Kai-san
Filmwaster
Just a heads up for those interested, Bruce Barnbaum is doing a kickstarter for his new book "Discoveries of a Lifetime".
Link to kickstarter
Link to kickstarter
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Interesting. Even the big players in the photo book industry are doing Kitkstarter now.
Is this what the photo book industry has moved on to?
BB has long been an inspiration to me, so I will be following this with interest.
Is this what the photo book industry has moved on to?
BB has long been an inspiration to me, so I will be following this with interest.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Kickstarter has devolved into a fundraiser for corporations and famous people. It was originally supposed to be for independent artists and inventors to raise money to fund art projects or the startup costs to manufacture a newly invented item. Now, its flooded with companies that are more than capable of funding their own operations and famous people like Barnbaum who should have no trouble getting published.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Yes, well. What you say. Agree entirely. Many thanks for your receptive (as always) comments, Chris.
Many of us, I reckon, tend to see through what Kickstarters really are, and spend our money accordingly. In my time I've funded a few photo startups, always without any return - which wasn't my intended goal anyway, so no great losses on my part. I put in modest amounts, and in all cases except one I got nothing back. Such is life.
As in everywhere else, nowadays 'idea hatchers' and producers of crappy products (of all sorts, not only photographic) will try anything to get quick money to fund their projects. As I think JP Morgan or some such rich tycoon once said, is it not better to get somebody else to take the risk, and if the item sells, you keep all the profit.
I agree that Barnbaum can easily get himself published or, if he prefers to keep all the profits to himself, fund the entire book on his own. But like most business types, he chooses to socialise the costs and capitalise the profits... Cynical, maybe, but there you are. Real world.
This said, as a former editor for publishing companies, I'm more aware than most of the risks involved in funding photo books. High costs, long production times, then you go to printing, with 10,000-100,000 copies (here in Australia initial print runs of 5,000 or even less are more common, hence the stupidly high prices we have to pay for our books) which you then have to distribute to book shops. Often as not large stocks of unsold books then accumulate in the publisher's warehouse, eventually to be sold as 'remainders' at a loss. Tax deductible, but still money that had to be paid out for the production, so lost.
Apologies for the long ramble. It does explain in some ways (I hope) why authors and publishers of photo books do tend to be conservative and reluctant to spend good money to take chances, even with a known identity like BB.
To end this on a positive note, I wish Barnbaum every success in his new book project. As I'm sure we all do.
Many of us, I reckon, tend to see through what Kickstarters really are, and spend our money accordingly. In my time I've funded a few photo startups, always without any return - which wasn't my intended goal anyway, so no great losses on my part. I put in modest amounts, and in all cases except one I got nothing back. Such is life.
As in everywhere else, nowadays 'idea hatchers' and producers of crappy products (of all sorts, not only photographic) will try anything to get quick money to fund their projects. As I think JP Morgan or some such rich tycoon once said, is it not better to get somebody else to take the risk, and if the item sells, you keep all the profit.
I agree that Barnbaum can easily get himself published or, if he prefers to keep all the profits to himself, fund the entire book on his own. But like most business types, he chooses to socialise the costs and capitalise the profits... Cynical, maybe, but there you are. Real world.
This said, as a former editor for publishing companies, I'm more aware than most of the risks involved in funding photo books. High costs, long production times, then you go to printing, with 10,000-100,000 copies (here in Australia initial print runs of 5,000 or even less are more common, hence the stupidly high prices we have to pay for our books) which you then have to distribute to book shops. Often as not large stocks of unsold books then accumulate in the publisher's warehouse, eventually to be sold as 'remainders' at a loss. Tax deductible, but still money that had to be paid out for the production, so lost.
Apologies for the long ramble. It does explain in some ways (I hope) why authors and publishers of photo books do tend to be conservative and reluctant to spend good money to take chances, even with a known identity like BB.
To end this on a positive note, I wish Barnbaum every success in his new book project. As I'm sure we all do.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
One positive with the corporate kickstarters is that they virtually always deliver the product they promise. Of course, that is in large part because they really don't need the kickstarter to launch new products; but also because they have a reputation to protect. Still, I would like to see KS go back to being a way for small creators to fund projects.