1 “Publishing Your Own Photo Book” by David FitzSimmons
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“Publishing Your Own Photography Book”
by David FitzSimmons
Part I: Planning Your Photo Book
Do you have a great idea for a photography book but are unsure how to get it
published? The good news is that there are more publishing options today than
ever before. Besides working with traditional publishers, doing it yourself is an
often practical alternative. In part one I will cover five preliminary steps for
planning your publication, getting you started down the path of publishing
success.
1. Pick a Unique Subject
If everybody is writing about HDR, portrait lighting, or Photoshop techniques, find
something else to focus on. Look at your own work. What do you specialize in?
Postage stamps? Colorful crystals? Low key portraiture? Survey the field by
going to bookstores and libraries. Do a thorough search online. If your book is
already available, find a new angle or do something different. If you see nothing
on the market like what you are doing, celebrate! Success in publishing often
comes from finding your niche.
Researching the ins-and-outs of self-publishing allowed me to find and hire industry experts to help produce CURIOUS
CRITTERS. The work paid off, with the nonfiction picture book selling out its first printing in four months and winning five
national book awards.
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2. Choose your Audience
Products—yes, your book is a product—are aimed at target audiences. Try to
define exactly who will be most interested in your book. Ask yourself: Who is
most excited about your subject? Who would come hear you speak on your
book? Who would be willing to buy it? The answers to these questions help you
describe your audience. If you photograph children, for example, your book might
appeal most to females, ages 25 to 45, with families. A common mistake is to
believe that your book will appeal to everyone. Trying to attract everyone is most
often the fastest route to attracting no one.
3. Determine How Many Books You Want (and Are Able) to Sell
Once you have picked your subject and your audience, then figure out how many
books you want (and will be able) to sell. Realistically, are there 500; 5,000;
50,000 people who would buy your book over a period of 3 to 5 years? While
there may be thousands of people interested in your subject, can your reach
them all?
My picture CURIOUS CRITTERS book began as a commercial assignment. After Sigma produced two print
advertisements using my animal portraits, one featuring an Eastern box turtle, I realized I had something unique and
appealing to children. So, I began work on a children’s picture book.
4. Choose the Best Publishing Option
If you wish to sell 5,000 to 50,000 books, you have a couple options. Most people
submit their work to a traditional publisher. Before you prepare a book proposal,
go to libraries and bookstores and search online to see who is producing books
in your field. Get current copies of Writer’s Market and Photographer’s Market
(both by Writer’s Digest Books) to find out each publishers requirements for
submitting your book proposal. The directories will help you know for which
publishers you will need an agent.
The other route—the one that I used in publishing my children’s picture book
Curious Critters—is to start your own publishing company. When I founded Wild
Iris Publishing, I immediately hired a book shepherd (or consultant) and then a
designer, editors, and a publicist, all available for short-term work. Because
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starting your own publishing company involves a lot of time and effort, a steep
learning curve, and a sizeable investment up front, many people feel prefer
working with a traditional publisher, but nearly complete control of the design,
production, marketing, and sales may be important to you. I find that knowing
many aspects of publishing, from imagining a book to marketing it, helps me craft
a product that will sell.
For smaller numbers of books, say, in the hundreds, look into other selfpublishing routes. Print-on-Demand (POD) services, such as Lulu or Blurb, allow
you to design your own books, upload them, and print small numbers at a time.
Some companies will sell, print, and ship single copies to buyers. While POD
books tend to be simpler to produce, because profit margins are very low, hiring
designers, editors, and publicists becomes hard to justify. Generally traditional
distributors do not deal in POD books.
David FitzSimmons did much of the photo editing, writing, design, and production from his rural Ohio studio. Due to the
excitement over the first CURIOUS CRITTERS book, David is hard at work on book two in the series, to be released in
early 2014.
5. Do Your Publishing Research
Before you begin any of the above, start reading on the subject of publishing.
Whether you go the traditional route or self-publish, I recommend reading Dan
Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual and Peter Bowerman’s The Well-Fed Self________________________________________________________________
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Publisher. Both books not only offer great insights into traditional and selfpublishing but also offer copious lists of individuals and companies that can help
you succeed. Also consider subscribing to Publishers Weekly, the industry
standard trade publication. Reading PW regularly will help you understand the
trade, keep track of current trends, and inspire you to imagine your next project.
Finally, join trade organizations. In producing Curious Critters, I found great help
from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Independent
Book Publishers Association. Research organizations in your field and join them.
