How to publish a photo book may not be the first question that comes to mind as a new professional, but the answer will certainly be helpful for anyone beginning a part-time or full-time career as a photographer. Many amateur photography enthusiasts will also benefit from a primer on how to publish a photo book.
With that in mind, use this guideline to learn a few tips and tricks that will help you put your photos into print in a way that’s beautiful and engaging.
Table of Contents:
- Why a Pro Would Publish a Photo Book
- Where to Publish a Photo Book
- What Goes Into a Photo Book
- How to Use a Photo Book
- Recommended Photography Gear
Why a Pro Would Publish a Photo Book
Looking at the steps involved in how to publish a photo book, a question might pop up as to why would a pro or any other photographer publish a photo book in the first place. There are multiple reasons why a photographer would publish a photo book.
One of my primary reasons is to show off my photography in a way that doesn’t require an in-person visit to my studio or office but still involves a tactile experience that one doesn’t get from the web or social media. Holding a photo book adds to the experience of viewing the images, making it a little more special.
A beginning pro might want to publish a photo book in order to promote their burgeoning business. Just having a photo book available for clients to leaf through while in your home office/studio might actually lead to the client deciding to use you or to add to their order.
Just so we’re clear, I’m not talking about self-publishing a book for sale on Amazon or some other publishing company, but rather the type of photo books you can order from your printing company that you already use for order fulfillment. However, many of the ideas will crossover with either type of photo book.
Where to Publish a Photo Book
As mentioned above, if you’re already using a printing service for order fulfillment, that printing company may already have options for how to publish a photo book. One of the premier sites I use for photo books is Photo Book Press.
Photo Book Press has a nice, brief FAQ that helps out when you want to publish a photo book for yourself. If you’re looking for answers to basic questions about printing, like turnaround time and special services for professional photographers, it’s a good resource.
One of the nice things about using Photo Book Press to publish a photo book is that they don’t add their own logo or brand name to the photo book, so your own branding isn’t diluted by the client seeing some other name or logo.
What Goes Into a Photo Book
Making your own photo book is similar to ordering enlargements or specialty prints such as the acrylic prints that Photo Book Press makes. Choose your best files, crop them properly, adjust colors and color profile, and basically everything that you would be adjusting for making prints.
The order that the images go into the photo book is as important as the makeup of the images themselves - they should be arranged in a manner that makes visual sense and sense from a storytelling standpoint as well.
Your layout is another optional point since you can add one image per page or have multiple images in a collage type of form. Again, your images should inform the layout of each page. Some images are so engaging that they might appear on a page by themselves (or even cover two pages!). Other images are better suited for an appearance in a collage on a single page.
How to Use a Photo Book
As we start making our own photo books, you quickly see how best to use them for yourselves and your business. Some of the best uses for photo books are self-promotion. Keep some photo books around at your studio or office so that clients and potential clients can see your work.
Another use for why to publish a photo book is to cross-sell. Your photo books can be a product in themselves to sell. Perhaps your portrait or wedding client sees your photo book with your Alaska pics and wants one for their own.
That’s the basics of how to order a photo book and what type of use you can use them for, promoting your business, cross-selling, and simply for a fun viewing experience. Team up with Photo Book Press to get a beautiful photo book quickly, easily, and without busting your budget!
Recommended Photography Gear
Learn More:
- What To Look for When Ordering a Photo Book
- Passive Income Photography Ideas
- Custom Artwork Ideas for Your Photography