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9 Years Ago
I just had an author contact me about using one of my paintings for a book cover. I would love this opportunity but have no idea what to do next. Any advice? Has anyone done this? What should I charge? Do I get royalties? Do I need a contract? I'm confused. Thanks for any help!
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9 Years Ago
Keep in mind this could be a small budget, even a no budget, project. In some cases, the author agrees to send you a copy (or a few) of the book. I've got a deal with a railroad author to use several of my Carolinas train photos for credit and a few copies. In my case, I viewed it a resume builder. I've been in magazines, where I did get paid, and now in books, where they don't know the behind the scenes deal. He and I made in agreement through e-mail where we stated we agreed to these terms, yada, yada, yada. You may want to say it can be used for the book ccver only and not for promotional purposes.
9 Years Ago
Amy I hope you can get some real help beside being told to go search. There is one
member who asks almost every time they have one of these type things and I doubt
he gets blown off and told to go look it up in search. It is nice to get feedback and
support for this if you're not sure or experienced. To talk it out and reassured. I
know nothing about this or I would chime in with something helpful. I hope you can
get some real feedback before you decide something that forever affects your art.
9 Years Ago
Andee the reason I mentioned do a search was because there is indeed a lot of information in other discussions about the Book Cover.
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=1947742
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=1933701
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=1923629
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=1824079
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=1757111
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=1732206
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=1674015
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=1201983
9 Years Ago
That may be true but when someone wants info like this they also want support that
reading from a bunch of old links is not going to get them. I figure that is why one
member comes here and asks almost every time they have a new one to get feedback
and support to make the right choices..This is one of my pet peeves sending folks
off to search esp on things that is as important as licensing they may want replies
specific to them. Adding the links in addition is one thing but sending them off to
start is frustrating... to me anyway.
9 Years Ago
Amy, was this offer made outside of Fine Art America, are you registered at Pixels.com here at Fine Art America. If I were you I would direct the individual to pixels.com and Reserved Rights usage of the photo. Everything could be handled there, maybe this person wants to use your design and bypass pixels.com......
Get your work posted there when you upload photos here the option for you to upload to pixels is all there the contracts everythiing is handled at pixels.com. for commerical usage of your photo or art.
9 Years Ago
"they may want replies specific to them."
Andee, of course they do. And specific questions always get specific answers. Open-ended questions have a multitude of possibly right answers. Specific answers at this point are only a wild guess as to the actual circumstances. Thus the search. As the possibilities get narrowed down, the advice gets more specific.
Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online
9 Years Ago
If they approached you directly as oppose to going through an agent I'm assuming its an ebook? $200 - no royalties.
Regular release (i.e. bookstore) - $500 and up.
No royalties but you have a contract for a specific number of books. If they print more then they have to pay again.
9 Years Ago
@Michael Hoad - I wish I'd had exactly this information a year ago. Thanks for the information.
In my case it was a friend who happens to be a romance writer and in the end I simply e-mailed her the pic, I got a photo credit line and a copy of her new book. Worked for us and it looks good on my bio.
9 Years Ago
We licensed one of our images to be on a book cover last year by a large publishing company. They sent us the contract and said their budget was $800 for print and e-books. Later, they came back and asked to be able to license the image for audio books and offered another $300. Typically, publishing companies have a budget and will offer what they can pay and will send you a contract. We transmitted the image through a drop-box since it was too large to send by email.
Keep in mind that every licensing deal is unique and there is no set fee or agreement. If the book is being self-published on a very small scale, then the fee would reflect that. We have licensed for magazines too several times, once on the back cover for $300, once inside spread for just $100, which were their budgets and we agreed.
We have another book cover deal in the works for a German company and their budget is $450 but we asked for and will be getting $500.
You just have to be happy with the deal, so think about what you would want and see what they are offering and go from there.
Hope this helps! Celebrate life, Debra and Dave
9 Years Ago
Do they even have a publisher or are they self publishing? My first publication 20 years ago was a self published hard cover coffee table book. I was advised to do it by a mentor and it really gave me a lot of credibility. No one was paid on that project. Next book deal a few years later I worked with the author a year and made a few hundred dollars and got to be in a birding field guide, which was a nice feather in the cap. I have covers for technical books and novels through my agent also. I didn't get much for them. Book covers are not big money makers. They are prestige, unless it is a big publisher or author. When we did the bird guide we used the email exchanges for a contract. They will usually have a contract but more often I beat them to it and give them mine.
