Contents
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1
THE WIDE WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES
The Buyers are Waiting • Trends in the Marketplace • Fifty Thousand Photographs a Day • A Wide-Open Door • Find the Market, Then Create • You, the Photo Illustrator • The “Theme” Markets • Magazines • Books • A Hedge Against a Downturn in the Economy • Good Pictures-Wrong Buyers
Chapter 2
The Difference Between a Good Photo and a Good Marketable Photo • Enduring Images • Good Marketable Photos • The Rohn Engh and Mikael Karlsson Principle for Producing a Marketable Photo Every Time • The Principle • Become a Monopoly • Photos That You Can Read Into—Using the Principle • You Are an Important Resource to Photo Buyers • A Gallery of Stock Photos
Chapter 3
FINDING YOUR CORNER OF THE STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY MARKET
First, Find Yourself • Photographically…Who Am I? • Your PS/A (Photographic Strength/Areas) • The Majors and the Minors • How to Use Reference Guides, Directories and the Internet • Using Your Local Interlibrary Loan Service • Using the Internet • Chart Your Course . . . Build a Personalized Market List • The Total Net Worth of a Customer • Long-Term Value
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Some Basic Questions Answered • What ISO Should I Use? • Scanning: Should I Do It Myself? • Digital Previews and Submissions • Q and A
Chapter 6
TAKING AND MAKING EDITORIAL STOCK PHOTOS
Do You Take or Make Them? • Danger Ahead: Trite Pictures • How to Manage Models • Should You Pay Your Models? • Other Model Sources • When Is a Model Release Necessary? • Dealing with Officials
Chapter 7
THE FINE ART OF DEALING WITH PHOTO BUYERS
Getting to Know Them • The Reliability Factor • The Photo Buyer Connection • Should You Visit a Photo Buyer? • Should You Write? • Should You Telephone? • Should You E-mail? • Get on the Available-Photographers List • Selling the Same Photo to Multiple Buyers • Scanning and Photocopying Your Photographs • The Central Art File • The Permanent File System • The Pirates • The Legal Side
Chapter 8
Master Your Marketing System First • Sell and Re-Sell • The Price Range • Base Camp: Inside-Editorial Use • Which Range for You? • Using the Pricing System: What to Charge • Payment for Other Uses • Within the Price Range, Should You Charge the High End or the Low End? • Unique Pictures—What Are They? • Second Use of Your Pictures • State Your Fee • Pricing the Service Photo • Royalty Free • The Lowest Fee Possible: Nothing
Chapter 9
MANAGING YOUR MAIL AND INTERNET MARKETING OPERATION
How Do I Get My Pictures From Here to There? • Delivery: As Close As Your Mailbox and Computer • Our Postal Service—a Bargain for the Stock Photographer • Preparing Your Stock Photos for the Market • Packaging: The Key to Looking Like a Pro • Writing the Cover Letter • Deadlines: A Necessary Evil • Unsolicited Submissions • The Magic Query Letter • Should You Deal with Markets Outside of the United States? • Which are the Heavy Purchasing Months? • How Long Do Photo Buyers Hold Your Photos? • Sales Tax—Do You Need to Charge It? • When Can You Expect Payment? • How Safe Are Your Pictures in the Hands of a Photo Buyer? • How Much Recompense Should You Expect? • A Twenty-Six-Point Checklist to Success
Chapter 10
IF YOU DON’T SELL YOURSELF, WHO WILL?
Promoting Your Photography • Talent Can Take You Just So Far • Look Like a Pro Even If You Don’t Feel Like One . . . Yet • Your Personal Trademark or Logo • Build a Mailing List • Credit Lines and Tearsheets—Part of the Sale • Show Yourself Off • Reassess Your Promotional Effectiveness • Some Final Self-Promotion Suggestions
Chapter 11
An Extra Dimension for the Photo Illustrator • Negotiating Your Fee • Expenses • Extra Mileage From Assignments • Industry-Sponsored Assignments • The Stringer • Self-Assignments–Where Do You Start? • Making the Contact • A Sampling of Hot Sellers
Chapter 12
STOCK PHOTO AGENCIES AND DECOR PHOTOGRAPHY
Outlets for Track A • Everything New Under the Sun • Prepare to Share Your Profit • Agencies: A Plus with Limitations • How to Contact a Stock Photo Agency • The Timely Stock Agencies • Stock Agency Catalogs • Possible Problems in Dealing with Stock Agencies • Do You Need a Personal Rep? • Using a Stock Agency • Start Your Own Mini-Agency • Décor Photography: Another Outlet for Your Standards
Chapter 13
KEEPING RECORDS: KNOWING WHERE EVERYTHING IS
The Lazy Person’s Way to Extra Sales—Knowing What’s Selling • File It! How to Avoid Excessive Record Keeping • Knowing How to Put Your Finger on It: Cataloging Your Black and Whites and Transparencies • The Basics • The Systems • Counting the Beans • Protecting Your Files • Everything Has Its Place • Digital Storage
Chapter 14
The Success Habit: Following Through • Setting Goals • Getting Organized • Time Your Goals • Is It Easy? A Survival Secret • Think Small • You Manage the Business—Not the Other Way Around • A Self-Evaluation Guide • How to Measure Your Sales Strengths • Pictures Just Aren’t Selling? • A Potpourri of Additional Aids in Working Smart • Tweak Captions to Attract More Photo Buyers
Chapter 15
Copyright • Copyright Infringement • Group Registration • How to Contact the Copyright Office • Interpreting the Law • Be Wary of Dates • Laying Claim to Your Picture • Some Drawbacks of the Copyright Law • A Remedy • Q and A Forum on Copyright • Work for Hire • Electronic Rights • Which Usage Rights Do You Sell? • Read the Fine Print • Forms to Protect Your Rights • Legal Help • You Will Rarely Need a Model Release for Editorial Use • Model Releases—When Must You Get Them? • Oral Releases • Can We Save Them Both? The Right of Privacy and Our First Amendment Rights
Chapter 16
YOUR STOCK PHOTO BUSINESS: A MINI TAX SHELTER
The Great Rebate • The Tax Return • Carrybacks • Your Stock Photography Business Deductions
Chapter 17
STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Which Computer to Buy? • Cataloging and Retrieving Your Pictures • CD-ROMs • Establish Your Own CD-ROM Service • The Three Fs: Fone, Fax and FedEx • Internet: The Electronic Post Office • Online Delivery • Printers to the Rescue • Captions • Word Processing • Spreadsheets • Graphics • Picture Enhancement • Storage • Where to From Here? • Interview with Carole Albertson, Photographer and Owner of LostLands.Net Web Hosting Company