Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“It wasn’t until I started reading and found books they wouldn’t let us read in school that I discovered you could be insane and happy and have a good life without being like everybody else.” – John Waters
It’s National Book Lovers Day
Books can be both entertaining and educational at the same time. Reading improves your memory, concentration and helps reduce stress, which is why each night I like to read a book in bed before falling asleep. Studies have show that older adults who spend some time reading show a slower cognitive decline and tend to participate in more mentally stimulating activities over their lifetime.
When it come to the world of publishing, I’ve noticed that many photographers dream of accomplishing two things:
The first is being featured in National Geographic magazine )if that’s even going to be a thing in the future..) and the second is showcasing their photography in a coffee table book. I can’t help you with that first goal but can provide some insight into the second.
Let’s start at the beginning: I have a theory about the three main reasons why people want to write photo books. They do it:
- To become famous
- To help people
- To make money
I once told a book publisher about those three reasons and she asked, “who said that?” and my answer was “I did!” The proportion of each of these particular motivations that go into an author’s motivation seem to vary depending on the individual. If you’re interested, my reason for writing all the 37 books I’ve published so far is #2.
How I made this image: I photographed the amazing Pam Simpson as she was lying on the floor in my home studio. The camera used was a Canon EOS 60D with EF-S15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens (at 42mm) with an exposure of 1/125 sec at f/7.1 and ISO 100. Lighting was from a single Paul C Buff DigiBee with a Plume Wafer softbox attached.
That image appears on the cover of my book Posing for Portrait and Glamour Photography: Techniques for Digital Photographers. As I write this, copies are available from Amazon for $26.95 with used copies starting around 24 bucks. The Kindle edition is $28.45 for those preferring a digital format. The original cover image is shown above right and provides a peek into how the photo book world operates because this was the first and only time a book publisher picked a cover photograph that I suggested.
Now the bad news: Unless you are very, very lucky, notice I didn’t sale talented, you probably won’t get rich writing a photo book or even get a chance to publish one. Everybody’s been almost everywhere and photographed just about everything. To book publishers this translates into who is making the photographs is more important than where they were made.
Unless you have hundreds of thousands of followers on YouTube, Instagram or Twitter, the chance of having a photography book featuring your photographs of Yosemite or Monument Valley are slim but you’ll have a slightly better shot at having your work showcased in a how-to book.
To publish a how-to book, you don’t need an agent and believe me finding an agent to accept you as a client is harder than finding a publisher for your first book. But in today’s publishing world having those hundreds of thousands of social media followers makes it easier for you to write a how-to book because most publishers don’t really want to market your book. They want you to do all the work.
The best place to get started with your book writing career is to pick up a copy of Writer’s Market 100th Edition and read it cover-to-cover and then work through it’s suggestions on getting published. Tip: it’s not going to happen overnight so be patient and work through the process. The book includes a listing of contacts in the publishing world along with tips on how to approach them to sell them your book ideas. And I can attest to the fact that this methodology worked for me when I was first getting started writing books.
In the meantime sit back, relax and read a book.
If you enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to buy Joe a cup of Earl Grey tea ($2.50), click here.
If you’re interested in learning how I shoot available light glamour portraits, please pick up a copy of Available Light Glamour Photography which is available new from Amazon.com for $29.95 or used starting around thirteen bucksas I write this. The Kindle version is $28.45 for those preferring a digital format.