 | | Phil Trager's Tips about Creating and Publishing Photo Books
by Mark Lapin Are you looking to elevate your hobby into a profession by getting your own photography book published? Here are Phil Trager's insider tips for working with a publisher. Article rating: 8.67 |
Phil Trager says he’s ‘kind of lost track’ of how many books of his photography have been published during the course of his 40-year career as a fine art photographer. He thinks the number is around ten, not counting the books he’s cooperated on with other photographers. The critics keep closer count and have honored all of Trager’s publications with high praise and prestigious awards. Whatever the grand total may be, Trager is eminently qualified to offer insights to those who share his passion for seeing their photographs between hard covers. While some of his comments apply specifically to fine art photography, most are relevant to photo books in general.
1. Understand the economics
‘The economics are difficult. If someone wants to make money on a book, they probably should not be thinking about a book of fine art photography. Well-printed photo books are expensive to produce. It’s costly to print in duotone or tri-tone, with varnish, on good paper. And generally, fine art books do not sell 25,000 or 50,000 copies, like a National Geographic book on Australia. It’s very hard to find a publisher. Some firms are now looking for monetary participation by a gallery or museum to help support the project. Fewer publishers are putting out fine art photography books now but overall, I don’t think the economics of it are any worse than they were in years past.’
2. Start with a clear concept and a serious commitment
‘You should have a clear concept of what your book is going to be about. That concept may change. It may evolve as you do the work. In fact, it must evolve. But you shouldn’t rush into a book without a clear idea about what you’re trying to accomplish. You should also be realistic about how difficult it is to create a book of photographs. It usually takes me three to seven years to finish a book project. Some people take longer. You have to be motivated because it’s not going to be easy.’
3. Do most of the photography before approaching a publisher
‘You should eventually have enough photographs so that it’s a valid body of work that holds together and really should be a book. If you don’t have a track record of previous publications, you really should have the photography mainly completed before looking for a publisher. If you don’t, the publisher will wonder if you will complete the work, if you can complete it, if the quality will be the same from beginning to end.’
4. Think about the text for your work
‘If it’s important to have text, careful thought should be given to how the text enhances the photos, how the words relate to the images. I’ve done books with almost no words; FACES is an example of that. I’m not a big believer in writing about my own photographs.
‘A writer with a recognizable name that will help attract publishers can be very good for your project. But you don’t want to pick somebody just for the sake of the name. You want a good writer who is suited to the project.’
5. Edit your photos before approaching publishers
‘If you’re getting ready to present your project, it should be edited so that the body of work is absolutely at its strongest before you show it to publishers. Certainly, I’ve edited out a few photos that I later wished were included. I think that always happens. But I’d rather be overly harsh than see something in a book years later and wonder why I ever left that in.’
6. Sequencing is essential
‘Sequencing is one of the most essential elements of presenting a project and of the final book, of course. You have to think about which photos go next to one another, if they should be on facing pages or next to a blank page. A book has to have flow and rhythm. It has to make sense as you go through the work. If you change the order and move even one image, you should go through it again, looking at what came before and what comes after.
‘When you think you’ve got it all done, my advice is to put everything away and look again in a few days or a week. Then redo it, and redo it again. Instincts are important, and often your first choices are right, but they’re not infallible.
‘How do you decide? For the kind of books that I do, it’s purely an emotional and aesthetic decision. A different kind of project might be organized chronologically, or by geographical district, if that makes sense.’
7. Make a model of your book
‘Before showing their work to publishers, many people build little models or maquettes of the book they’d like to see. Some people just put a few photos or pages in their model. If you don’t have a track record of previous publications, it’s probably better to put in more. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be the whole work. You want enough so that it opens and closes well and shows off the photos at their best. Sometimes local designers can help you create a professional-looking model.’
8. More tips on making a model of your book
‘If you have skill with computers, you can do the model that way. But, I believe it is best if it is done by hand. I have to turn the pages.
‘The first thing is to decide the page size and layout. If most of your photos are vertical or horizontal, that will determine your choice. Then you have to decide on the margins, if the photos bleed or go to the edge of the pages. Do they cross over or are they always on a single page?
‘For the model, you want the paper to be just thick enough so that it has some substance but not too thick. I use drawing paper, 14x17 artists’ pads, and I’ll cut the paper in three or four different sizes to find the format that works best. Then I’ll stick the photos on the paper with artists’ tape so they can be easily removed.
‘I’ll also experiment with different sizes for the photos. Generally, I’ll make one set of good prints in the darkroom and then use a Xerox machine to reproduce them in three or four different sizes. You just want to create an idea of how the finished book will look.’
9. Only approach publishers who are interested in the type of book you’re doing
‘When you’re finally ready to approach publishers, look at a lot of photo books and only contact the publishers who have done your kind of book. If a publisher specializes in documentary work and you’re doing a fashion project, don’t go to them. You’ll save time for everybody. Contact the publishers who have a logical interest in the work you’ve done. You also want to look at the quality of the books they put out to make sure you want to trust them with your project.
‘Before sending out a model, you’ve got to contact them by letter, and you can’t expect them to jump at your first letter. You may have to call or write several times. You have to walk that fine line between being persistent and being a pest.’
10. If you’re lucky enough to find a publisher…
‘If you have the good luck to get published, stay very involved in the bookmaking process. Try to work with the designer and correct the proofs as they come off the press. Participating in the design of the book has always have been an extension of the work for me. It has always been very important to me to have the book come out just the way I want it. Fortunately, I’ve always had publishers who were willing to work with me. Steidl, the publisher of my latest books, is a terrific house that believes in working collaboratively with their photographers.
‘Reviews are very important to the success of your book. So try to make sure that the publisher sends out enough review copies and that they go to the right people at the kind of publications that would be interested in your work.’
11. There are alternatives to traditional publishing
‘If someone really wants to get a book out, and they have trouble finding a full-blown trade publisher, they should remember that we have alternatives now, especially with the computer. There are small-run publishers who will produce a limited quantity of books on the computer. Even if it’s a small run, you get your work out there. You have a book. It’s something you can take around and show to galleries. If you’re knowledgeable about Quark, you can do your own desktop publishing. It takes persistence, of course. But no matter how you do it, you need persistence and motivation to produce a book. ^ Back to top
| Comments About This Article |
 | Whew! What great information. Chock full of tips and ideas. Thank you so much Phil Trager! You inspire me . . . and put a seed into my heart to "publish" - even if on a small scale.
Thank You. Posted by: K. Dunne Dec 2, 2006 @ 11:17 PM EST |
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