Attend their meetings, read their publications, and always ask lots of questions!
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Part II: Producing Your Photo Book
In part two I will talk about writing, revising, and finding assistants, such as book
shepherds, editors, designers, and printers.
1. Writing Your Book
Before you begin writing, find books similar to the one you will produce. Visit local
libraries and bookstores, and search online. Get a hold of copies to see what
other authors do well and to look for areas of improvement. Look especially hard
for aspects that no one else has covered. If you fill this gap, then you can point
out to your audience how your book is unique.
Part of David’s research included reviewing the National Research Council’s science education standards. CURIOUS
CRITTERS meets all K-8 national life science standards. The red flat bark beetle teaches young readers about habitats,
diet, and – with a half dozen mites crawling on its back – parasitism. The black swallowtail focuses on predator/prey
relationships and mimicry.
When you sit down to write, always keep in mind that you are creating a product.
Focus on what Kitty Locker’s business communication handbook calls “you
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attitude.” Consider the needs of your audience. What does your audience want
and need to hear (as opposed to what you want to say)? Meeting their needs will
help you sell your book: you will be able to demonstrate how your product
benefits them.
When I wrote “Curious Critters,” for example, I kept elementary school teachers
and librarians in mind. I researched national and state life science education
standards and then wrote my book to meet all K-8 standards. Now I can
demonstrate to educators how “Curious Critters” benefits them.
Before I wrote Curious Critters, I had a vision: a children’s picture book featuring boldly colored
animal portraits (one per page or per two-page spread), lots of white space, and fun, educational
text. In surveying the market, I found some books with white-backgrounded animal images but
none for ages 4-8. I had found an unfilled niche.
What if you are not entirely comfortable writing? My advice is to work with others
to develop your skills. Identify family and friends who are good writers and seek
their help. Enroll in a class at a local adult education program, college, or
university. And look for writing groups in your neighborhood or within professional
organizations. In writing “Curious Critters,” I sought the advice of other writers in
the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, for example, and I asked
for help from my colleagues at Ashland University, where I teach writing.
2. Revising Your Work
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Do not skimp on revision. After writing your book, revise, revise, and revise. You
have identified your audience earlier, so now find members of this group and
have them test your work.
Ask qualified family, friends, and colleagues, remembering to keep a list of
editors, both for acknowledgement later and free delivering free, signed copies
upon publication. Ask your editors general and specific questions. A typed or
emailed questionnaire helps professionalize the process. Have your peer editors
look for what’s working and what’s not.
Ruthlessly cut anything extraneous. If a sentence is too long, cut words. If the
entire sentence is extraneous, delete it. If the work will stand without a
paragraph, eliminate it. A trick: imagine that someone offers you $1 for every
word that you cut. Then weigh whether you’d rather keep, say, 20 precious words
or pocket a sawbuck.
While you are cutting words, start examining your photos with an equally ruthless
eye. Ask photographers and non-photographers to look at your collection of
images. Find out which are their favorites (and why), and identify the weak ones.
Eliminate all images that are not exceptional. If you must include a particular
image but your current one is not up to par, then re-shoot it. In today’s highly
visual culture, your photos will more than likely be the primary selling point of
your book.
Originally the copy next to the blue jay was about 25% longer. Cutting back the word count
created a punchier, cleaner, and more readable page. Read this and other sample pages by
visiting www.curious-critters.com and clicking on Sample Pages.
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3. Seeking Professional Help: Editors, Designers, and Printers
The final stage of revising involves working with one or more professional editors.
Many self-published authors make the mistake of not hiring a good editor. But
how do you find a good editor?
Start with a Book Shepherd
Perhaps the best way to find an editor is to start one step back: Consider hiring a
book shepherd who can recommend top-level help. Also known as a book
consultant, a book shepherd is someone who, having accumulated extensive
experience in publishing, offers assistance to beginners.
In part one, I mentioned two books, Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual and
Peter Bowerman’s The Well-Fed Self-Publisher. In producing “Curious Critters,” I
consulted lists in these books for possible shepherds. After interviewing several
candidates, I hired one of Poynter’s recommendations, Peter Beren, the former
publisher at Sierra Club Books, to help me produce my natural history-based
book. Seek book shepherds with experience in your book’s area.
Beren’s experience with top Bay-area professionals helped me find exceptional
editors. If you do not hire a book shepherd (a mistake, in my opinion), look for
lists of editors in self-publishing books or by searching online. One good place to
start is the Editorial Freelancers Association.
