Creating a photo book involves far more than just selecting images; the practicalities of production, publishing, and shipping present significant hurdles. Understanding these challenges can help you realistically plan your own book project.
Coming to you from Shoot On Film -- by Ari Jaaksi, this informative video walks you through the complexities Jaaksi faced when transitioning from artistic vision to physical publication. Initially, he developed his concept using Google Slides, providing a visual preview to refine his ideas before contacting publishers. However, he soon discovered publishers today seldom back projects from lesser-known photographers without substantial financial guarantees upfront. Industry veterans advised him that traditional publishers provide limited assistance beyond proofreading and layout; most of the promotion still falls squarely on your shoulders.
Jaaksi ultimately decided to handle the entire publishing process himself, founding his own legally registered company, Slow Light Art, in Finland. After assessing popular online services like Blurb and finding their costs prohibitive, he tried a local print shop used for previous projects. Unfortunately, repeated errors in proofs—including color casts and misprinted covers—forced him to seek alternatives. Recommendations from trusted peers led him to Jelgavas Typographia in Latvia, a print shop with clearer guidelines and professional results. He emphasizes the importance of physical proofs over digital simulations, given the challenges in color accuracy and print quality.
The preparation of files emerged as another major obstacle. Jaaksi highlights that the industry standard for printing is Adobe software—specifically Lightroom, Photoshop, and InDesign. Even though free tools may save money initially, Adobe's suite provides essential control over critical elements such as color management, grayscale conversions, and print formatting. He meticulously scanned negatives, edited them in Lightroom, converted images to grayscale in Photoshop, and finalized the layout in InDesign. Each print shop has specific guidelines regarding file formats, bleeds, and margins, underscoring the importance of careful file preparation.
Setting up a reliable sales channel presented additional hurdles. Jaaksi rejected mainstream platforms like Amazon and eBay for his fine-art book, instead creating a straightforward web store through a Finnish service. Although straightforward, payment processing occasionally posed issues. Furthermore, he stresses the significance of strategically pricing your book—adjusting the balance between product price and shipping charges to ensure customers find the costs acceptable, despite inherently high shipping fees. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Jaaksi.
