costs$2.50/page double  spaced and around $5.00 per single spaced page. Difficult text, large revisions, graphs and charts will be charged by the hour. The turn- around time is about three weeks.  

The Ten Commandments of Marketing

 Diana Donovan of Celo Books states,

A common misconception that I encounter in working with authors seeking self-publication is this: They think that if they self-publish, then it will be easier to sell their book to a traditional publisher. This is true only when their venture has a good sales record to show the publisher. How good the book looks as a self-published book has little or nothing to do with its sale value. The market must be there. The writing (or photography), in most cases, must be good. And the book must be producible at a reasonable cost.

According to Evanston Publishing, there are Ten Commandments for the self-publisher. These include:

  1. Thou shalt make five promotional efforts a day to get your book noticed.

  2. Thou shalt carry copies of your book around with you at all times.

  3. Thou shalt not sell books to bookstores on consignment.

  4. Thou shalt not sell your book to consumers for less than its cover price.

  5. Thou shalt pay special attention to friends, family, and associates when marketing.

  6. Thou shalt not waste your money advertising.

  7. Thou shalt monitor newspapers, magazines, trade journals, T.V. shows and talk radio.

  8. Thou shalt not waste time trying to sell directly to librarians.

  9. Thou shalt be crafty, bold, imaginative, and controversial.

  10. Thou shalt keep special days, holidays, and events holy and observe them with offerings of kits to the media.

Evanston emphasizes they are not a vanity or subsidy press in that they do not market the author's finished product.  Although editing, typesetting, proofreading and manufacturing the book from manuscript form, Evanston doesn't provide the author with promotional programs, warehousing or administrative services. They do, however, provide a free marketing consulting kit to help in creating a professional and marketable product. Unlike Evanston, Dorrance Publishing Co, of Pennsylvania is a full subsidy publishing firm. Having published several notable works Dorrance's warehousing and promotion program (not required by all writers) consists of storing and, upon request, shipping for order fulfillment. Their limited promotion program consists of printing direct mailers announcing the forthcoming book, compiling a review listing of 75 local newspapers, trade magazines, publications, libraries and societies where copies of the books may be sent for review. Books are also sent as part of publicity packages to various radio and television stations, magazines and newspapers attempting to gain recognition for the author's work. These "perks" are similar to most other subsidy concerns.

Additional Tips

According to Evanston , when having a book self-published it is always a good idea to have the company print an extra 200 covers to give out for press releases. Doing this during the original printing incurs little cost and saves the author from sending an entire copy of his book to advertising. The company also suggests authors avoid wasting time on expensive magazine or journal advertisements. It is more economical and sensible to rely on free newspaper publicity and book reviews . Evanston also suggests writer invest in copies of the Writer's Market, Book Marketing Resource Guide or other publications geared toward assisting in writing, answering  royalty questions, selecting publishers, book awards, and general marketing strategies. Some subsidy publishers provide authors with a workbook type publication featuring step-by-step guidance through the printing process. One such company is Ohio based Fairway Press which also offers sample advertisement pages, glossary, helpful hints and practical tips.

Conclusion

Today, self-publishing authors have many options. From the total subsidy publishing (including editorial assistance, cover design book layout, typing, scanning, typesetting, copyright/barcode/ISBN, printing and binding, storage and distributing) to only limited usage, the  hopefully soon to be famous writer/photographer has an array or tools at his disposal. From start to finish, the author is in control of his final product.