As you work with your copy editor, make sure to have her look at your images
and captions. All parts of your book must work together. And consider hiring
more than one editor. I utilized three paid editors as well as numerous family,
friends, and colleagues in revising “Curious Critters.”
Book Design
Having strong images will help sell your book, but even the best artwork can look
mundane if it is arranged attractively and if the files are not prepared properly. So
hire a professional designer.
As with finding an editor, a book shepherd can be invaluable. If you find a
shepherd who has worked on books like yours, then he should be able to find a
designer who is comfortable working with your type of photography. In the case
of “Curious Critters,” Beren recommended Iain Morris, an excellent choice in my
case: Morris had worked with high key images like mine when he worked for
Dorling Kindersley.
Interview designers, asking to see sample books. Show them your work, and talk
about time frames and number of revisions. Be prepared: hiring a designer is a
sizeable investment. It may cost you thousands of dollars, but the payoff will be
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professionally designed book that will grab people’s attention. My investment in
hiring Morris resulted in a national book design award.
The designer of “Curious Critters,” Iain Morris, took my vision and executed it beautifully. My wife,
Olivia, came up with the concept for this life-size silhouettes page in order to show the relative
sizes of the animals in the book. What appears in “Curious Critters,”, as above, is pretty much
Morris’ first crack at it. His professional design work, complementing my photography, helped
“Curious Critters” receive national recognition with a bronze medal in the 2012 PubWest Book
Design Awards competition.
Finding a Printer
Finally, you will need a printer. With color photos, you will most likely end up
printing overseas, namely in Southeast Asia. This is for two reasons: first, fourcolor printing is expensive. Printing overseas can save you a lot of money.
Secondly, much of the top-level color printing is done overseas.
A book shepherd with experience working with color photos can help you find a
printer. For the first printing of “Curious Critters,” I worked through a print broker,
a middleman who helps oversee the overseas production. For the second
printing I hired a printer directly.
If you go the print-on-demand (POD) approach (discussed in part one, then you
will likely want to go with a printer closer to home. Quality for POD is typically not
up to the level of high-volume four-color printing, so going overseas doesn’t
result in better reproductions; in addition, shipping a small quantity of books from
China, for example, can get quite expensive.
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“Curious Critters” Publishing Dream Team (Production)
Peter Beren – literary agent and book shepherd, former publisher of
Sierra Club Books
Lisa Kirk – freelance editor
Roger Ma – print broker, Globalink
Donna Linden – editorial/graphics production manager at the
Exploratorium, formerly with Red Wheel Weiser, Wadsworth,
Chronicle Books, and Wired Books
Iain Morris – art director, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates;
formerly with LucasFilm Licensing, Palace Press
International, and Dorling Kindersley
Amy Novesky – independent editor; former editor, Chronicle Books;
award-winning author
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Part III: Selling Your Photo Book
In part three, I will cover what you need to do to sell your product, including
building a web site, hiring a publicist, finding a distributor, working with
bookstores, planning book events, and working with corporate and nonprofit
partners.
1. Building A Web Site
An engaging, eye-catching, and useful web site is the cornerstone of your book’s
marketing plan. As you, your publicist, reviewers, and readers talk about your
book, you need a place to send them for more information. Today that place is a
web site.
Hire a professional web site designer, and then work together to build a site that
you can maintain over time. For “Curious Critters,” I worked with my friend and
web guru Brett Mitchell, who helped me set up an attractive and functional
Joomla!-based site. Similar to WordPress, Joomla! allows everyday users the
ability to update and change content easily. Pre-made templates in both Joomla!
and WordPress make putting together your site a snap.
Your book’s web site needs to be eye-catching and useful. Make your photos the
centerpiece of the site, but pay close attention to including what users will want.
Include “In the Media” and “For the Media” pages, the former listing all the places
your book has been reviewed (with links). The latter should have downloadable
files, including JPGs of your book’s cover and PDF copies of your press releases
and bio. Other standard pages include “About” and “Contact.”
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The home page for my children’s picture book, “Curious Critters,” matches the design of the book:
high key, bold colors, and simple layouts. Created using Joomla!, I can update, add, or subtract
content as needed. A slide show of “Curious Critters” images engages visitors to the page, and a
limited number of legible links help in navigation.
