Tom Carpenter
Self-Publishing - The Triumphs, Pitfalls and the In-Between At an online event last year, I asked a photographer if he would talk about the process of self-publishing a photo book. I was met with the rather abrupt retort: ‘‘it’s an arduous money pit, and I wouldn’t recommend it’’. I was a bit taken back by the response and a little surprised, because I’d heard others describe it as hard work, but often very rewarding. This got me thinking, if it’s such an arduous process, then why are so many photographers taking steps to self-publish their own photo books? As someone who hasn’t stepped into the world of self-publishing books, I’m not the best person to offer insight on the subject. So, I got in touch with a couple of photographers who have quite recently done just that, and asked for their thoughts. From the offset both of the photographers referred to “having greater creative control on a project” as being an important factor in pursuing self-publishing. Let’s face it, the chance to have the creative control from start to finish of something, either excites or terrifies the life out of you. However, when you’ve lived with the work as long as some photographers have, it’s not easy to leave it in the hands of someone else. Another aspect that came up was the chance to be able to earn some money, albeit a small
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amount, from the sale of the book.
Photo books, taken by Tom Carpenter, 2021
Doesn’t seem unreasonable right? For me, it speaks volumes that photographers would rather take on the responsibility of doing everything rather than approach a publisher, who nine times out of 10, will ask for a substantial payment towards production costs. A substantial payment is fine for a select few, but what about those who are often working one, maybe two jobs just to be able to support their creative practice? It’s easier to see why the idea of taking it all on yourself would be the preferred way to go. So, the advantages and disadvantages are something you have to weigh up when it comes to choosing whether to self-publish
