If you really want to push a button with a marketing expert, just whisper, “If you build it, they will come.” He’ll shoot back, “No they won’t.” And, unfortunately, he’ll be right.
People who are passionate about their work expect others to be just as passionate. They are not. Your job is to get them to be. Getting your work and your message out will take just as much time and effort, if not more, as getting the photos. Marketing has to be an integral part of your work plan.
Book Publishing
Most photographers dream of seeing their projects published as a book.
First the bad news: books are seldom financially rewarding. Advances and royalties are usually small. If you make back your expenses and the time you’ve invested in the project, you are lucky. Few books sell more than 5,000 copies.
The profit margin for publishers is small, too. Each proposal is scrutinized carefully. An editor or editorial committee looks at the proposal first. If they like it, they send it to the sales and marketing staff. Many fine book proposals have been rejected because the numbers have not penciled out in the sales and marketing commit-tee. It is not uncommon to get five, 10, or 15 rejections.
So why pursue a book contract? It is simple. There is nothing to compare to seeing your work published in book form. You’ve spent a chunk of your life pursuing a story you believe needs to be told. And, through the book, others will experience the story you are telling.
There are three ways to find a publisher: using a literary agent, working with a packager, or finding one on your own.
Literary agents take proposals to publishers and negotiate con-tracts. Over the years they have developed relationships with publishers that allow them to get in the door. Their experience guides them to publishers that would be a good fit with a project. They normally receive 10 to 20 percent of the advance and royalties.
Packagers will work with you to develop the content, design, and approach of a book. They will take the proposal and mock-ups to publishers and negotiate the contract. They pay the writer and/or photographer, design the book, and supervise the printing. They then present the completed project to the publisher for distribution. Because they design and supervise the entire project, packagers receive a higher percentage of the advance and royalties than literary agents.
Finding a publisher on your own is time consuming and frustrating. You must first research publishing companies and editors to determine who would be interested in the book. Then you have to get in the door. In the hectic world of book publishing, this is a major obstacle. Timing is everything. If you are lucky enough to find an interested company, you then must negotiate the contract, a process that can take months. You will receive all of the advance and royalties, but you might not have negotiated the best deal.
Some photographers and writers decide to self-publish. This means you take on the role of publisher. You hire the writer, designer, and printer, and you supervise the production and printing. You also cover all of the costs. But the job isn’t finished when the book is printed. You must then set up a distribution system in order to sell the book or get it into the stores. And you will have to warehouse the unsold copies. Self-publishing gives you total control. And a major financing headache.
Book Proposals
While every literary agent, packager, or publisher has his or her own guidelines, a book proposal should include the following.
- The book’s title
- The author’s name
- A brief description of the book’s content and theme
- The proposed format of the book, including dimensions and number of pages
- The number of photographs and words
- A description of the potential audience
- A description of similar books and sales figures, if known
- A chapter outline
- Writing and photography samples
One last tip. Make it easy for the overworked, underpaid editors to see the essence of your book idea. Don’t beat them down with superfluous facts and figures. Let your excitement shine through, but show them that you understand business, too.
Magazine And Newspaper Publishing
When I work on personal projects, I try to find funding along the way. My salmon project is a good example of finding multiple sources of funding, many of them based on magazine and newspaper publishing.
My experience can serve as a case history. When I began my salmon project, in 1983, I proposed the story to National Geographic magazine. Bob Gilka, then director of photography, wrote a very nice letter of rejection. While he thought the proposal was very interesting, he asked, “Who gives a damn about fish anyway? I realized I had written the proposal in such a way that he didn’t realize the importance of the fish to the cultures of the northern Pacific Rim. I rewrote it and applied for the Alicia Patterson Fellowship, which is given to journalists to pursue stories of importance. In 1986 I received one of six grants of $25,000.
I went back to National Geographic to see if they would be interested in the story. Rich Clarkson, the director of photography at that time, congratulated me on winning the grant. But he had a suggestion: “We think you should change your topic.”
I didn’t take his advice, and for the next 14 months I traveled around the Pacific Rim to photograph and write about the salmon and the cultures of the salmon.
When my fellowship was over, I again contacted National Geographic. Tom Kennedy, then the new director of photography, regretfully turned down my proposal. My employer, The Seattle Times, published my work in a special section. I was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in a writing category for those stories. At the same time, a similar story National Geographic was working on fell through, and Kennedy hired me to continue work on the salmon story. The story ran in July 1990.
After three years of searching, my determined literary agent found a publisher for the salmon book. I completed the work by using my personal funds. Reaching Home: Pacific Salmon, Pacific People, was published in 1994 by Alaska Northwest Books.
I share this story for two reasons. First, if you believe in what you are doing, don’t take no for an answer. When one door closes, look for another that may be open. Second, don’t expect to get all of your funding in one place. I used my own savings, assignment fees, a grant, and stock photography fees to fund my 10-year project.
Magazine Proposals
Write magazine proposals the way you write grant proposals. Begin with a short introduction of the subject. This one-page treatment includes why it is an important story, the themes you intend to explore, the places and people you anticipate photographing, and why you are the photographer for the job.
Follow this page with an abbreviated list of photo possibilities that are divided into the themes discussed on the first page. This list allows the editor to quickly pick up on the visuals of the story.
The third page is devoted to the proposed budget for the story. Include your fees for the number of days or weeks you need to complete the story, the amount and cost of film and processing, travel, phone, and other expenses. Unfortunately, this page has become increasingly important in this day of belt-tightening.
Include a cover letter with a one-paragraph summary of the proposal. Remember that editors have little time to dwell on proposals. At the very least you want them to read your cover letter.
Follow up with a phone call to make sure they have received your package and see if they have any questions. Listen to their comments. Don’t argue with them if they say no. Thank them for their time and go on to the next editor on your list.
I suggest that you approach one editor at a time. While the chance that two magazines will want to hire you to do the story is slim, it does happen.
Natalie Fobes
(To be continued in Part 2)
This series features selected articles from Shooting From The Heart: Photography That Makes A Difference, our highly regarded handbook for photographers developing documentary projects. If you can’t wait for the full series to be published, feel free to download a free PDF version of Shooting From The Heart and have a copy to keep as your own!