A nice touch is to add sample flipping book pages. To show readers a 12-page
teaser of “Curious Critters,” I used Flipping Book Publisher to create and upload
a portion of my book. If you don’t want to buy Flipping Book software, there are
free alternatives, such as Issuu or the free version of Flash Page Flip .
Also try to include free downloads for readers. For “Curious Critters” I included
PDF coloring pages and word searches along with eCards. You might make
several of your photographs into downloadable wall paper or offer a short e-book
version.
2. Social Media
More and more large and small companies are turning to social media for sharing
their products with consumers. Starting a blog is a great start, but make sure to
post to it regularly. Dan Hyatt, in Platform, recommends posting several times a
week. He also suggests keeping your blog focused on a subject or theme.
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Facebook, Twitter, and other social media are also good places to share your
enthusiasm and ideas about your photo book. Post images from your book along
with new work on Facebook. If you want to realize the full potential of social
media, commit to spending at least several hours a week. Fashion photographer
and social media expert Lindsay Adler in The Linked Photographers' Guide to
Online Marketing and Social Media says that she spends about an hour a day.
3. Finding a Distributor
If you are going the Print-on-Demand (POD) route, you already have a distributor
in place (the printer), but if you are printing large numbers of copies up front, you
need to locate a company that can ship books to wholesalers, bookstores, and
libraries. A good book shepherd can help you find a distributor. Or consider
purchasing Dan Poynter’s “Locating the Right Distributor” or John Kremer’s
“Book Marketing 105: Choosing a Book Distribution System.” These
downloadable PDF guides will help you find which distributors take on selfpublished authors.
While you might want to sit back and savor the fact that your book has been produced, that’s
really only the beginning. Your book will keep selling as long as you promote it (or, as Jacqueline
Simonds points out, your book will stop selling the day you stop promoting it.) From my studio I
hire publicists, design marketing campaigns, and contact stores to make them aware of my
products. Then I hit the road, presenting programs and events on “Curious Critters” across the
country, from independent bookstores to national conferences.
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Contact distributors that seem like good possibilities. Review their terms and ask
lots of questions, among the most important of which is how they will help you
sell your book. Your distributor, taking a percentage of sales, needs to be a
partner in your marketing plans. Both of you stand to gain if you sell more books.
4.Hiring a Publicist
If you want to sell a lot of books, say, more than a couple thousand, you need to
hire a book publicist. They have contacts with top media and typically have paid
for access to databases, such as Cision. Cision’s database is updated regularly
by individual members of the media. They list contact info on Cision as well as
their specialties. Thus, a publicist with access to Cision may search for media in
your area, in your state, or across the country in order to target those most likely
to talk about your book.
Your publicist will also help you develop media materials. You will write press
releases, arrange interviews, and plan media campaigns. Four months prior to
your book’s launch, your publicist will send advance copies to major reviewers.
For “Curious Critters” I hired two publicists, Paul Krupin and Lorna Garano. Six
months after the book’s launch, “Curious Critters” had been featured by over 200
media, I had appeared on TV in several top-25 TV markets, and the book had
been featured on AnimalPlanet.com, The Huffington Post, and
ScientificAmerican.com. That’s what good publicists can accomplish.
5. Working with Bookstores
Wherever I go, I take my books with me. I seek out local bookstores, especially
independent booksellers. When no customers are in need of attention, I
introduce myself to the store’s book buyer, describe the book and its awards, and
offer to leave a signed sample book. I have ready-at-hand a wholesale order
form, an 8.5” x 11” color brochure, a business card, and a sample book to leave
with the store. I always sign it on the spot, making the sample seem more
valuable and personal.
Because my distributor agreement stipulates that I cannot sell to bookstores, I tell
the book buyer that I am not there to sell my book, only to let them know that my
book is available. The first thing that bookstores will ask is where they can get it.
Distributing to wholesalers Ingram and Baker & Taylor goes a long way because
few bookstores want to buy directly from the author/publisher. It makes their
bookkeeping overly complex.
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6. Book Events
If a bookstore is really excited about your product, ask if they are interested in a
book event. Do not hold book signings, those static events where you sit boredlooking behind a table for two or three hours. Instead, work with your book
shepherd, publicist, and distributor to come up with book events. Envision how
you can create a community program that will attract your tribe (a marketing term
for your audience).
For “Curious Critters,” I put on interactive children’s book performances, where
young audience members help with puppets that match characters in my book.
