Photograph by Evan J. Hunt
The saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" is popular, but it's not realistic. The average reader will pick up a book that has a cover pleasing to the eyes. There was a time when book covers used digital design or plain text on their covers, but photography is gaining in popularity everyday. However, the photograph must match what the author or publisher feels compliments the book, and the photographer must be pleased with the distribution of the book to add to his resume. With an effective contract, both goals can be attained.
Instructions
1. Decide on what type of exposure this book cover will have. The photographer may believe she'll get maximum exposure in bookstores worldwide, on postcards and brochures, at book signings and on the side of a bus or elevated train, but the author may only want to use the book cover for an e-book on one lesser known website. Before a photographer sells his photograph to the author, make sure both parties are well aware of where this book cover will end up.
2. Agree on mutual terms for how the book cover will look before paying out any funds. What the author may feel is an excellent book cover may be too difficult or an insult to the photographer's capabilities. Discuss what both parties want to see when the final book cover is complete. The image below is an example of a book cover that both the author and the photographer went through at least 15 versions of before the font color; font style; lighting; plane engine color and ribbon placement were sufficient. By working together, both parties were pleased with the end result. Make sure that mutual agreement on the book cover's appearance is in the contract. The author and photographer can even discuss a payment plan to pay for the growth of the photograph (ex. main photo, pay $__________; edits to photo, pay $___________; adding back cover summary $_________).
3. Document what types of rights the author and photographer will have for this photo. Can the author post the book cover on any website he wants to market the book? Can the photographer sell this photograph, minus the author's name and book title, to another party? Is this an exclusive cover in which the author maintains all the rights or non-exclusive in which the photographer can manipulate the same photograph into a different cover for other means of media?
4. Research and discuss pricing. Depending on how exclusive the author wants the book photograph to be, the amount will steadily increase, especially if this photograph is being tailored to fit the author's suggestions. In Step 2, it was understood that this photograph was being created with both the author and photographer in mind. It's a little different if the author wants to buy a photograph that is already complete and as is. Whereas pricing for an editable cover may call for increase in payment, a standard photograph available and untouched could possibly be less. The amount of exposure can also increase the payout for the photograph. Simple things like adding the title and author's name cost money.
5. Set a due date for the photograph to be ready for publication, especially if the photograph is being created. If a manuscript has been edited; the Library of Congress catalog number is ready; the ISBN is ready; and the author has already set up dates for marketing, but the photographer is taking far too long to finish the cover to be sent to print, this will definitely slow down tour dates, release dates and could affect sales.
6. Make sure the photographer understands the summary of the book. There are endless topics that a person can write about, but if the topic is a conflict of interest for the photographer and the photographer is not aware of certain content in the book, the photographer may not want to complete the cover. For example, if the author is writing a book about why Barack Obama would be a successful president but the photographer is a firm supporter of John McCain, that photographer may be hesitant to start snapping shots of the Democratic presidential candidate. If the photographer asks for a copy of the manuscript from the author, the author should be more than willing to distribute it and make the summary clear in the contract. It would be even more helpful if the author offered a copy of the manuscript to the photographer without her asking for one.
Tags: book cover, author photographer, book cover will, book photographer, both parties
