TOP Books Update

...And a bit more in another ongoing saga, that of our own publications: I am feeling a bit like Don Quixote. And also like I'm walking in shin-deep mud: everything is going too slowly, and coming to a dead stop seems a danger at every step.

But I'm meeting with our newly-recruited Production Manager this afternoon; he has a preliminary idea about a book designer; we have book specs and a detailed cost estimate from the printer, and image specs, sort of; we're still wrangling with the whole e-commerce page and fulfillment issue (which is making my head hurt); I think I've decided on a name for the company, although I'm still trying to decide whether to hire an attorney to register the trademark or do it myself, using a smidge of the large swath of free time I spend lolling about in the sunshine sipping vegetarian, alcohol-free mint juleps*; and...

...We have a plan for the first book, including a working title and a concept.

One thing I'm not short of is ideas for possible projects. I finally realized while I was fixing my coffee this morning that I'm thinking of these books sort of like elaborated blog posts, just with more carefully considered and somewhat longer essays and more pictures, in a more durable and more respectable form. There's really little limit to the creativity that could be applied to the projects, once we get experienced enough at the actual production for it to go smoothly. I hope we make it that far.

The first project will be pretty limited. We're going to print only 500 copies. That will probably sell out quickly (especially because many people will be mindful of the possibility that it might end up being not only our first book but maybe our only one—such being the nature of startups). Later projects might be printed in larger numbers, but we have to get a handle gradually on what the market (that would be you) wants.

And finally, on the good side: our books are going to be affordable. Maybe not cheap, as in dirt-, but nothing highfalutin' or onepercenty: just a well-made product for an honest price, accessible to most anyone who might want one. That bit's important to me.

I'll continue to keep you posted.

Mike

*I do not actually have large swaths of free time to spend lolling about in the sunshine sipping vegetarian, alcohol-free mint juleps.

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Marco Maroccolo: "Have you thought about creating a system of pre-orders? in this way you can have a partial idea of ​​the amount of books to be printed...."

Mike replies: I'm definitely not going to do that. The reason is that I want to make sure I have a satisfactory product to deliver before I take anyone's money for anything. We won't sell any books before we have books printed and ready to go.

James Sinks (partial comment): "Just an opinion from a potential customer: I find words in photobooks to be a waste of space about 90% of the time. I rarely make it all the way through an introduction unless it's a just-the-facts-ma'am sketch and I find almost everything 'artistic' written by photographers to be cringe-inducingly bad."

V. Roma responds to James: "To offer a balancing opinion, I am one who does enjoy words in photobooks. I don't think the selection of photos or, to any significant extent, the cost of production of a photobook is ever dictated or limited by the text portion. The way I see it, it's there if you want to read it and easy enough to skip if you don't."

Mike replies: I plan to write the texts myself, and that's one of the reasons I want to do books—I'd like at least a few of my words to have a chance of lasting. All I've ever written is ephemera, from magazine and newspaper articles to blog posts. All topical and timely—and all easily, quickly, and quite naturally forgotten.

One part of the plan, though: the text will always appear at the end of the books, after the pictures. I've always disliked the way that introductions seem to implicitly be telling you what to think of the pictures before you look at them for yourself. And with the text at the end, it will be even easier to ignore, if that what one wants to do. (This is even true with the introductions of many classic books of fiction: they really should appear at the end, after you've had a chance to read the book and make up your own mind about it. Then they can tell you what other people think, and what they think you should think. I never read "introductions" first.

Comments

[James Sinks]

Mike, just an opinion from a potential customer: I find words in photobooks to be a waste of space about 90% of the time*. I rarely make it all the way through an introduction unless it's a just-the-facts-ma'am sketch and I find almost everything "artistic" written by photographers to be cringe-inducingly bad.

For instance, the text in Pentti Sammallahti's Here Far Away made me wish I'd bought the German version, simply so I wouldn't know how embarrassing it was.

Off the top of my head, the only photobook I can think of where the words made the finished product stronger is Atkinson's Within The Stone. I groaned when I read Bill's description of the accompanying text on his website, but it actually works.

I'd rather drop the words and have a shorter book, or even better, fill those wordless pages with photos, and have a stronger book.

*aside from captions, if needed.

[Marilyn Nance]

Does that mean that there are mint julips which are non-vegetarian?

[All I know is that the processed food industry puts cheese in everything these days. --Mike]

[Schmuell]

I can't imagine someone hasn't already suggested or you haven't thought about a Kickstarter approach.

If not...

Cheers,
Schmuell

[Jeffrey Goggin]

Not that it will make any difference in how photobooks are made, but I agree with James Sinks: I buy a lot of photobooks -- more than 100 for each of the past three years -- for the photos, not the texts, and would welcome an industry-wide switch to offering books that contain more photos and fewer words.

[Jack Nelson]

I'm also not a fan of words in photo books, but I am interested in reading your ideas on photos and I love the idea of the text at the end. Why didn't I think of that?

[Jim]

Check with Michael A. Smith and his Lodima Press. Highest quality around, beautiful layouts and books one would be proud to show.
A lot of experience in low run, high quality books and numbered editions.

[fred]

A vegetarian from Wisconsin that doesn't eat cheese?!

[Well, technically speaking, in Wisconsin cheese *IS* a vegetable. But I'm not eating it right now anyway.... --Mike]

[Barry]

RE: Mike replies: I'm definitely not going to do that. The reason is that I want to make sure I have a satisfactory product to deliver before I take anyone's money for anything. We won't sell any books before we have books printed and ready to go.

I think I understand your dislike of pre-orders. I'm not sure I agree with it, but that's not my point here. How about having a "virtual pre-order"? You would describe the book and give a ball park price. At that point you would ask (allow?) blog readers to indicate if they seriously plan on buying the book. No money changes hands. No contracts are signed. No legal commitments on either the buyer or the seller (you). Nonetheless, I bet that most of the folks who commit to purchasing the book would do so, and it would give you some kind of metric for determining demand.

Good luck,
-barry

[Dean Johnston]

HIya!

> the text will always appear at the end of the books

That's a good idea, and one I was going to suggest. I have three of the Fototorst books, all of which have writing in the front, as typical. But the Koudelka one has an interview section in the back, which always makes me think, this is the place to have the writing.

Incidentally, I love the size of the Fototorst books (not that I'm suggesting this for yours), as the photographs are just big enough to appreciate & I can easily carry a single book in a shoulder / camera bag, etc. to look over, again and again, on the train, in a coffee shop, during a break, etc. - in terms of milage, my Fototorst books are well travelled (http://www.fototorst.com/index.php)

[B. R. George]

I'm a little disappointed that the comments section has not yet produced a credible meat julep recipe.

[Ross]

Can't find the source or correct words but the quote goes something like "My second editions are my rare editions"

Let's hope that rare AND second are a result for your enterprise.

[Darrell Marquette]

If you are considering a trademark, the first thing you should do is a trademark search to make sure your trademark is clear for use. The search can be done at the US Patent and Trademark Office website www.uspto.gov. This website also describes the trademark registration process and how you can file the application. If you run into problems with the registration process, you may need to consult a trademark attorney.

[Steve Caddy]

I think this is great Mike.

Regarding the pre-orders: you could always take pledges and not bill people until you were satisfied and read to ship.

Regarding the text: I do find a lot of photo book text laborious, but some has been truly insightful and enriching, and you have a natural gift it seems for writing easy prose that opens the mind and the eyes. I'm a better photographer and a better viewer for reading you and Ctine. Pen away!