In addition, children play along with me, singing like frogs, slithering like snakes,
and playing dead like possums. It’s a lot of fun and starkly different from me
sitting behind a table. I market the events for “children and families,” a sure sell to
the media who share news of the event. I hope that you can see that I am not so
much focused on selling my book as developing interest in it. I believe that, if
they like what they see, then they make a purchase.
“Curious Critters” Publishing Dream Team (Marketing & Sales)
Lorna Garano – book publicist; speaker’s bureau director
Paul Krupin – custom targeted PR
Dave Metz – Sigma Corporation of America
Brett Mitchell – designer
Christine Moossmann – marketing director, Sigma Corporation of
America
Jacqueline Simonds – distributor, consultant, author
Marci Stone – Matter Communications
7. Corporate and Nonprofit Partners
As you move forward with planning, producing, and selling your photo book,
consider finding partners to help sell your book. Is there a company or nonprofit
who would benefit from being associated with your book. If it’s an environmental
book, seek a conservation group as a partner. If your book features products,
look for a commercial partner.
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All of the images in “Curious Critters” were produced with Sigma lenses. When I approached
Sigma about helping support my book project, they were excited to join the team. Our work
together promotes the book and Sigma products, a mutually beneficial partnership. Technical
information for each of the photographs in “Curious Critters,” including which Sigma lenses,
cameras, and accessories were used are included on the Equipment Used page of www.curiouscritters.com. The Gila Monster, photographed at the Toledo Zoo, was taken using the Sigma
Macro 50mm F2.8 EX DG. Sigma’s logo appears at the bottom of page 2 of “Curious Critters.”
These partners may be willing to provide some money for, say, printing in
exchange for placing their logo on the book. This has a double return: not only
does it help pay for our costs but it also guarantees that your partner has a
vested interest in your book succeeding. Because every photo in “Curious
Critters” was produced with Sigma lenses, the camera and lens manufacturer
partnered with me in producing and promoting the book.
As you seek partners, try to point out how your quality product will benefit them.
Produce a one page proposal (see Patrick Riley’s “The One Page Proposal”) and
provide samples of the book or pre-production drafts. Your quality book,
professional proposals, and your overwhelming enthusiasm will go a long way in
securing one or more partners.
Writer and photographer David FitzSimmons (fitzsimmonsphotography.com) is
one of four Sigma Pro photographers and a professor at Ashland University.
Check out his award-winning children's picture book, “Curious Critters,” at
curious-critters.com.
Material above is drawn from a three-part feature published by Professional Photographer in 2012. To reproduce any
portion of this material, please contact David FitzSimmons, (419) 892-2900, davefitzsimmons@yahoo.com.
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©2012 David FitzSimmons. All rights reserved. www.fitzsimmonsphotography.com
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David FitzSimmons
Photographer & Writer
4538 Hastings-Newville Road
Bellville, Ohio, USA 44813
(419) 892-2900
davefitzsimmons@yahoo.com
www.fitzsimmonsphotography.com
Biography
David FitzSimmons is an award-winning free-lance photographer and writer as
well as a university professor. David photographs and writes for various
magazines, including Outdoor Photographer, Popular Photography, and
Shutterbug, newspapers, and online publications. His 100+ calendar credits
include numerous titles by BrownTrout and Barnes & Noble. David currently is at
work on a handful of books. His most recent books include Animals of Ohio’s Ponds
and Vernal Pools (Kent State UP, 2011) and Curious Critters (Wild Iris, 2011),
which has won five national book awards.
One of five Sigma Pro photographers in North America, David presents seminars
and workshops to a wide variety of audiences, from public school groups and
college classes to nature centers and civic organizations. His works have been
exhibited at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute and the National Center for Nature
Photography, and the Telluride Photo Festival, among other venues.
David, a former high school English teacher, has been teaching for 20 years. He is
a professor at Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio. David holds a Ph.D. in English
from Ohio State University, with a specialty in narrative theory—investigating the
components of storytelling—something that influences his photography and
writing.
David was inspired to photograph and write about nature by his parents, Mick and
Judy FitzSimmons, active environmentalists and life-long teachers, and he is
assisted in his natural history endeavors by his wife, Olivia, a naturalist and
librarian, and his three daughters, Sarah, Phoebe, and Annabelle.
To see more of David’s work and to know more about seminars and photo
workshops, visit www.fitzsimmonsphotography.com.
To learn more about David’s award-winning picture book, Curious Critters, visit
www.curious-critters.com.