Kingfisher book publication - need help and photos.
Discussion
3 replies
Posted by Brian Monk on April 18, 2007 at 11:52 PM
Hi y'all -
This post may belong in marketing, eds. please move this if this is inappropriate for the general discussion. I just wanted as many eyes as possible.
Has anyone on this forum ever published a book?
I am going to write and publish a book that is dedicated to the various kingfisher species of the world. The book will be of a "coffee-table" format, in that it will be oversized. The book will include as many species as possible. The format will use a side-by-side layout, with a single large, art-quality, edge-to-edge photograph on the left page, and complete yet concise natural history information with available smaller images on the right. An introduction, with illustrations, of the general biology and natural history of the Alcedinidae will be included.
Photos necessary for this volume will be of two types. Photos that depict species illustration will have to be of a quality suitable for a large single page depiction, with sufficient clarity and composition to emphasize the bird. Environmental shots of sufficient character would be included in this category, provided the species depicted is the focus of the photograph. In other words, phtotgraphs that do not fill the frame with the bird, but still portray the animal in a well-composed and distinct way will be considered. The second type of photo would be used to illustrate the natural history of the individual species, and so examples of habitat, all behaviors, food, nesting behavior, etc. will be well-suited. These photos will be smaller, and occupy the outer margin of the facing page.
Now for the hard part, actually doing it. There are only a handful of Kingfisher species depicted on this site, a testament to the difficulty of photographing these timid, dagger-headed predators. So I need photos.
And I need a publisher. I have never been published in such a grand fashion, though I have written several articles for smaller publications, and so have some experience with the process.
Any help that you folks could provide in either department would be graciously and humbly accepted.
Just a quick note, I intend to do this because it is something I've always wanted to do, but do understand the economic realities involved. I expect to pay for photos at the current market rate, possibly higher for photos of exceptional quality or use. I also understand fully the time involved in taking on a project of this size. Finally, I am not doing this to leave a charitable gift to the world. I expect to at least break even on this project, but more likely make a profit. Then I will consider the next group of birds in this series.
I've seen the full size files so I can assure you that the image quality is excellent, I wouldn't hesitate to print them up to 30x45 centimeters, or even more.
Discussion
3 repliesThis post may belong in marketing, eds. please move this if this is inappropriate for the general discussion. I just wanted as many eyes as possible.
Has anyone on this forum ever published a book?
I am going to write and publish a book that is dedicated to the various kingfisher species of the world. The book will be of a "coffee-table" format, in that it will be oversized. The book will include as many species as possible. The format will use a side-by-side layout, with a single large, art-quality, edge-to-edge photograph on the left page, and complete yet concise natural history information with available smaller images on the right. An introduction, with illustrations, of the general biology and natural history of the Alcedinidae will be included.
Photos necessary for this volume will be of two types. Photos that depict species illustration will have to be of a quality suitable for a large single page depiction, with sufficient clarity and composition to emphasize the bird. Environmental shots of sufficient character would be included in this category, provided the species depicted is the focus of the photograph. In other words, phtotgraphs that do not fill the frame with the bird, but still portray the animal in a well-composed and distinct way will be considered. The second type of photo would be used to illustrate the natural history of the individual species, and so examples of habitat, all behaviors, food, nesting behavior, etc. will be well-suited. These photos will be smaller, and occupy the outer margin of the facing page.
Now for the hard part, actually doing it. There are only a handful of Kingfisher species depicted on this site, a testament to the difficulty of photographing these timid, dagger-headed predators. So I need photos.
And I need a publisher. I have never been published in such a grand fashion, though I have written several articles for smaller publications, and so have some experience with the process.
Any help that you folks could provide in either department would be graciously and humbly accepted.
Just a quick note, I intend to do this because it is something I've always wanted to do, but do understand the economic realities involved. I expect to pay for photos at the current market rate, possibly higher for photos of exceptional quality or use. I also understand fully the time involved in taking on a project of this size. Finally, I am not doing this to leave a charitable gift to the world. I expect to at least break even on this project, but more likely make a profit. Then I will consider the next group of birds in this series.
my friend Fenice has some awesome photos of the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis):
http://www.pbase.com/fenice/fauna
One of her best, recently posted here : Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) - female
I've seen the full size files so I can assure you that the image quality is excellent, I wouldn't hesitate to print them up to 30x45 centimeters, or even more.
Scott