You’ve collected hundreds of great images, you have something important to share and you’re ready to see your book pop onto the shelf at Borders. How do you get from where you are now, to the bookstore?
It all starts with a book proposal.
And it gets harder from here.
The ugly facts are that the recession is making it harder than ever to get a book deal. Photo books are even harder to promote to publishers since they typically don’t sell well compared with the average Stephen King novel.
But nonetheless, books will continue to be made and bought so why not take your shot?
The first thing you’ll need to do is craft a snappy title and come up with your best photo for the proposal. Then you need to write a proposal that convinces the publisher you can write the book.
Here are some suggestions as to format and content. There is no wrong or right way to do this, but the ideas I am sharing with you have worked for me when I pitched books.
1. Title
2. Cover photo
3. Contact info
This needs to be catchy. The cover photo and the title are as much responsible for a publisher responding to your proposal as anything else you do. Get this right.
4. About the author (be brief – only share what you need to share in order to prove you can do this.)
5. Summary (what is the book about.)
6. Organization (how many chapters, pages, illustrations.)
7. Audience (who will buy this book and why.)
8. Competition (are there other books on your topic? Provide details, title, author ISBN and publishing date. Don’t fudge here. The publisher can look this stuff up too.)
9. Status (how long will it take to finish the book? How many pages are ready now?)
10. Proposed Table of Contents
11. Sample images and text
This next section is important!
12. Mission (how is this book different from the competition and what do you hope to accomplish with it?)
13. Sales materials (prepare sales materials in advance to show the publisher that you’re willing to participate in the book’s marketing. Letters, websites, social media accounts and anything else you can show to the publisher in the way of a marketing plan will really help your chances.)
14. Proofread three times (Mistakes at this level are a surefire indicator you don’t have what it takes to do the job.)
Once you have the basics, find out the NAME (not just the title) of the person who reviews book proposals at the publisher you’ve selected. Send them the proposal via courier and make sure to send return postage if you expect materials returned back to you.
Prepare for rejection. Try again. Repeat as necessary.
Eventually, if your idea is strong enough, and you can prove to the publisher that your book will sell, you’ll get accepted.
This process isn’t for everyone. It’s hard to get a book published and frankly, it should be hard. Otherwise, it would be even MORE difficult to find the books we want at Amazon.
Is there a list of photo book publishers to start with?
Is there a list of photo book publishers to start with?
I have 5 books published and I would like to add these ideas.
1. Consider writing articles first. A few reasons: 1. It’s much easier to string together 1000 – 1500 words that it is to string together 40 to 75 thousand!, 2. To bring a book from an idea to the public can cost upwards of $50,000 while an article in a magazine requires much less of a cash outlay to the magazine publisher (typically $.50 – $ 1.50 per word) so there’s a much better chance of getting one published, 3. It helps you to develop a following and an audience while making your name know which, in turn, builds a potential customer base. 4. Writing a book takes a lot of discipline while writing an article takes a lot less discipline but it’s still good practice for the big push!
2. Avoid the vanity press! The worst thing in the world is to have a thousand books sitting in boxes in your home or office that you have to market and sell by yourself. You want an established publisher that gives you a contract and pays you an advance against royalties and a possible payment for production expenses if you are generating new images specifically for the book (this payment for is NOT to be considered as royalties). You shouldn’t have to bankroll the project yourself.
3. find an attorney that specializes in “intellectual properties”. Don’t think you can understand a book contract without advice. Publishers have entire legal departments and you should have legal representation too. What’s that old saying: “A man who acts as his own attorney has a fool for a client”
4. Getting a book published is not as easy as it might seem!
Good luck,
Steve Sint
Steve, is getting a book published these days worth the effort? I mean are the financial rewards worth the time, effort, and stress, on average? I realize if you publish a big hit you will get big money. But how many published books actually equate to decent revenue for the author?
Steve, is getting a book published these days worth the effort? I mean are the financial rewards worth the time, effort, and stress, on average? I realize if you publish a big hit you will get big money. But how many published books actually equate to decent revenue for the author?
Steve this is a funny coincidence – on Sunday – we’re reviewing your portrait book here. Another coincidence – I too have five books. I agree with all of your advice but not sure why anyone would think getting a book published is easy (i.e. your number 4) – I can only assume anyone in that position has never tried. Thanks for chiming in.
Simply Google “Photo Book Publishers” to get a starting point. You can also look at both http://www.writersmarket.com/ and http://www.photographersmarket.com/ for more ideas.
Simply Google “Photo Book Publishers” to get a starting point. You can also look at both http://www.writersmarket.com/ and http://www.photographersmarket.com/ for more ideas.
With the proliferation of book making services, if you have an idea ready to go would it be good for you to send along a prototype of what you’re imagining?
With the proliferation of book making services, if you have an idea ready to go would it be good for you to send along a prototype of what you’re imagining?
Scott: I noticed one of your books, “88 Secrets to Selling & Publishing Your Photography” has been made into a video training title at Lynda.com. Would you use a similar proposal if you wanted to jump right to the video stage and by-pass writing the book? Thanks for another great post.
Scott: I noticed one of your books, “88 Secrets to Selling & Publishing Your Photography” has been made into a video training title at Lynda.com. Would you use a similar proposal if you wanted to jump right to the video stage and by-pass writing the book? Thanks for another great post.
What about using Blurb (or similar) to produce a small number of samples to send to prospective publishers?
What about using Blurb (or similar) to produce a small number of samples to send to prospective publishers?
David, this is a tough question because the answer could be either yes or no.
You might write a book that hits it big and sells a half million copies but that kind of book is usually aimed at a broad market segment. Obviously, the smaller the market segment (like say a book to professional, wannabe professional, or advanced photographers which is the market I write for) has a much smaller chance of becoming something you could retire on.
While I’m certainly interested in my books selling well (and me making a good return on my investment of time and angst) I also do it for altruistic reasons. I like to teach and my rationale behind this statement goes like this (I will share this because someone asked me why I like to teach a few weeks ago):
“I realized a long time ago that I was going to die (although, hopefully, not immediately…;)) and decided (after shooting over 2 million photographs) it would be dumb for me to leave without telling others what I’ve learned…why should every young photographer make the same mistakes I did?
It would be as if the guy who invented the first wooden wheels one autumn, burned them all to keep warm that winter, and then he died in his hut just before the first sping thaw without telling anyone what he figured out.”
I like the idea of passing knowledge on and that drives me.
So, to answer your question from my personal point of view, I find going through all the effort and hassle of writing a book well worth the effort but not primarily for the monetary rewards which may never materialize anyway.
I hope this info helps you,
steve Sint
I think I’d disagree somwhat with point 2.
Vanity presses are not what they once were. Services like blurb.com or lulu.com don’t require inventory orders and can even do one-offs. Their products are bookstore quality, and it’s extremely rewarding to see your work in ‘published’ format. The experience of a printed volume of your works can also inspire the confidence to take it to the next level, and find a literary agent and mainstream publisher.
Personally, I can’t see me ever going that route again…after working a year putting the book together, getting in the door with a great agent, and then waiting another year while my manuscript made the rounds in New York, I still ended up unpublished. I received trivial amounts of feedback from publishers on how to possibly tailor the book to their preceived market, so the year was a loss except for the knowledge gained.
Nowadays, I’d forgo all the lost time and inflicted angst, and publish the book myself (exactly as I like it). Then, spend that otherwise lost time employing the myriad self promotion and marketing tools available to authors these days. The sense of control and satisfaction well offsets the extremely slim chance of big volume sales with a big publishing house. Well, does to me, anyways. ;-)
I think I’d disagree somwhat with point 2.
Vanity presses are not what they once were. Services like blurb.com or lulu.com don’t require inventory orders and can even do one-offs. Their products are bookstore quality, and it’s extremely rewarding to see your work in ‘published’ format. The experience of a printed volume of your works can also inspire the confidence to take it to the next level, and find a literary agent and mainstream publisher.
