Since June I have been posting weekly articles about stock photography right here on the blog. Each post has had a different theme and focus, and I have been telling friends and co-workers about my ultimate plan for this project since the beginning: To write a book about stock photography, using this place to publish the first draft as I finish itr, in a series of articles.
Do I have a publisher connected to the project? No, and I haven’t done anything to find one either. My priority has been to produce the articles on a somewhat regular basis. If you’re a publisher who likes my stuff, go ahead and send me an offer I can’t refuse. Actually, I won’t rule out some kind of self-publishing, if that’s what ends up looking like the best option. The important thing is to get it off my chest and out to those who might find use for it.
So, why am I doing this? Obviously, I am doing this because I think there is a market for it, but money is not my motivation here. So far, I have only made a few cents off of visitors clicking on my Google ads, hardly making up for the hours spent writing. I am writing this because there are thousands of people wanting to get into microstock photography, and most of them have the same questions and doubts, and they tend to make the same mistakes over and over. It’s my hope, that I can help these people get a good head start.
My years of inspecting other people’s images behind the scenes at iStockphoto has taught me many things, which I am only too happy to share. There are things I can’t reveal about the actual inspection process, but I promise that with the tips and pointers in these articles, you will have an easier time getting your images approved. Because of my background with iStock, that is also the agency I am focusing on in my writing.
The book does not have a title yet, not even a working one, but I can reveal that all the chapters were outlined even before I published the first post. Also, the individual posts will be edited to fit book-form, once I reach that point. Any ideas and suggestions are welcome along the way.
At this moment, I would like to thank all those who have helped spread the word, linked to the posts and the blog, clicked the ads and offered feedback. It’s great to see that my work is appreciated.
