Ok, it's not going to make the NY Times best seller list, but I did have fun putting together a nice book with photographs from the SkeeterBeater and the '07 North Carolina cruises. The idea had been in my mind for a while and when I was laid up with a bad foot a couple of weeks ago I got on the internet, imported the images and designed a nice softback book. Below is a screenshot showing part of the layout.
I used Blurb, one of several online book publishers. There other one I've heard about since is Lulu.com. These are online, on-demand publishers. It was a matter of downloading some free software, importing the images and designing the layout. What I put together was a pretty simple 8x10 book with one image per page (about 5x7 inch image size) and a little tag-line saying where the photo was made (i.e. Dixon Creek, 2009). There are a total of 80 images on 78 pages plus cover. I spent about three hours on it that first day, then another hour the following day, then uploaded the design and images to the website (about 45 minutes on a dsl connection). The books, I ordered three copies, showed up yesterday and I was thrilled with the result. Very nice quality paper, printed exactly as I had designed and with great color/contrast reproduction. The same quality of just about any photo book you might find in a store. I could even order it in a hardback version if I wanted to spend a few more bucks.
Cost came to about $25.00 per book. Not bad when you consider consider the cost of buying a photo album and 80 5x7 prints could be much more than that.
This online journal Bruce and I put together is fun and I do enjoy going back through the logs of our trips every once in a while, but having a book to hold in my hands is really pretty cool. There is something "permanent" about it. And I don't need to boot it up or plug it in to have a look at some of my favorite photographs. It just sits there on the table waiting for me to flip through the pages (what a concept!!).
Blurb even offers the book for sale to the public at their on-line book store. But truth be told I don't want anybody to buy this book, it is just something for me, Bruce and our families.
I would much prefer that you have your own adventure and publish your own book.
steve
Steve,
ReplyDeleteWow, this is waaaaay cool on several levels: (1)You have a high-quality personal album of your cruising photos. (2) You've provided an excellent example of a great way for anyone to create a personal book of family photos. (3) A collection of your photos are now published in a book available to the public --which is a good thing even if not the motivation for publishing. Your photos are the best.
Googled and found this helpful overview of self-publishing here....
http://news.cnet.com/Self-publishing-made-easy-online/2100-1038_3-6148342.html
And found this helpful review of four self-publishing applications:
http://www.listio.com/reviews/2009/01/comparison-book-publishing-applications-lulu-webook-blurb-and-qoop/
Found this right-on quote by Kathryn Hall, a publicist: "Thinking your publisher is going to make you rich and famous (and promote your book) is like giving birth and thinking your obstetrician is going to raise your kid."
Self-publishing has come a long way in the last few years. Thanks for pointing that out!
Found your book for sale at Blurb...
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1057165
Yet again, we continue to learn and be inspired by following the Log of Spartina.
Thanks!
--Paul
Thanks for the links Paul.
ReplyDeleteThis winter I'll do a book from the Crab House trip. And I can easily see doing one of these books on each future trip. I could be a nice set of book on the shelf.
And think of the possibilities for group trips - Watertribe events, Texas 200, etc. Everybody can send in their photos to an organizer and that person can produce an book of shared memories.
Yes, waaaaaay cool.
steve
Wow. What a neat idea! I knew about the self-publishers but had no idea about the cost. Nor did I ever think of them as a way of saving pictures. I'm no photographer, but there are a lot of family photos out there.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea Steve. Much easier to have people see the photos of your trip in a book than in a large stack and pass it around. Thanks for including the links.
ReplyDeleteGreat work!
Perry