Personally, I can’t see me ever going that route again…after working a year putting the book together, getting in the door with a great agent, and then waiting another year while my manuscript made the rounds in New York, I still ended up unpublished. I received trivial amounts of feedback from publishers on how to possibly tailor the book to their preceived market, so the year was a loss except for the knowledge gained.
Nowadays, I’d forgo all the lost time and inflicted angst, and publish the book myself (exactly as I like it). Then, spend that otherwise lost time employing the myriad self promotion and marketing tools available to authors these days. The sense of control and satisfaction well offsets the extremely slim chance of big volume sales with a big publishing house. Well, does to me, anyways. ;-)
I think I’d disagree somwhat with point 2.
Vanity presses are not what they once were. Services like blurb.com or lulu.com don’t require inventory orders and can even do one-offs. Their products are bookstore quality, and it’s extremely rewarding to see your work in ‘published’ format. The experience of a printed volume of your works can also inspire the confidence to take it to the next level, and find a literary agent and mainstream publisher.
Personally, I can’t see me ever going that route again…after working a year putting the book together, getting in the door with a great agent, and then waiting another year while my manuscript made the rounds in New York, I still ended up unpublished. I received trivial amounts of feedback from publishers on how to possibly tailor the book to their preceived market, so the year was a loss except for the knowledge gained.
Nowadays, I’d forgo all the lost time and inflicted angst, and publish the book myself (exactly as I like it). Then, spend that otherwise lost time employing the myriad self promotion and marketing tools available to authors these days. The sense of control and satisfaction well offsets the extremely slim chance of big volume sales with a big publishing house. Well, does to me, anyways. ;-)
I think I’d disagree somwhat with point 2.
Vanity presses are not what they once were. Services like blurb.com or lulu.com don’t require inventory orders and can even do one-offs. Their products are bookstore quality, and it’s extremely rewarding to see your work in ‘published’ format. The experience of a printed volume of your works can also inspire the confidence to take it to the next level, and find a literary agent and mainstream publisher.
Personally, I can’t see me ever going that route again…after working a year putting the book together, getting in the door with a great agent, and then waiting another year while my manuscript made the rounds in New York, I still ended up unpublished. I received trivial amounts of feedback from publishers on how to possibly tailor the book to their preceived market, so the year was a loss except for the knowledge gained.
Nowadays, I’d forgo all the lost time and inflicted angst, and publish the book myself (exactly as I like it). Then, spend that otherwise lost time employing the myriad self promotion and marketing tools available to authors these days. The sense of control and satisfaction well offsets the extremely slim chance of big volume sales with a big publishing house. Well, does to me, anyways. ;-)
Blurb and lulu (I have a project going on lulu as we speak) are not “vanity” presses, they are self-publishers — a big difference. Self-publishing is a great way to go, especially for local projects. Neither, however, do a great job with photobooks (although they don’t do a bad job). Ask lulu about soft-proofing or printer profiles and they have no idea what you’re talking about.
Blurb and lulu (I have a project going on lulu as we speak) are not “vanity” presses, they are self-publishers — a big difference. Self-publishing is a great way to go, especially for local projects. Neither, however, do a great job with photobooks (although they don’t do a bad job). Ask lulu about soft-proofing or printer profiles and they have no idea what you’re talking about.
Sean, I think your idea is a good one. I am using lulu for the initial printing and distribution because of the little-money-up-front (just thousands of hours of work) part of the equation. I would like to then possibly do a 1000 – 2000 print run in order to get a lower price per copy). The price per copy is VERY expensive with lulu (my 100 page book will be around $18, soft cover).
Question: does anyone know of a service that will do runs of around 1000 copies more cheaply?
That seems like an easy question, but I’ve looked and can’t seem to find one. I’m told one solution is to get a “print-broker”, but that seems like an unnecessary intermediary.
One last point: writing a photo book (or a book with lots of photos, if you prefer) is a GREAT way to improve your photography. All of a sudden you have an assignment every weekend, shot lists to go down, and real purpose in your shooting. You have to learn different techniques, and you have to learn to improvise. For example, I have been trying to figure out a way to take an interesting photo of a monument. I wasn’t getting anywhere until I was forced to learn a little about portrait lighting (for another part of the book). Now I have some great ideas on using portable flashes for the monuments to create dramatic effects!