9 Years Ago
Yes Rose, and congrats to you and good luck to Amy, I am sure you will figure out the best options. This way they are placed in an option and when it time and the contract expire for the usage they renew the license use.
continued below.
9 Years Ago
Yes Rose, and congrats to you and good luck to Amy, I am sure you will figure out the best options. This way they are placed in an option and when it time and the contract expire for the usage they renew the license use.
I receive my credits as photographer from an upcoming published book and signed copy without question. Will be getting photo opps of the recent portraits I took of the publisher of the on line publication.
And just tonight got word from the developer of the apartment living city block residence I have lived in the 4 years I have a 4th floor entire city view 2 bedroom suite....and living room and kitchen a great room, super nice developer of the property, the developer took me on a tour of the corporate suite 4 bedrooms just spectacular..he and a partner are spending time in the corporate suite a 4 bedroom master suite I have never seen anything quite like it very impressive with the antiques and interior design the floor plan just sensational.... I am sure everything was considered when the project was designed here in the Garden District no details were left omitted for developers owners to stay here at the complex.........I would probably get sales after what he viewed on line here at Fine Art America. He saw me downstairs earlier this evening and came over and talked to me, he said you sure are involved with your work on line.....and I told him all about Fine Art America.,,,he invited me to see the corporate living space and wanted to see my work on his computer, so he now has everything he needs for any sales of my work.
9 Years Ago
Thanks to everyone for all your helpful responses and links. These authors are self publishing their 3rd book. It looks like their first two did fairly well. They said they're doing print on demand and their budget is 0, but they don't need exclusive rights and II would get credit.
I didn't expect to make much money off this but at least something, maybe $100- 200? This is discouraging and a bit insulting, to be honest.
9 Years Ago
They probably don't sell their books for $0, so shouldn't expect you to sell your work for $0... drives me nuts.
Credit doesn't pay the bills.
9 Years Ago
I agree, Heather. And what if the book sold really well? They have two other books on the market that seem to be doing well, at least for self published. I'd like the exposure, of course, but free is very demeaning.
The sad reality of today's digital age seems to be that creative work is more and more devalued, just because there's so much of it.
9 Years Ago
"The sad reality of today's digital age seems to be that creative work is more and more devalued, just because there's so much of it."
That, too, and also because people are giving away their work for literally pennies and it's driving the market down. Until artists stand up for themselves it will only get worse.
When I first joined the stock photography market, with one company it was a 70/30 split in our favour. That same company is now 50/50 but, what once would bring in $2000 for a licensed image with them is now down to $100.
Let's see: 70 percent of $2000, or 50 percent of $100. That's why I only license my images through FAAs licensing website.
Get every penny you can, Amy, and don't give away your work.
9 Years Ago
Don't bother being insulted. Just decide to either do it or not to do it. If you act insulted, you're not going to convince them to buy anything from you. Afterall, they are doing this out of their own pocket just as you are. I see it from both points of view, personally. So now you have a choice to make. I would send them the link to the image on the Licensing web site and gently remind them that you, like they, pay your bills through your art and that you, like them, expect some form of payment. That payment may be a few copies of the book. But, of course, you are always free to say no. I have told many people no when they offered credit, even telling them that given a choice between making no money by giving my photography away or making no money by not giving my photography away, I'd always choose the latter.
However, I made a deal with a railroad author recently to allow him to use several of my railroad images with credit given to me as well as copies of my book. I did this because the pictures will be in print; it's not just on-line and so far, I've never been in a book before. The joke I use whenever I get published in a magazine is, "I'm always glad to something of mine in print other than my fingers." I'm considering letting another author use some images of mine in a book he is doing for the same reason and this one may come with some form of compensation.
So, in closing, no matter what you decide, I would not be insulted. It takes way too long and too much energy.
9 Years Ago
Here's the thing. Have you actually asked for any payment? Maybe they'd consider what you said you'd take -- $100 to $200. I said in my first post this might be a low budget or no budget deal and it looks like it is. I've known people who self publish and most of the time, they hope to break even. It's a labor of love for most of them.