Making and selling an artist’s book edition

A detailed case study of Paul Greenleaf’s experiences self-publishing and selling an artist’s book edition.

In this article he:

• summarises his decisions on edition type
• explains how his initial proposal changed
• details his marketing plan, costs, and projected earnings.

If you are interested in making artists’ book, also read Tom Sowden’s article on being a book artist.

About Paul Greenleaf’s practice

I am a photographic artist who examines relationships between people and places. My work has particular emphasis on built environments and manipulated landscapes. I am interested in the similarities and idiosyncrasies found in suburban housing.

I had been developing ideas based on a discontinued Hornby Railways model kit called R.275 Modern House. My plan was to track down the house the model was based on and create a series of photographs around this.

The plan

I wanted to produce a high value limited edition artist book which would include an inkjet print. I could use these to promote a photographic series I was making.

I estimated 30 copies, selling at £200 per copy. If the books sold I could achieve a higher return from a smaller number of sales. The difficulty might be finding buyers who are willing to pay this price.

Research

While making the photographs I researched various formats for the book. Each format had different cost implications.

Initial research for the editions consisted of visiting bookshops and related exhibitions. The artist book I wanted to create wasn’t achievable using off-the-shelf print-on-demand solutions.

I met with AND Publishing who are well informed about POD publishing options. I also had conversation with Bookworks. They produce high quality innovative small run artist books and publications. I decided to experiment with print on demand (POD) and to personalise each copy.

Production

I decided to use a Blurb hardback book with dustjacket which I planned to customise.

I devised a method of refolding the dustjacket to create a pocket inside the front & back cover. The pocket would allow me incorporate extra elements. These would include and archival print and leaflet.

I embossed a design onto the linen cover and cut some of the inner pages down in size. This delineated different sections within the book.

I went to Shepherds bookbinders to emboss the cover. The embossing technique requires a zinc block used by a bookbinder. Different colour foils can augment this process. These processes would introduce a large amount of hand finishing. This would add a considerable amount of time, cost and risk into the production of each copy.

Upon receipt of the proof copy I could assess how well I thought the book worked. The print quality was lacking. I could improve this by changing paper stock but this would mean further proofing. The price would need to be set to cover the significant production costs. These included

• hardback book
• embossing,
• adding inkjet print

As I intended to sell copies through galleries and bookshops I had to consider a 40-50% commission. I felt the price would end up too high for the quality I would be able to achieve through these production methods.

Adapting the book

After some consideration I decided the book fell short of what I was aiming for and I needed a new approach. Rather than a limited run high cost high value edition, I went for a larger edition. This meant lower production costs per unit.

A lower price would mean more buyers, possibly over a longer period of time. With no deadline to sell by I was happy that the editions may take a while to sell.

I’d initially intended to combine two different series of work into a single book. I decided instead, to separate them make two editions. Each would use different production methods which I felt suited each concept.

The first edition would be R.275 Modern House. This is based on the Hornby model kit. I wanted to emulate an instruction manual and so required low quality recycled paper to reflect this. I went for a standard format from Newspaper Club. They produce digitally printed short-run newspapers – fast, efficient, cost effective, 1-5000+ copies. I could refold these into the smaller leaflet format that I was aiming for.

The second series of work was Optimism Revisited. This featured photographic reproductions of skies and required better print quality. As I still needed to reduce costs I opted for a softback cover. This publication represents a moment in time, almost a work in progress. I had in mind a small catalogue used to accompany an exhibition.

Promoting the edition

For each series of work I had organised an exhibition. These would coincide with Photomonth East London Photography Festival . I hoped to benefit from the publicity and interest created by the festival. This created deadlines for completion of the publications.

Work from Optimism Revisited was displayed on noticeboards outside Tower Hamlets police stations. Each edition was also shown locally as part of a joint exhibition at Penny Fielding Gallery Nov 2012 – Jan 2013.

The exhibitions provided further opportunity to publicise the work on social media. I wrote a detailed blog about the process and developed a simple online shop. I used Paypal merchant services which enables me to sell copies direct to buyers.

At the time of writing I have sold several copies of each edition including to a notable collector whose collection, I am told, will be displayed at the British Museum 2017/18.

I continue to promote the editions which feature on The Independent Photo Blog. I have received interest to exhibit Optimism Revisited in summer of 2013. I am in the process of contacting various independent bookshops and galleries and I continue to look into and apply for other opportunities to exhibit (and sell) the work.

© Paul Greenleaf, 2012

Self publishing

Listen to this presentation by AND Publishing on print on demand.

This work has a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike License