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HomePhotographyMastering the Art of Publishing Your Photo Book

Mastering the Art of Publishing Your Photo Book


Photobooks are still going strong in the digital world, where nothing feels tangible, especially photographs. Whether you publish through a traditional publisher or self-publish, a photo book is a great way to take your photography to the next level and get your work printed.

Two years ago, I was contacted by a small publisher who wanted to publish an Iowa photograph book. At first, I was skeptical and thought it was a scam because they reached out to me through Instagram. Long story short, in less than two years, I published my first book In 2023. My second book will be available in summer 2025. In 2024, I self-published a book detailing my 10-day trip on Route 66. But how does one self-publish or even find a publisher?

Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing

First, let’s look at self-publishing – the process of an author publishing his or her work independently. Self-publishing is a challenge. Well, anything has to be published! Self-publishing gives you the most control over your book, including layout, size, hardcover and softcover options. It also allows you to retain full ownership of your work and royalties, typically 60 to 90% of earnings. As for distribution of the book, it’s up to you!

Traditional publishing is the process where the publishing company buys the rights, and this will vary. My publisher lets me keep all the rights to the work, and they handle distribution. The publisher will tell you what the specifications of the book will be, from the size of the book to the paper used! The best thing about a traditional publishing company is that you have a professional team behind the work, and you get to send back revisions if errors occur in the layout process. Unfortunately, publishers are hard to find. During this process, they will have parameters set. When I received my contract, I was told the number of pages, photos, size of the book, as well as how many words of text were required, and this did not include captions.

defining a concept

Having a defined concept is important to attract the attention of a publisher or even self-publish your book. First, I would find the larger overall concept and explore it in depth until it is more defined. The easiest way to find your idea is to focus on your favorite topic. This will take time from start to finish, so you’ll need a topic you can stick to. Think about what story you want to tell. Is it about a place, a topic, or a personal journey? Once you know this, it will be much easier to define your concept. A strong concept will help you create a list of images you can look at in your collection or create for a project. Photographers usually start a project without the end in mind, and that’s okay.

editing and indexing

Sequencing images is the most essential part of any book, and it can make or break the overall flow of the book. When I self-published the Route 66 book, this was the hardest part. There were some great photos that I had to leave out because none of the supporting photos were strong enough to be placed next to the opposite page. I didn’t want an image that looked like a photo of me taken at night Wigwam Motel Next to the image of a day, because it messed up the flow of the book as the edits were not of the same style. You’ll want to review all of your photos and save your favorite and most impressive images to a folder. Then I printed out color-proof sheets from Lightroom, cut out each image, and started stacking the photos into piles with a theme: motels, iconic locations, signs, etc. I looked at each pile and started finding images that paired well together. I put those images into piles based on categories. Then I stuck them in order on blank sheets of paper. This allowed me to organize the flow of the book.

be selective

You don’t have to add every photo when you’re deleting images. Find the most impressive images and add them. Remember that you have to view your images objectively. Think to yourself, “Is this image strong?” We choose our favorite photos over the technically best ones. We would like to remember that we walked 10 miles up the mountain in cold snow. So, we call it a great image because we put so much effort into creating it, even if it stinks! Find a photographer who is willing to look at your images and the layout of your book. They can give you some of the most valuable information to create a strong flow of images. Stay away from family and friends—they don’t want to hurt your feelings, so these will be the best photos you’ve ever taken and seen for them!

quality printer

Don’t skimp here! You have the most beautiful photos and great layouts. If the print quality is bad, your images will be bad too! If you print through a publisher, this won’t be a problem. if you’re self publishingTake your time on this step. Request samples of paper types and see if they have book examples they can send you to look at, or at least pages with photos they have printed. One thing I would suggest is that if you have the chance, buy a copy before you run through a big batch of books. This will allow you to see the final result; If you need to make changes, you can. If you make a mistake and have too many books, it’s a waste of time and money!

have fun

Whether you’re using a traditional publisher or self-publishing, remember to have fun. This is a tremendous process and also cumbersome. This is a chance to hone your skills—a new way to showcase your work. If you don’t think you’ll have any fun with the process, don’t do it. Why waste your time if there’s no entertainment involved?

ultimately

I barely scratched the surface of this entire process, and having gone through it three times over the years, I loved the process. It takes time, but there’s no greater joy than when you get your first copy in your hands. Even better is when someone buys your book!





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