Sean, I think your idea is a good one. I am using lulu for the initial printing and distribution because of the little-money-up-front (just thousands of hours of work) part of the equation. I would like to then possibly do a 1000 – 2000 print run in order to get a lower price per copy). The price per copy is VERY expensive with lulu (my 100 page book will be around $18, soft cover).
Question: does anyone know of a service that will do runs of around 1000 copies more cheaply?
That seems like an easy question, but I’ve looked and can’t seem to find one. I’m told one solution is to get a “print-broker”, but that seems like an unnecessary intermediary.
One last point: writing a photo book (or a book with lots of photos, if you prefer) is a GREAT way to improve your photography. All of a sudden you have an assignment every weekend, shot lists to go down, and real purpose in your shooting. You have to learn different techniques, and you have to learn to improvise. For example, I have been trying to figure out a way to take an interesting photo of a monument. I wasn’t getting anywhere until I was forced to learn a little about portrait lighting (for another part of the book). Now I have some great ideas on using portable flashes for the monuments to create dramatic effects!
By the time you are writing your proposal, it is too late to become the dominant web expert on your topic, which adds credibility to you being the right one for the topic. That process of blogging and social media needs to start early in the process. No one knows more about Highway 89 (greatest road trip in America) than me.
By the time you are writing your proposal, it is too late to become the dominant web expert on your topic, which adds credibility to you being the right one for the topic. That process of blogging and social media needs to start early in the process. No one knows more about Highway 89 (greatest road trip in America) than me.
Scott,
I’ve learnt a lot from the TWIP blog & podcast, but this is possibly the single most valuable advice I have found here.
My new project for the year is trying to create one book per month, the idea is that I (a) have an incentive to get out do to some serious shooting and (b) actually think deeply about what I want get across with my shots. I think this will be great fun and an interesting learning experience – and with the printing services available, printing the 1-5 copies of each book I want should be very achievable.
Thanks a lot for valuable advice on the way – though I might not need to market myself all that much to Apple’s printing services, tips on getting organized are very helpful.
Scott,
I’ve learnt a lot from the TWIP blog & podcast, but this is possibly the single most valuable advice I have found here.
My new project for the year is trying to create one book per month, the idea is that I (a) have an incentive to get out do to some serious shooting and (b) actually think deeply about what I want get across with my shots. I think this will be great fun and an interesting learning experience – and with the printing services available, printing the 1-5 copies of each book I want should be very achievable.
Thanks a lot for valuable advice on the way – though I might not need to market myself all that much to Apple’s printing services, tips on getting organized are very helpful.
Sorry to be pedantic, but Blurb and Lulu fall under the definition I’ve always understood to vanity presses…namely, author pays to have their book published, with complete editorial freedom. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=vanity+press
As far as the quality of Blurb’s hardcovers, the one’s that friends have shown me were fantastic. Granted, Blurb’s “Booksmart” software is somewhat limited compared to the free reign you have in InDesign or Quark, but the end result is still quite amazing…something an author couldn’t even dream of 10 years ago unless they had $15K+.
Sorry to be pedantic, but Blurb and Lulu fall under the definition I’ve always understood to vanity presses…namely, author pays to have their book published, with complete editorial freedom. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=vanity+press
As far as the quality of Blurb’s hardcovers, the one’s that friends have shown me were fantastic. Granted, Blurb’s “Booksmart” software is somewhat limited compared to the free reign you have in InDesign or Quark, but the end result is still quite amazing…something an author couldn’t even dream of 10 years ago unless they had $15K+.
Okay folks let’s try to stay on topic. This post is about book proposals. If you want to discuss other things related to photo publishing feel free to start a thread over in the forums.
Okay folks let’s try to stay on topic. This post is about book proposals. If you want to discuss other things related to photo publishing feel free to start a thread over in the forums.
Great info Scott!! Thanks.
Great info Scott!! Thanks.