HOW TO START SELLING YOUR WORK
If this is your first edition of Photographer’s Market, you’re probably feeling a little overwhelmed by all the information in this book. Before you start flipping through the listings, read the eleven steps below to learn how to get the most out of this book and your selling efforts.
1. Be honest with yourself. Are the photographs you make of the same quality as those you see published in magazines and newspapers? If the answer is yes, you may be able to sell your photos.
2. Get someone else to be honest with you. Do you know a professional photographer who would critique your work for you? Other ways to get opinions about your work: join a local camera club or other photo organization; attend a stock seminar led by a professional photographer; attend a regional or national photo conference or a workshop where they offer daily critiques.
• You’ll find workshop and seminar listings in the Markets section.
• You’ll find a list of photographic organizations in the Resource section.
• Check your local camera store for information about camera clubs in your area.
3. Get organized. Create a list of subjects you have photographed and organize your images into subject groups. Make sure you can quickly find specific images and keep track of any sample images you send out. You can use database software on your home computer to help you keep track of your images.
Other resources:
• Photo Portfolio Success by John Kaplan (Writer’s Digest Books)
• Sell and Re-Sell Your Photos by Rohn Engh (Writer’s Digest Books)
• The Photographer’s Market Guide to Building Your Photography Business by Vik Orenstein (Writer’s Digest Books)
4. Consider the format. Are your pictures color snapshots, black-and-white prints, color slides, or digital captures? The format of your work will determine, in part, which markets you can approach. Below are some general guidelines for where you can market various photo formats. Always check the listings in this book for specific format information.
• digital—nearly all newspapers, magazines, stock agencies, ad agencies, book and greeting card publishers
• black-and-white prints—some galleries, art fairs, private collectors, literary/art magazines, trade magazines, newspapers, book publishers
• color prints—some newsletters, very small trade or club magazines
• large color prints—some galleries, art fairs, private collectors
• color slides (35mm)—a few magazines, newspapers, some greeting card and calendar publishers, a very few book publishers, textbook publishers, stock agencies
• color transparencies (21⁄4×21⁄4 and 4×5)—a few magazines, book publishers, calendar publishers, ad agencies, stock agencies. Many of these photo buyers have begun to accept only digital photos, especially stock agencies.
5. Do you want to sell stock images or accept assignments? A stock image is a photograph you create on your own and then sell to a publisher. An assignment is a photograph created at the request of a specific buyer. Many of the listings in Photographer’s Market are interested in both stock and assignment work.
Listings that are only interested in stock photography are marked with this symbol.
Listings that are only interested in assignment photography are marked with this symbol.
6. Start researching. Generate a list of the publishers that might buy your images—check the newsstand, go to the library, search the Web, read the listings in this book. Don’t forget to look at greeting cards, stationery, calendars, and CD covers. Anything you see with a photograph on it, from a billboard advertisement to a cereal box, is a potential market.
7. Check the publisher’s guidelines. Do you know exactly how the publisher you choose wants to be approached? Check the listings in this book first. If you don’t know the format, subject, and number of images a publisher wants in a submission, you should check their website first. Often, guidelines are posted there. Or you can send a short letter with a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) or e-mail asking those questions. A quick call to the receptionist might also yield the answers.
8. Check out the market. Get in the habit of reading industry magazines.
9. Prepare yourself. Before you send your first submission, make sure you know how to respond when a publisher agrees to buy your work.
Pay rates
Most magazines and newspapers will tell you what they pay, and you can accept or decline. However, you should become familiar with typical pay rates. Ask other photographers what they charge—preferably ones you know well or who are not in direct competition with you. Many will be willing to tell you to prevent you from devaluing the market by undercharging.
Other resources:
• Pricing Photography: The Complete Guide to Assignment & Stock Prices by Michal Heron and David MacTavish (Allworth Press)
• fotoQuote, a software package that is updated each year to list typical stock photo and assignment prices, (800)679-0202, www.cradoc/fotosoftware.com
• Negotiating Stock Photo Prices by Jim Pickerell (www.jimpickerell.com)
Copyright
You should always include a copyright notice on any slide, print, or digital image you send out. While you automatically own the copyright to your work the instant it is created, the notice affords extra protection. The proper format for a copyright notice includes the word or symbol for copyright, the date and your name: © 2013 Jane Photographer. To fully protect your copyright and recover damages from infringers, you must register your copyright with the Copyright Office in Washington DC.
Rights
In most cases, you will not actually be selling your photographs, but rather, the rights to publish them. If a publisher wants to buy your images outright, you will lose the right to resell those images in any form or even display them in your portfolio. Most publishers will buy one-time rights and/or first rights.
Other resources:
• Legal Guide for the Visual Artist by Tad Crawford (Allworth Press)
Contracts
Formal contract or not, you should always agree to any terms of sale in writing. This could be as simple as sending a follow-up letter restating the agreement and asking for confirmation, once you agree to terms over the phone. You should always keep copies of any correspondence in case of a future dispute or misunderstanding.
Other resources:
• Business and Legal Forms for Photographers by Tad Crawford (Allworth Press)
10. Prepare your submission. The number one rule when mailing submissions is: “Follow the directions.’’ Always address letters to specific photo buyers. Always include a SASE of sufficient size and with sufficient postage for your work to be safely returned to you. Never send originals when you are first approaching a potential buyer. Try to include something in your submission that the potential buyer can keep on file, such as a tearsheet and your résumé. In fact, photo buyers prefer that you send something they don’t have to return to you. Plus, it saves you the time and expense of preparing a SASE.
Other resources:
• Photo Portfolio Success by John Kaplan (Writer’s Digest Books)
11. Continue to promote yourself and your work. After you’ve made that first sale (and even before), it is important to promote yourself. Success in selling your work depends in part on how well and how often you let photo buyers know what you have to offer. This is known as self-promotion. There are several ways to promote yourself and your work. You can send postcards or other printed material through the mail; send an e-mail with an image and a link to your website; and upload your images to a website that is dedicated to showcasing your work and your photographic services.